How to regain time back
It is often assumed that in order to be more productive, we must do as much work as possible in the shortest time period by accelerating the pace. However, people are not robots and this is not always possible–or even beneficial–in order to carry out meaningful work. How can we be more efficient? To address this issue, it is important to discuss when and why we lose time.
WHEN: When our minds, bodies, and willpower are not aligned, we lose focus.
States of mind that often lead to a lack of focus:
- Stress: having too much on your mind, being overwhelmed by responsibilities, feeling pressured to perform well and fast.
- Procrastination: avoiding formal responsibilities, distracted by other tasks, disturbed by your environment, not sticking to your priorities.
- Tiredness: not knowing your limits, wanting to do too much at the same time, putting extra pressure on yourself.
- Unmotivated: You may feel an absence of meaning and vision for yourself. The why—other than money— is an essential part of a mission and a vision. It is essential for motivation.
These feelings affect both our physical and mental states. By ignoring our physiological needs (like sleep or a break to relax), our mind gets distracted and unable to concentrate due to scattered thoughts.
WHY: Negativity clouds judgment and hinders productivity.
Five common emotions that are overly time-consuming:
- Anger: unforgiving of a past event, bringing others down, unconstructive comments towards teammates, being let down by others that did not meet expectations.
- Fear: uncertainty concerning outside events (like a pandemic), afraid of taking risks, ashamed or too self-criticizing.
- Regret: overthinking past decisions instead of moving forward and taking the next step.
- Dishonesty: in denial and lying to yourself and others, making promises you know you cannot keep.
- Hesitation: hesitating to accomplish something because of low self-esteem or fear to take action. Confused by trying to understand something on your own.
Such emotions are unconstructive and do nothing to advance and improve any situation. In fact, they are quite detrimental and demand a large amount of energy and time that could be spent towards delivering results.
Positive thinking saves your time and keeps you healthy.
In order to be effective, we must be in the right mindset. If you are not in the right mindset to work, that is ok! It’s a sign that you need to take a break and recharge because if you do not take care of yourself, it will reflect negatively on your work. While it is completely normal to feel these emotions, it’s important to recognize the negativity they carry and not let it consume you.
Self-care is not a waste of time; albeit a necessary investment preventing unfortunate consequences and burnout. To practice a positive mindset is to acknowledge that despite the fact that nothing is perfect and things will go wrong, people can find the tools to adapt and change nonetheless.
Having ambition is wonderful, but setting your limits is the key to well-balanced work life.
Co-author: Kim Lefort, a student at McGill University in Political Science and Russian Studies, Loran scholar
To get better at exporting, get better yourself first. Click the link for more details about “Made by woman” value-oriented marketing and management standard.