Productivity Is Personal How to Create a #8216;Productivity Manifesto#8217;

Productivity Is Personal How to Create a 8216Productivity Manifesto8217 What comes to mind when you hear the word productive? Do your thoughts jump immediately to those always-on types, the people who landseem to be working from sunup to sundown? Those coworkers who start the day at the gym, jam in a 10-hour day, and spend their evenings answering client emails? According toErinWortham, people engagement managerat Insights Learning Development, thats only part of the picture. While productivity does involve accomplishing our tasks and goals, theres more to it than that.Productivity is also about making realistic commitments, monitoring your progression along the way, and building in time for rest and renewal, Wortham explains. If you dont create space to recharge, it can become a vicious cycle.While many of us look enviously uponthose around us who seem to be grindingnonstop, Wortham warns that a lways being on is the quickest way to burnout.If youre always switched on and you dont have that space for rest and renewal, you can give a lot away, but you may not be doing the best for yourself, Wortham says.Commit to Your Personal ProductivityTo help people be moreproductive while still taking care of themselves and avoiding burnout, Wortham suggests that everyone take the time to create what she calls a productivity manifesto.Wortham describes a productivity manifesto as a collection of ideas for action. She continuesIf you were going to give yourself advice you wanted to live by to support your productivity whatever that means to you that would be in your manifesto. Its about committing to those things and getting them written down. The manifestois a practical way to collect allthe ideas you may haveabout being more productive and commit to them.The ideaof commitment comes up a lot in Worthams discussion of productivity manifestos, and theres good reason for that. Often, our best ideas are the ones that slip right through our fingers.For example, I do my best thinking when Im in traffic on the way to or from work, Wortham explains. So, maybe I think, My focus for today is going to be making wise commitments andrecognizing when I should say no. But I have that idea in traffic, and then I get into my day and it escapes me.But with a productivity manifesto, Wortham could write down her idea as soon as she arrived atwork. Then, she could refer to it throughout the day and consistently reaffirm her focus on wise commitments. That way, Worthams productivity-boosting idea wouldnt get lost in the great void of the workday.How to Make a Productivity ManifestoProductivity is a weird one, Wortham says. It means so many different things to so many different people. Productivity is personal. When Im feeling the most productive is probably going to be different from when my peers or clients are feeling most productive.This is why Wortham counselsanyone interested in creating their own productivity manifesto tostart by reflecting on what productivity means for them.Figure out when you are the most productive, Wortham says. What does it feel like? What are some of the things you need to change about your environment to be more productive?The next step, Wortham says, is keeping tabs on your ideas about productivity.Those ideas you have, jot them down, she says. That way, you can start to see some patterns. You can see where youve felt your best and most productive, and you can give yourself some advice for the next go-around.Wortham calls this the meat of the manifesto. Aproductivity manifestos power and usefulness exists in the collection of ideas one uses to remind themselves ofwhat productivity means and looks like for them.And given that productivity is so unique, Wortham stresses the importance of withholding judgment as you jot down your ideas.Some may feel really productive when they learn a new skill others may feel productive when theyre having fun, she says. The biggest thing is to not have any judgment go with what feels right to you, because what feels right to you may not feel right to somebody else.And how does one use a productivity manifesto in practice?Say youre not feeling very productive, but you dont know what to do about it. Turn to your productivity manifesto. What advice does it have for you? What patterns can it point out that will help you re-energize yourself?If Im not feeling productive, I know what I need to fuel myself, Wortham says. Sometimes, that just means going down the hall to chat with a colleague and bring my sense of fun back to work then, I can go dig into that spreadsheet. Ive found that balance.Ultimately, productivity is all about making space for yourself and being intentional about all that you do. Manage your energy, give yourself time to breath and recharge, and youll find thatyouve become the truly productive one not that coworker of yours who never seems to go home.That guy needs a productivity manifesto of hisown.