by Katy C | Jun 9, 2021 | Should you be doing more?
“You’ve spent eight or nine hours at your desk, except for a quick break for lunch. You’ve made progress. It’s been a good day. So why do you feel you should be doing more? This anxious feeling – that we’re never doing enough – where does it come from? Is it a modern affliction? One brought on by social media and screen-scrolling? Or is freelancing to blame? The constant need to push ahead from the fear of being left behind?
I never used to feel this way. Back in the days of “employment”, I’d have strict boundaries on when work began and when it finished. When I left the office, I went home, and that was that. I mentally pulled a curtain down on my job and relaxed, cherishing my evenings and weekends. (Mind you, Instagram wasn’t around back then, so that probably helped.)
But being a business owner is different. I make my own rules. Set my hours. Decide what’s what. Unfortunately, that can mean an unhealthy work schedule. One that probably begins on my smartphone as I switch off my morning alarm and sadly ends just before I pass out each night.
As someone who grew and (deliberately) downsized a PR agency and built an online magazine, it’s not surprising that I get anxious and feel I’m never doing enough. All of the emails I get these days from people asking for help – it’s lovely to be in that position but also daunting. Plus with so much competition out there, I understand that if I’m not pushing on, someone younger with more energy might overtake me.
Anxious thoughts aside, at the beginning of 2019, I vowed to make some serious lifestyle changes that would effectively make my life better. Building back my confidence was one primary focus. Getting a decent work/life balance was another. On the latter, I’m still working on it, but I’m getting there. Here, I will share what’s worked for me so far.
Get organised for mental clarity and calm
I start each day with a to-do list that’s realistic, adding one big job and a few small ones. I get the larger job out the way first, as this will take up the most energy and time. Then I roll my sleeves up and tackle the rest. By sorting everything planned, I feel in control. I know where I am with things. I can close the door on “work” and say hello to “play”.
I use Things to keep track of tasks. It’s in the cloud so syncs with my Mac and mobile, making everything more manageable. Before I switch off my computer at the end of each day, I like to go through upcoming tasks and add anything I might need to consider in future. Call it a “brain dump”, if you will. A mental cleanse.
By ticking things off my list, l feel amazing – as though I’ve accomplished something. By keeping track of what’s next, I don’t even think about work during downtime. I also always remind myself that I can only do so much.
Consider what the “more” actually is
When I’ve had a productive day, and I’m trying to wind down for the evening, if I still get that niggling feeling that I should be doing more, I sift through the mental noise and figure out what more actually is.
It could be a job I’ve been putting off. In which case, I grab a notepad and start to write a plan of action to address the next day. Or it might be something that’s building up – for example, emails to Creative Boom (and there are so many of them) get organised into different folders to tackle on quieter days. It could be something else I’m anxious about – have I done enough marketing this week? Should I write a blog post? What about another tips article?
Face up to the “more” and make a plan to address it. If it’s not so logical – if you can’t pinpoint what “more” is – then practice a little mindfulness through meditation, exercise or even ironing to alleviate any stress or unexplained anxiety.
Recognise the self-inflicted pressure and release the valve
If you work for yourself, there’s an enormous pressure to make, create, improve, see and do. It’s never-ending. It’s only made worse by scrolling through our Instagram feeds or browsing blogs and magazines that bombard us with the usual “hustle” rhetoric. (I know I’ve been guilty of this in the past – a bit of a grey area, as a lot of Creative Boom’s success, can be attributed to hard work and sacrifice.)
We’re so petrified we’ll get left behind, or work will stop coming in, we daren’t stop. We keep running on our self-made treadmills. And now we’re all exhausted by it. You can see just how much on Twitter. Mental health is a trending topic. People are opening up, admitting they can’t cope. (Revelation: we can’t keep running!)
But all that pressure, along with high expectations, is self-inflicted. No one is to blame but ourselves. That’s the truth. It’s a reality we must recognise. I’m certainly trying to.
I’ve asked myself the question lately, who am I trying to impress? It’s a question we should all ask. Why the pressure? If it’s fear of work drying up, that’s only natural. But if work is fine, clients are happy, and bills are more than covered, why aren’t we chilling out?
Take a moment to ask yourself honestly, does any of it matter? For instance, if you didn’t post something on Instagram today, would everything be ok? Could the side project take a break this evening, for a change? How about switching off entirely and taking a day off? Take a deep breath and relax. The world will continue to spin without you chained to your desk.
Meanwhile, if you’re feeling guilty about “doing nothing”, remember that you’re no good to anyone if you don’t take some time off. Rest is important. You have to recharge your batteries to be productive at work. I know this only too well, having experienced burnout first-hand and then not being able to handle anything. Prioritise your health and wellbeing.
If you’re feeling especially rough, avoid inspiration from others
Yes, that’s right. Get off Creative Boom, and It’s Nice That. Temporarily delete Instagram from your smartphone. Hide the smartphone – shove it down the sofa. Don’t go to creative talks to hear from people you admire or who run successful design agencies. Yes, really. Hide for a little while.
