The New Age of Productivity: Slowing Down to Speed Up
Is the pressure of getting more and more done wearing you out? My special guest author Abbey Mae has some advice for productivity that might surprise you. Scroll down to read her post and then make sure to check her out her blog at abbeymaelife.com.
In the age of productivity, we can often get caught up in the pressure to perform. Go, go, go! Work, work, work!
If you get stressed, work harder. If you get tired, push through it. If you get burned out, don’t sweat it.
We’ve done this for a while now, haven’t we? But how many improvements have we seen as a result of this mindset? Mental health issues are on the rise, and burnout is rampant.
So it’s about time we decided to change it up, because this system clearly isn’t helping us at all. That’s where a new age of productivity comes in, one where you actually refuel so you can keep going.
It’s about slowing down so that you can speed up. Here’s why:
1. It Will Make You More Efficient
Slowing down can actually speed you up, because you have more time to focus on the task at hand. Think about it this way: if you are burned out, you aren’t working at your full capacity. You are likely stressed out, worried about multiple situations at once, not to mention exhausted.
Now, reflect on your best work day. That day when you were happy, you got a great night’s sleep and you got your work done easily. Maybe this happened recently, or maybe it happened so long ago you can’t remember. But think about your productivity on that day. It seemed to go through the roof, right?
That’s because you took enough time to recharge, let your body get a good night’s rest, and as a result were able to do your best work.
Taking some time to rest, slow down, and recharge doesn’t rob you of time you could be working. It actually helps you work faster and smarter, not harder.
Related: 8 Smart Ways to Be More Productive
Psst, I’ve got a free 7-Day Productivity Challenge for you in my Resource Library. Click here to get access now.
2. Your Body Will Thank You
If you have experienced burnout, you know the exhaustion that it can bring. Treating your body right means your body will treat you right. If you’re constantly exhausted, getting less than seven hours and running on coffee, your body isn’t going to work as well as it normally would.
As someone who has experienced burnout, I can tell you that months of that make you more susceptible to illness, more stressed out and less productive. Practicing self-care may seem like it isn’t a very good use of your time, especially when you have so much work to do, but the truth is it will keep you sane.
Taking some time in the evening to make sure you’re sleeping well, having a good lunch and taking care of the essentials is the best thing you can do for your work and your body. Believe me, it will show in your work if you’ve been taking care of yourself, and your body will thank you in the process.
3. You Will Be Happier
You know when you used to take those Tuesday evenings just for you? Do you remember how good you felt after a yoga class? There’s a reason for your post-yoga bliss, and it’s because you took that time to care for yourself.
Slowing down reconnects you to yourself and if you believe, then in a higher power. This will re-connect you to your greatest values, give you a deep sense of gratitude and help you promote balance in your life. Running yourself ragged only leaves you feeling exhausted, unable to experience true joy because you are aren’t even taking care of yourself.
Related: How to Balance Your Daily Life
So the next time you want to work till you drop, just remember the cost and remember that slowing down doesn’t deprive you of a chance to work, it actually propels you to create work that you are proud of, work that leaves you feeling fulfilled and happy.
I hope you enjoyed this post! I’m so happy to have had the chance to be here with you today! If you are interested in learning more about wholeness-mind, body and spirit I’d love it if you visited me over on the blog here.
Also, I’ve got a free 7-Day Productivity Challenge for you in my Resource Library. Click here to sign up for my email list and get access to my Wellness Resource Library along with more posts just like this one delivered straight to your inbox.
Thanks for having me and I hope you have a wonderful day!
