The Truth About Productivity That You Don’t Want to Hear

Everyone is talking about productivity and how you can be more productive. There are productivity tips and beautiful pictures of bullet journals everywhere. But are specific tips and tricks the secret to productivity?

You might be wondering whether you should get a certain planner that you’ve heard people talking about or learn some arcane productivity technique to finally become the truly productive person that you’ve wanted to become for years.

These are all valid questions because getting everything done in time sure makes your life much easier and it helps you stay focused on your goals too.

But the truth is, productivity is very simple. It literally comes down to one single thing.

What people get wrong about productivity

When people imagine what productivity looks like, they tend to think about perfect organizational systems, getting up early and working all day long, and getting a huge number of things done every day.

And this is assumed to come effortlessly.

But difficult things are difficult and some things simply are boring or take a lot of time. Productivity requires effort.

Also, while you can sometimes get an impressive amount of things done in one day, that is hardly sustainable on a daily basis and it isn’t even necessary. You can get everything important done even if you take some time off.

It’s also good to keep in mind that the most successful people in the world who are said to work up to 16 hours a day often have many easy tasks to complete. They might spend hours in meetings or getting from A to B.

They don’t do extremely difficult brain work all day long seven days a week. And you definitely don’t need to do that either.

Do productivity techniques help?

You might have heard of the Pomodoro technique, time blocking, habit tracking, or bullet journaling. They are worth trying if you’re looking to get more structure in your days or if you feel like you need something that will help you stay on track.

No technique alone will make you productive, but they can still come in handy. It’s the same with planners and productivity apps: they aren’t magically going to make you stop procrastinating or getting everything done in a record time, but they can make things a bit easier.

What actually helps to be more productive?

There are some things that can help you to be more productive, although they alone won’t make all of your problems go away and help you to get everything done effortlessly.

First of all, as I already mentioned, there might be a productivity technique that helps you to stay consistent or stay focused. Maybe a certain motivational speech on Youtube always gets you in the right mood.

Also, it’s very important that you take care of yourself. You need to sleep enough and eat well. You need to make your day balanced and take care of your mental health too. Your mind needs rest and variety.

If all you do all day is sit at your computer, it’s no wonder that you find it hard to stay motivated. That’s why you have to keep things interesting.

Related article: How to Become More Productive

What is the truth about productivity?

So, what really is the one truth about productivity? It all comes down to you simply sitting down and getting to work. There really is nothing more to it.

At the end of the day, there’s no magic spell, or technique, or revelation that will make you super energetic or want to work hard on things you don’t want to do or not need any breaks ever or make you want to stop procrastinating.

If you like laying on the floor with your eyes closed listening to music and going into a dream world, that’s not going to go away. That’s part of you. And it’s ok.

You just have to learn to not care about your wants when it’s time to work.

And it’s pretty easy. Just get up, walk to your desk, sit down, and start. That’s it. That’s what makes you productive.

You can get a pretty bullet journal or some special pens if you want to, as long as you remember that real productivity is getting things done and nothing else.

The good news about productivity

Did I make productivity sound like the constant agony of you forcing yourself to work despite not feeling like it? I hope not because it doesn’t have to be like that.

If you have a strong habit of procrastinating until the last minute, it might be hard to start working harder and more consistently. But the good news is that the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

It’s absolutely possible to not procrastinate at all, to get everything done in time, and to feel good most of the time that you are working. You just need to get in the habit of productivity.

Do you struggle with productivity? What do you think makes it so hard to get started or finish what you’ve started? I’d love to hear your comments.

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