(I went to a creative conference last year and the general mood from some other freelancers was sombre. Many felt overwhelmed by hearing from such inspirational speakers. “How will I ever be good enough?” was the theme of conversation. It was as though a dreaded cloud had fallen upon an anxious audience.)
Give your brain some breathing space. Be alone and ignore everyone else to stop the endless comparison. You’ll find your anxiety starts to lift when you’re not constantly being bombarded by “greatness”.
In the words of Pablo Picasso, “Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
Avoid comparing yourself to others
It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to your competition, but it’s a genuinely fruitless exercise. What they’re doing has no relation to your business whatsoever. They are on a personal journey of highs and lows, mistakes and lessons. It’s unlikely that you’ll gain success by copying them because you won’t have been through the process yourself.
You have to focus on your strengths. The very essence of what makes you unique. Creative Boom, for instance, has gone through many changes over the last ten years. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and learnt a lot of lessons. But it’s always been what works best for me and my audience.
When people come to me and say, “I want to start an online magazine like you, how can I make it a success?” I shrug my shoulders and say, “Honestly, you’re on your own path, and only you know what’s best.” It’s the truth. Ten years of doing this and I’m not sure I’d know where to start with advice on running a magazine – any tips I’d offer would probably become outdated rather quickly.
Redefine success
Speaking of success, what does success mean to you? Is it money related? Will you feel happy once your business hits a particular turnover mark or size? Or is it about the car you drive or the house you own? Is “success” about wealth, happiness or both? What are you striving for?
It sounds ridiculous to ask this question but have you ever stopped to consider where you’re heading?
For me, I always had a vague idea of what I wanted from life. I knew I wanted to be a journalist. That was pretty clear. I knew that I wanted to be happy and see the world. I’m not sure money was ever a priority, but I wanted enough to be safe. But I’ve never really stopped to think what next? It’s all been somewhat sporadic. None of it planned.
As for the very meaning of success – for me, that’s a tricky one. Its definition hasn’t changed as I’ve got older. I just wanted to be happy. That’s it. Nothing more. To do something I loved for a living and smile a lot.
I think I’ve always remembered that. But, like many, have fallen into the trap of overwork and the need to achieve more, more, more. That’s just the circle I’ve found myself in.
Now I’ve turned 40; I realise that “work”, although still relevant, is no longer the main priority. Instead, I’m seeing that having more “time” is the ultimate goal.
That means I’m learning to say “no” more. I’m deliberately turning things down to become less busy and gain more time to focus on other pursuits. It’s been a slow process, but I’m much happier.
Work is just one aspect of our lives; it shouldn’t be the only thing we’re passionate about. To me, success means covering your bills, having a decent work/life balance and following your passions. It means being healthy and appreciating each day. What does success mean to you? You might find you’ve been prioritising the wrong things.
Enjoy the journey as well as the destination
Do you know those people who hate travelling? I’m not one of them. I love the process of packing my suitcase, going through security at the airport and settling down in my seat to look out the window and watch the clouds float by. I love the anticipation of the upcoming holiday. I get butterflies.
This probably comes from my lucky childhood. Both my parents worked incredibly hard to give me and my brother a wonderful life. But once a year, for two glorious weeks, we would drive to the south of France for a holiday.
Before we even got there, it was special. My mother had such a gift in creating magic out of the mundane; she would get us all excited about the whole journey. The night before the “big drive south”, my father would pack the boot of our car like some military operation. We were under strict instruction not to disturb him, as he had a “system” that he would religiously follow. He knew how to pack that car better than anyone, so we left him to it. But weirdly, you could see he enjoyed it. (I, too, have picked up this strange habit.)
And then we were off. The hovercraft or ferry was an adventure. Spotting the French car number plates and figuring out where they were from – that was fun. Watching the countryside flash past. The anticipation of what our accommodation might be like. It was all wonderful.
You can see what I’m getting at here – rather than focus on the actualoutcome, enjoy the process. Work isn’t just about results; it’s about the journey we take to get there. Savour it. Enjoy the little “wins” along the way. And understand that things don’t happen overnight.
Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small
Instead of focusing on what happens next, take a moment to celebrate how far you’ve already come. I’m doing exactly that this summer, as Creative Boom is celebrating ten years of supporting the creative community. And let me tell you, I didn’t even think about marking the occasion until a friend said I should.
Like a good old Brit, I thought, well, I don’t want to show off. And really, it’s no big deal. But I’m discrediting all the hard work and love that has gone into this “side project” over a decade of my life. There is, indeed, so much to celebrate. And celebrate it, I shall.
I’ve got some announcements to make next month on our 10th-anniversary. Until then, know this – we should all recognise our successes and wins. No matter how small. We don’t do it enough.
So next time you’re thinking about all the things you should be getting on with, sit back and recognise what has already come to pass. You’re doing great. Be proud of yourself and all you’ve achieved. You have so much to celebrate.”
by Jari R | Jun 9, 2021 | Should you be doing more?
“In today’s society, we are conditioned to think that we should be busier, do more and work harder. Many motivational speakers and success guru’s shout out well-meant (but plain wrong) advice that leads you to believe that you don’t do enough, and that’s why you’re not successful.
