Excuses, Indulgences, and Productivity

Monday, October 24, 2011



Email tempts.

Text messages tempt.

Sunshine-filled days tempt.

Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Quora, Chime.In, and other social networks all tempt together in one fierce, addictive mass.

They all tempt by the lure of something new.

Something you don't know. Perhaps something yet to be discovered.

And they all instantly destroy productivity.

Small business productivity
Inherently, small businesses have limited resources. Whether it's manpower, capacity, or funding, there's a limited amount.

That's why it's even more important for small business owners to understand productivity and how it's threatened on a constant basis.

We have little time to think long-term because we're so caught up in what's happening today.

I'll use myself as an example.

Every time I open Chrome, four pages automatically load -- Google Reader, Google Plus, Gmail, and TweetDeck.

Three of the four tabs are excuses and distractions; they hinder my productivity. But it extends even further than that.

If I was serious about my own productivity, I'd:
  • only open Gmail, answer emails, finish projects, correspond, and only after all my work was done, move on to recreational browsing.
  • sign-out of instant messenger and notification services.
  • turn my phone off, or put it on silent and place it face down (I don't need to see any notifications).
  • limit my Internet connectivity to when I need to send or receive correspondence.
If I need to focus on working and not being busy, I need to take myself seriously, and self-empower to get it done.

The balance of indulgences
I've written before about supervisors who are overly critical and rarely encouraging.

People need to hear what they're doing right, they need to know they're respected, and they need to know that they're of value.

And the same goes for you, the small business person; there needs to be a balance.

Maintaining that focus on all things productivity is a burden. It's difficult, it's a long-day, it's exhausting.

So in the midst of this hustling, allow yourself some choice indulgences.

Here are some of the indulgences I (try to) allow myself:
  • An hour every morning and night to read my choice of blog posts, newspaper articles, or a new book. 
  • 30 minutes every morning to go on a walk or work-out.
  • 30 minutes most nights to go on a walk or bike ride with the wife.
  • Strive to be asleep (not in bed working) no later than 11 p.m.
  • Lazy weekend mornings, sans scheduled activities.
  • 3-weeks vacationing away from the familiar, every year.
Sure, some of them are vital to living, breathing life. Others are simply avenues to my personal happiness.

But you'll notice they have something in common, they all make an effort to be timed and scheduled. That way, my productivity is balanced and remains on schedule.

What's your excuse? What's your indulgence?
It's silly isn't it? We, by ourselves, hold the key to our own productivity.

And we, ourselves, are more often than not the reason for our distracted nature.

We justify our time online, we make excuses we end up believing for why a project is delayed, and roll ourselves into an unproductive rut.

What do you struggle with? Is there something you've done to find and embrace your productivity?

Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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