
Do you ever wonder how a productivity consultant thinks about productivity?
Are you interested in improving how you get things done in a way that’s supportive of your business goals?
If you want to boost your productivity in ways you’ve never considered, then you’ll want to make some targeted changes to your mindset.
In this post, you’ll find five simple productivity mindset tweaks that will help you improve your relationship towards approach productivity and getting things done.
Sometimes, simply shifting your mindset is whats needed to set a fresh foundation for your work.
Doing so will help you work more efficiently throughout the day in your business and beyond.
What is a Productivity Consultant?
A productivity consultant is a professional who helps people better manage their time and energy in their professional and personal lives.
These consultants help people work more efficiently in their daily routines in a variety of ways.
They help people set boundaries in their schedules, plan projects, craft their calendars, streamline their workflow, prioritize assignments, delegate tasks, and manage their mindset.
Basically, you could say they help people work smarter and not harder in their businesses and careers!
Why Do People Work with Productivity Consultants?
People tend to work with productivity consultants because they are looking for ways to work more efficiently and effectively over the long term.
For instance, you may be highly talented and skilled in the nuts and bolts of your particular field or industry.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to manage the administrative and operational aspects of your daily work.
This can include things like responding to emails, making phone calls, planning projects, processing postal mail, and delegating work to others.
It’s basically all the other background “stuff” that allows you do to the work you do.
Managing all these moving bits and pieces in a way that’s comfortable and sustainable can have a big impact on the way you show up to your business and life.
Creating a better work-life balance for yourself can help relieve stress, allow you to feel more in control of your work, and have more time for family, friends, hobbies, and other pursuits.
What’s a Productivity Mindset?
Now that you know what a productivity consultant is, what exactly is a productivity mindset?
I like to define your productivity mindset as how you think about and manage the world of work in your routine.
Remember how we previously talked about the administrative and operational aspects of your daily work?
You may not realize it, but you probably have a certain productivity mindset swirling around your mind at the moment.
And depending on which way your productivity mindset is leaning, it may or may not be serving you well.
So, how can you tell if things are going well or not when it comes to your mindset?
If you can do your work and finish tasks in a way that’s streamlined and comfortable, you’re on the right track. You can simply continue on with what you’re doing,
But if your productivity mindset is hindering or preventing you from doing your work, you’ll probably want to take a closer look.
There’s something going on underneath the surface that’s holding you back from working effectively in your business.
If this is case for you, you’ll certainly want to make shifting your mindset a priority.
What are the Benefits of Having an Abundant Productivity Mindset?
Okay, so you know it’s important to be aware of your productivity mindset.
But how can you tell if you have a productivity mindset that is actually helping or hurting you?
This all boils down to how you perceive yourself in relation to the work you’re doing.
If this sounds confusing, don’t worry!
Let’s take a moment to break this down further so you know exactly what I’m talking about.
What’s a Lacking Productivity Mindset?
A productivity mindset that’s focused in lack will often manifest itself with symptoms of difficulties in some form or another.
This can be viewed as struggles, pain, frustration, rushing, worrying…you get the picture.
More specifically, a lacking productivity mindset might look like:
- Thinking there’s not enough time in the day in which to do your work
- Believing every single task you receive is equally urgent and important
- Struggling with change and making things more complex or difficult than necessary
- Judging your progress in a negative way or always comparing yourself to someone else
- Feeling helpless and despondent because you think you’re always behind
- Insisting you must always work on tasks yourself at work and home
What’s an Abundant Productivity Mindset?
Fortunately, a productivity mindset that’s focused in abundance will often manifest itself with symptoms of ease and flow on a regular basis.
This can be exhibited as growth, pleasure, relaxation, pacing, and understanding.
In this case, an abundant productivity mindset might look like:
- Knowing there is a time and place throughout the day in which to do your work
- Understanding tasks are different and are not equally urgent and important
- Being willing and open to making changes in your life so you can be more efficient
- Respecting your progress in a positive light and only comparing yourself to your previous experiences
- Feeling powerful and in control because you understand you are exactly where you need to be, right now
- Realizing you need the assistance, guidance, and support of others in order to do your work
As you can see, there’s some major differences between the two mindsets.
The mindset of lack is very much fixed in the past. It’s a raw judgmental attitude where one often chastises or puts oneself down. Feelings of struggle and frustration are rampant.
On the other hand, the mindset of abundance is focused in the present and future. It is a mindset of growth and a future-facing attitude.
You realize you can handle challenges as they come in a way that’s doable, practical, and well-paced. You celebrate your successes, recognize your errors, and learn from your mistakes.
The good news is that changing your mindset from one of lack to one of abundance can be done.
Granted, this isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s more of a process that unfolds over the course of days and weeks.
Through regular practice, however, you can shift your thoughts in the right direction that will help you in your work.
5 Simple Mindset Tweaks Productivity Consultants Want You to Make
Now that you’ve got an idea about mindset when it comes to your work, it’s time to make some changes!
Here are five mindset tweaks you can make right now to get yourself back on track.
In my work as a productivity consultant, I find these are some of the most common themes that come up for people.
Now, some of these tweaks may seem completely obvious to you. And some may even feel completely foreign.
But no matter how you may feel about a particular tweak, I bet there’s something important you can learn from the following tips!
Eliminate hustle and grind from your vocabulary
We all know that hard work yield results. You put in the time, effort, and sweat, and you’ll receive recognition, success, compensation, and status.
While putting in the work is important, there’s often a glaring problem with the way people go about it.
You see, many people mistakenly confuse hard work with overwork, burnout, and exhaustion.