However, the notion that ‘doing more = achieving more’ is not nearly as effective as it sounds. In fact, I’ve experienced that doing less has helped me to achieve more. It took me a few years to fully realize this, as I (just like everybody else) have been conditioned to think that I should always be doing more.
Yet, by forcing yourself to go for less, you paradoxically end up with more. I know it may sound counterintuitive, but hear me out…
By setting limitations on your work and forcing yourself to do less, you need to focus on the essentials and you’re forced to drop the non-important. This is probably the biggest shift you can ever make in your productivity levels.
You need to make the most of your time by focusing on the most important things, instead of everything.
Only A Few Things Truly Matter
In reality, only just a few tasks truly matter. In any business, project or goal, there are merely a handful of tasks that significantly move the needle. All the other tasks are just ‘nice’ to do but are actually distractions for your most important tasks. ‘Nice’ isn’t worth your valuable time and energy. Only the most important tasks are worthy of that.
“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.”
— Francine Jay
They key is to focus on that what’s essential and train yourself to drop everything else. That’s when you become highly productive and accelerate your path to success.
The 80/20 Rule
The phenomenon that there are merely a handful of mission-critical tasks comes from the 80/20 Rule. In short, the 80/20 rule states that 20% of inputs are responsible for roughly 80% of outcomes. In other words, about 20% of your tasks and activities are actually responsible for 80% of your desired outcomes.
This means that just a few things truly matter.
If you want to succeed, you need to focus the biggest majority (75% — 90%) of your time and energy on those tasks that are actually essential. By choosing the essentials, you make the greatest impact with just the minimal amount of resources spent.
Why Doing More Doesn’t Work
Real productivity is not about doing more, working harder or doing any task more efficiently. Rather, real productivity is about ruthlessly identifying what’s important, protecting your valuable time for those tasks and doing them as efficiently as possible.
“Productivity isn’t about being a workhorse, keeping busy or burning the midnight oil… It’s more about priorities, planning and fiercely protecting your time.”
— Margarita Tartakovsky
Unfortunately, way too many people are still focused on quantity over quality. They focus too much on the number of tasks they accomplish and the number of hours they work (quantity) instead of looking at the actual value they produce in a given day (quality).
Listen, it really doesn’t matter how much you do if you don’t create any real value with those tasks. In fact, it’s a lot more productive to work on only 1–3 important tasks that actually create a lot of value for you, your business or your customers, instead of trying to accomplish 23 mid- to low-value tasks each day.
Remember, it doesn’t really matter how many hours you work or how many things you get done. The only thing that matters is the value you create. That should become your measurement of productivity.
The truth is, when you have too many tasks to work on, you’ll take away valuable time, energy and focus from those tasks that actually move the needle. Your most important tasks don’t get the attention they deserve (and require) when you have too many other things to work on. The unimportant stuff gets in the way of the important stuff — and that’s productivity and success killer numero uno
Furthermore, spending time on the unimportant stuff will often only lead to incremental progress (or no progress at all), while the important stuff leads to significant progress. It’s obvious which of these two should deserve more of your attention.
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Instead of trying to do everything and not having enough time for the important things in your life, do only what’s important to you, your business or your goals.
How To Start Doing Less
Imagine you have a workday in which you actually feel relaxed and in control. You only have a few tasks to do, but they’re chosen so that they have the most impact. Instead of being stressed out, you feel focused and productive.
The question is, how can you actually make this happen? It almost sounds too good to be true.
To do so, you’ll need to (1) become ruthless about eliminating the unimportant and (2) you need to become a master at identifying the truly important stuff.
To do so, I suggest you ask yourself a few key questions such as:
- If I could do only 3 things today, what would it be?
- What tasks have an impact that lasts beyond this week or this month?
- What tasks significantly contribute to the progress of achieving my goals?
- Does this task have a higher return (in terms of value) on my time investment compared to other tasks?
These questions will determine the value of your tasks, and you can then decide which tasks are worthy of your time and which ones should be delegated or eliminated.
If you focus only on those tasks that give you the biggest return on your time investment, you’ll become a lot more productive while you’re actually doing less. This a complete paradox that requires a shift in thinking, but once you experienced the effects of it yourself, you won’t want to go back to your old way of working.
Bonus Tip: Work On Your Priorities In The Morning
I recommend that you do your most important tasks always at the start of your day. The reason why is that, early in the day, you’ll still have the resources (such as focus, willpower and energy) available to work on these tasks with the intensity they require.
Besides, by working on your most important tasks in the morning, you’ll make sure that they actually get done. When you schedule your most important tasks for later in the day, chances are that they won’t get done. Emergencies come up, other people will make certain demands and other things get in the way of your most important tasks.
Therefore, make sure you always tackle your most important tasks in the morning. The rest of the day will feel like a breeze when you’ve done this.
Now Do It
The objective is to do less, not more, but achieve more because of the choices you make. Don’t fall into the trap of keeping yourself as busy as possible in order to feel good and feel productive. Rather, always focus on simplifying, reducing and eliminating.
Keep your focus on that what’s truly important, which are often just a few tasks, activities or projects. That’s how you become highly productive and achieve better results at a faster pace.”
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