Rituals: Being productive, not just “busy”
Escaping, setting a timer, calendar blocking, frequency-enhanced music, and other tips for how I attempt focused productivity
When I worked at a fintech startup in New York, a colleague once asked me what someone in my division actually did day-to-day.
She couldn't figure out this person’s job function.
“She always looks busy. But what does she actually do? She's in every meeting, always running around with a laptop under her arm, but no one actually knows what she does.”
Ouch.
I hope to god that if and when I find myself again in a team work environment, no one says or thinks this about me.
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Because I would rather be clear about what my day-to-day responsibilities and contributions are to the greater organization.
But this also leads me to how I achieve rituals for daily, weekly, monthly, and annual bursts and periods of focused productivity.
Let me be clear: I’m not perfect at this.
I have to work hard every day to avoid distractions and procrastination.
On procrastination
When we procrastinate, I’ve learned that it’s usually a result of fear, self-doubt, anxiety, or insecurity. The very thing we avoid then grows in negative energy; we ruminate, we choose to do other (easier, mind-numbing, brainless) tasks until we confront it.
Meanwhile, our anxiety about the thing snowballs.
I have experienced long periods of stagnation, malaise, brain fog, and even high functioning depression, both triggered by external events or self-inflicted.
For example, your body and brain go through the movements, but you’re not really learning, speaking up, starting or mastering anything, or working toward a goal.
What happens instead? Usually distraction, inertia, missing targets, and fear of or not moving the ball forward.
This is different from periods when you allow yourself to take a break, chill, relax, and take time off.
This is about avoiding aimlessness and setting boundaries, and creating space to prevent constant, personal overwhelm.
On FOMO
Luckily, I don’t have a problem with FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to feeling like I have to be at certain events or gatherings or social functions.
My answer to FOMO is usually the knowledge that “there will always be another (party, event, or social function).”
In The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene reminds us to create an aura of scarcity, because your absence increases intrigue, respect, and honor.
The same is true in economics. When something is hard to get, it has higher value.
I would rather not dilute my perceived value and instead comfortably pick and choose events where my presence (and that of others) are of high value.
Getting out of my own way
Day-to-day, I face numerous distractions, including but not limited to:
The dog
Minding, feeding, walking, exercising, teaching, disciplining, and interacting with a 1-year-old puppy/dog has created all sorts of welcome and unwelcome daily distractions.
Time commitment: 2-4 hours daily
Housework and house management
Though I have regular maid service because I’m obsessed with a clean house, this is different from having a housekeeper who also does laundry and who generally maintains the house.
Those duties fall on me and I’m constantly organizing, cleaning, and thinking of home solutions, design and decor, or buying related items to facilitate a better-run and better-looking household.
Time commitment: 1-2 hours daily, ~5-7 hours weekly
Family and personal commitments
When I’m in my hometown of Charlotte, NC, we typically do family dinners 2 nights a week.
That means I have to prepare accordingly so I can get myself ready, drive to, and attend these dinners.
I like to host too, but logistically I’m outnumbered and it’s easier for me, the singleton, to drive to everyone else’s homes.
These dinners aren’t mandatory, but I’m grateful for them and they’re a way to see my parents and my brother’s family, even if not much deep conversation is happening. But sometimes, that’s the welcome part.
Time commitment: 3-4 hours weekly
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Social media, conversations, texts, and emails
It’s tempting to constantly check “the latest” anything, but it’s a mind trick you don’t have to fall for.
News et al.
So much news and media and noise fighting for attention. But I can choose when and what to consume.
My rituals for focused productivity
Here are some practical strategies and tips that have helped me greatly enhance and achieve my personal productivity.
I hope that any of these tactics can help you focus on what’s important to you in the moment:
Say NO
If you’re uncomfortable with saying no, then perhaps, “I don’t think that will work,” or “I can’t make it,” or “I won’t be able to do x on (that date/time),” are softer.
Don’t feel obligated or be guilt-tripped into doing things or going places. And don’t feel like you have to apologize for saying no!Book yourself into fewer things
See point one. You can have activities and events on your calendar, but be realistic about your personal stamina; you don’t have to commit right away, and remember: scarcity.“Power Hour”
This was suggested by my friend Amanda Goetz. Leave one hour daily to handle any niggling or ankle-biter tasks (shopping/ordering, admin, bill pay, calling to confirm appointments, researching products…the list goes on). These are not difficult tasks per se, just ones that you can quickly knock out and satisfyingly check off a to-do list.Calendar blocking
Block hours or days for certain meetings or events. Reserve only 2 or 3 weekdays for face-to-face meetings or calls. Use the other days for heads down focused work.