They somehow believe they must work long hours without a break, slog through overnighters, or stress themselves out on a regular basis in order to get results.
While there are certainly times when this type of work is necessary, the problem is that the pace can’t be sustained over the long term.
You’ll eventually wear yourself both mentally and physically. By pushing yourself to the limits in your business, you may become overly tired, stressed, and flat-out exhausted.
As a productivity consultant, I regularly remind my clients that they don’t start a business so they can only be in business for one day. They’re in it for the long term, be it many years or decades.
This is why it’s so important for you to work in a way that supports both your professional and personal life.
You should be able to run your business in a way that’s not only comfortable and enjoyable, but allows you the freedom and space to have time for your personal life as well.
So, instead of putting a badge of honor on “hustling and grinding” the hours away, take a giant step back. It’s time to readjust your approach.
Remember: you can still accomplish solid work if you slow down, plan your work, and take consistent action in your work on a regular basis.
Stop viewing everything as if it’s an emergency
Do you abandon your to-do list just because a request from a vendor popped in your inbox? Are you always busy throughout the day yet never seem to get anything of value done?
If so, then you may be inadvertently harming your ability to do your work in the long term.
Here’s a simple analogy to get the point across:
Let’s say there’s been a hypothetical car accident. People are in need of medical attention and an ambulance crew has been called to assist.
But there’s a problem. Instead of heading straight to the accident scene, the ambulance crew stops at every occupant-filled car along the way, asking if people need medical assistance.
Obviously, this wouldn’t happen as ambulance crews know what an emergency means: people are in dire need of aid and time is of the essence.
Can you see how the above response would be completely unacceptable?
Stopping at every single car on the way to the accident would unnecessarily risk the health and safety of others. While this is an extreme example, it should give you pause for thought.
Think for a moment about how you’re showing up to work in your business on a regular basis.
Are you truly focused on prioritizing what’s urgent and important at that very moment? Or are you being unnecessarily distracted in the interim?
Knowing the difference between what is truly an emergency and what isn’t, can help you work more efficiently because you’re working on the right tasks at the optimal time.
Remember, not everything can be accomplished right at this very moment.
And that’s totally okay. There’s a time and a place for all aspects of your work.
Allow yourself to focus on your work
If you want to be more productive on a regular basis, then you need to give yourself the time and space in which to do your work.
This includes not being overwhelmed by a perceived lack of inaction when you sit down to do some work!
If you feel frustrated, stressed, and annoyed when you sit down to do some work…
If you think that just because you’re not working on something now, means that you’ll never get to it…
Rest assured, this is far from the truth.
Your non-attention to other items doesn’t mean you don’t care about your work.
It just means you’re not working on that task at the present moment.
Let me repeat that for emphasis…
It just means you’re not working on that task at the present moment.
And in case you were wondering, this goes beyond any external distractions from your phone or interruptions in your office.
This is about you managing your mindset and allowing yourself to read that report, answer that email, and meet with that prospect.
So, the next time you find yourself having thoughts of, “Hmm, I really should be doing something else instead of this…,” stop that thought dead in it’s tracks.
You can say something supportive to yourself like, “I’m choosing to focus on this task right now.”
Give yourself the time, space, and grace to do what needs to be done.
Let go of perfectionism
Do you regularly punish yourself for not finishing your daily to-do list?
Have you judged yourself harshly for not editing that report a whopping 30 times?
There’s a big difference between satisfactory and perfect work.
Besides, true perfection is something that can never be truly attained.
Now, this isn’t to say you shouldn’t have some sort of standards in your business or profession.
You do want to produce quality products for your customers and deliver quality service to your clients.
But eliminating the pressure of perfectionism from your daily routine can do your mind and productivity levels a world of good.
Besides, taking perfection to the extreme can become quite exhausting if you apply it to every single interaction and action throughout your day.
Let’s say you need to schedule an appointment via phone. You pick up the phone, dial the number, book the appointment, and get on with your day.
That was a simple enough task, right? But what if we were to look at this through the lens of extreme perfectionism…
Did you pick up the phone perfectly? Dial the number perfectly on the keypad? Use the perfect pen and notepad to take notes? Choose the perfect time of day to call?
Chances are, things were probably good enough. You booked your appointment and got on with your life. You really didn’t need to make all aspects of the interaction “perfect.”
So let this be a reminder that perfection really isn’t a sustainable way of working and living.
You can still accomplish tasks and do your work without having everything be perfect.
Stop Searching For The Silver Bullet
One of the most common fallacies I see in my work as a productivity consultant is that people think there’s some sort of productivity ‘silver bullet.’
Surely, there’s some ultimate tool, notebook, app, system, or method that will solve your productivity woes?
Well, that’s only part of the story.
A productivity tool, app, or system is a vehicle that simply assists you in getting things done.
What’s much more important is what’s actually driving the vehicle: your mindset.
Your mindset is one of the most powerful productivity tools you can ever use.
An abundant productivity mindset will help you get things done with less stress.
For instance, consider how you’re approaching your daily work in your business.
Do you expect to finish your work or not? Are you hesitant to delegate tasks to your team? Do you seek to learn from your mistakes and move forward with those key learnings?
Instead of spending your valuable time and energy searching for the ‘silver bullet’ of productivity, try changing your mindset.
You’ll be well rewarded when you do.
Learn How to Be More Productive with a Productivity Consultant
Being in business means tackling a lot of different tasks at any given moment.
That’s why it’s so important for you to learn how to be productive in your business on a regular basis so you can get things done and work on what truly matters.
If you want clarity around being more productive in your business or life, schedule a free 30-minute video strategy session with me today.
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