By Carrie McHale Reed
Being a business owner can bring on so much pressure in a variety of areas. One of them - productivity. Entrepreneurs often feel extreme pressure over how “productive” they are on the daily. What does productivity really entail?
I don’t know about you, but there is often a war going on in my head. A war over being productive to advance the business and giving myself a break to kick back.
I desperately want to be out living it up at the lake, hiking in the woods, sunning at the beach. Candidly? At times, I covet the laid back, freestyle lives of some of my non-entrepreneurial friends. Well, not all of them, particularly those in the corporate grind, but those who are able to allow themselves that free time away from the “to do” lists.
As an entrepreneur you likely knew going in that you would have long days striving toward achieving the goals of your business. And you also likely pursued this path so that you can live and work in what you are most passionate about on the daily.
It’s not that we didn’t consider the stress, hours, at times sleepless nights that are all part of owning a business. Where the true stress comes in is this notion of productivity. The self-talk, heck, the talk out there in the world of “I must be productive.” “In order to succeed I must put in the work hours toward my goals.” Do those sound familiar? You may have some of your own mantras about what needs to get done to advance your business along and sustain it long term.
A Different Perspective
What if we tipped the traditional definition of what it means to be productive on its side?
Historically, one of the core productivity indicators organizations have measured their leaders on is how well they manage their time to produce the goals or deliverables on the table. Is being productive really about managing your time? We all have the same number of hours in a day, so how will stressing about how “much” we can get done really get us?
And is this truly the best use of our time as business owners?
I invite you to look through a new lens when it comes to your productivity.
What if instead of time management, you focused on your energy management?
Put it to the test
Let’s do a little litmus test on this. Think about the days when you are NOT productive. Why didn’t you finish more tasks? I propose that it’s not really because you ran out of time (either during the work or after). We run out of energy to do them. Also a point argued by Katherine Morgan Schafler, author of The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control.
Consider this notion — what if our productivity is not just about managing our time and how much we get done to goal, but also about managing our energy and doing things to keep ourselves functional tomorrow? In other words, not just maxing out today and burning ourselves out.
When you think this way, many seemingly unproductive things become productive. For myself, I will set such heavy work goals that there is little time for rest or play. Hence, the wishful eye when admiring my friends’ relaxing lives.
An Entrepreneur Series
“We must think and act differently to prevent burnout”
Give Yourself a Break
If you look through the lens of energy management, the activities you once thought took you “away” from achieving those business goals, pushing to gain more clients or finish a project, all become part of moving your business forward. For example, taking that bike ride through the park or catching up with an old friend on the phone can be seen as “productive.” Even catching a little more shut eye or having a spa day is productive as it allows you take it back a notch in favor of rebalancing yourself.
I need to hear this message as much as the next entrepreneur! We must fill our lives with a little more than just work in order to sustain our work. What is it all worth if we end up burning out after a year, or two, or five? Let that sink in a moment.
Certainly, there are times as business owners that we must push it, work to exhaustion, but that is truly not sustainable over time. What’s the point of building something that you love if you are too overworked to enjoy it?
Part of the reason we all became entrepreneurs was to have more flexibility, to make life a little less stressful. I urge you (even in the midst of the crazy) to break away for a moment (many moments over time) to do something completely unrelated to your business.
Take advantage of the time in the middle of day — the time your 9-5 friends don’t have — step away and out just for you!
Tell yourself YES this is being productive!
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