This allows you to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to getting dressed, and for women, applying makeup and doing your hair, and then leaving other days to get your mind in the zone for other work.Pomodoro timer
Turn on a 25-minute timer, and only do one thing for the entire time. If you get distracted, the clock starts over. This helps with writing and anything that requires intense focus, and this online timer can help.Binaural beats
Instrumental music at a certain frequency can help get your brain waves focused. I don’t know how it works, but it just does for me. Try this Spotify Playlist.Do Not Disturb phone setting
This one, super-easy tactic has allowed me to avoid so many distractions throughout the day.
Do you really need to answer that text or email or look at that notification? No, you don’t.
Pace yourself and turn off all text, email, social media, and app notifications. Works well with the Pomodoro Timer.Commit to only 2-3 news sources
Not religiously reading the New York Post and the Daily Mail have substantially freed up my time and generally improved my opinion of the human condition.
Not obsessing over politics or sports, and going on “news fasts” has greatly benefitted my state and peace of mind; if anything is important in the world then someone will tell me or I’ll find out for myself when I sit down to read the news.“Parking Lot Notepad”
If you find yourself working on one thing and another thing pops up in your head, then simply pull out a notepad and jot that thing down.
I call this the “Parking Lot Notepad.”
Note that I don't say to open your phone to jot it down, because that leads to a host of distractions.
Simply write it down in your Parking Lot Notepad so you won’t forget it, and you’ll have it handle or research later.Change your environment
If you’re overwhelmed by one environment, then go somewhere where there are less distractions.
This can be as simple as going to a quiet room, a co-working space, or a coffee shop. Or something more extreme like going to a different city or a retreat.
Here’s what I do in focused productivity periods
So what do I do with time and focused productivity periods?
Any assortment of the following:
Plan life events and milestones
Plan upcoming travel
Strategize my personal branding
Plan newsletter content
Organize and create my social media calendar and content
Edit video
Write business communications with the deliberate intent to network, collaborate, consult, or work together
Execute on any variety of financial, marketing, and business matters
Review and research business and investment opportunities (this is different from reading for leisure)
Review and analyze my personal investments
Stuck? Get to the root of the problem
If you find yourself “stuck" and in this “neither here nor there” limbo state, then it may be time for a deeper evaluation of your dreams, personal values, short- and long-term goals, and desires for what kind of life or lifestyle you want.
This isn’t woo-woo, this is to help you figure out what’s next.
If it's been a while since you did any work around this, then a few exercises may help you get unstuck.
Take these baby steps to determine what will make you happy and what will help get you there. Here are some tools that I have found useful:
Your personal values: When you acknowledge and understand your values, then you can start making better decisions for how to lead and live your life.
Eisenhower Matrix: There are many iterations of the original Eisenhower Matrix, but in its simplest form, you can determine what is Urgent and Important versus what you can delegate or eliminate from your daily and ongoing list of tasks and duties.
Ultimately, you’ll want to spend more time on Important, Non-Urgent matters because these are what help your short and long-term goals.One Big Thing: Try focusing on One Big Thing (an OBT) to get done by a certain date or time. Be realistic about all of the work involved to achieve the task by your set deadline.
If you can get that OBT done in your day or week, then it’s a sign of progress; any baby steps should be reason for reward and congratulations.
What are your personal productivity rituals?
Comment below or reply with your suggestions. I'd love to know!
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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Rituals is a section where on the first Friday of every month, I’ll cover a regular daily, weekly, or monthly personal habit. It may be a lifestyle, wellness, or work practice that has become a valuable and beneficial part of my life. Enjoy!
I loved this article as always! I relate to so many of your strategies and learned many new ones. I’m very organized like you and cannot leave home or go to sleep if things aren’t in their place. I couldn’t imagine waking up or coming home to a mess.
Before I retired early as a speech-language pathologist, I felt the same about my office. Before I began to score assessments or write reports, everything in my office had to be in its place. That’s the way my brain works best! 😊
I loved what you wrote about replying to an invitation to something you really have no interest in attending. It’s not worth any anxiety, dread, or even seeing it on my calendar. It is the best feeling to press delete in my phone. Like you said, it’s unnecessary to provide any reason. I’ve also learned long ago just to say as you did, “ I cannot make it.” It’s so freeing!!!! I’m with you totally on turning my cell to do not disturb. It’s not worth my time checking texts, messages, call every second of the day.
I’m going to incorporate many of your other suggestions and ideas into my daily life to increase my productivity.
A PLUS AGAIN!!!!!!!
Thank you for sharing with us!