Productivity

Stress Management As Productivity

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

We’re awash in productivity advice telling us how to get things done, how to prioritize, and so on. I should know, I give some of this advice, but I’d like to pull away the curtain a bit and discuss what a good chunk of productivity tips involve.

They involve stress management.

Sure, productivity gurus and coaches won’t say that. In fact, they may not even realize it – they’re all focused on how much you get done and how to make it easier. But to get things done requires focus, reduction of distraction, and reducing mental friction – which is really a form of stress reduction. These gurus and coaches, even the good ones, may not see it.

So, I’ll put it simply: a lot of productivity tips involve preventing, reducing, or controlling stress and worry.

A lot of productivity advice will have you review and be aware of what you’re doing, from backlogs to graphs to BVBs – Big Visible Boards. Though this may sound anxiety producing, it gives you an idea of where you are and what’s going on – it reduces the anxiety of the unknown.

“Responding to change” is a big part of productivity advice, and a core part of Agile philosophy. But by saying you can respond to change, all the advice-givers and coaches help you acknowledge and cope with change. By admitting things change and you can to, a lot of anxiety is removed.

Review sessions, retrospective, backlog polishing? All those times we productivity enthusiasts tell you to look at what’s coming up, prioritize work, and ask what’s important? That’s stress-reducing as well – because you’re able to ask what’s in the future, then get back to the present. It’s a trick for helping you stay aware – so you can stop stressing.

Breaking work down to manageable chunks? Next steps to take? That’s all helping you stay aware and take manageable bits of work you can get done – so you’re productive, aware, and not overwhelmed. It’s simple time management, but it reduces fear and anxiety.

Most productivity advice has a strong element of stress reduction or is about stress reduction. I just like to admit it now that I see it.

However, this truth also conceals something else – if methods of productivity cause stress, it’s important to ask why, because that’s revealing.

Is it because you’re focusing on the method and not the results, worried about dotting every “i” and doing each task perfectly? Then you’ve learned something about YOU.

Is it because external factors are keeping you from working? Are you organized but there’s so many dependencies and problems and needs you can’t work? Then you learned something about your ENVIRONMENT.

Is it because the method isn’t working with your life and challenges? Then you learned you NEED A NEW METHOD of productivity.

Productivity tips and systems should reduce stress. That’s the point – directly or indirectly. If we admit it, we can be more productive.

Which is, if you think of it, less stressful.

Steven Savage

Creators: Focus Not Exclusion

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

If you’re a creator – writer, artist, cosplayer, etc. – then there’s probably a list of things you have to do. This list, no matter how organized and ranked, can be a source of stress as there’s just so much to do. Sometimes being well-organized can be stressful as you have a very good grasp of how overloaded you are.

It’s hard to pick what to do isn’t it? Sure you can do this item, but what about this one? What about this new demand? Maybe you can get things in order, but you want to do these other things. You have a lot of ideas and don’t want to exclude them.

Let’s think about it differently.

We’re afraid of excluding things, but don’t think of making choices what to do as exclusion. Think of it as focus first.

To get something done you need to focus, from 30 minutes of writing a day, to a weeklong binge to finish a costume. When you focus there are things you don’t do, but not as you’re excluding them, but instead focusing on getting something done.

Don’t think of all the things you’re not doing – instead choose to focus on one thing and get it done at a time. Take the first item on your list and finish it. Then the next, then the next. Your intent is not leaving things out (even though you are), but it’s getting something accomplished with focus.

Yes, this is a trick of language, a sort of word hack. But it works. It’s a way of changing perspective to see what you’re doing differently so you’re less worried (and thus distracted) and more getting things done.

You’re a creative person. Getting creative with perspective helps you get more done.

Steven Savage

Method Second

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

I love productivity methods. “Getting Things Done” inspired me to become more organized, and I developed my time-management methods using Agile. I strongly encourage people to find productivity systems and build their owns.

I also recommend you change them up when they don’t work.

This is something people forget a lot when talking about personal productivity. There’s always advice about what to do, how to do it, but never when to stop doing it. When in all that creative advice is that gentle talk and metaphorical hand on the shoulder where someone says “by the way, here’s where you stop listening to me.”

I’ve encountered this in my own life – obviously. Lately, I’ve had to resort my priorities, change my methods, and adapt to new plans and new challenges. I’ve had to reshuffle how I work, from my regular cadence to how I prioritize and track work. As it’s in progress, I’ll discuss this once my methods settle.

But what I do want to discuss is why you should look at your methods and planning techniques, at all your charts and reviews, and learn when to stop doing them.

And when do you stop doing them and try something else? Simple. You change up whatever your productive methods are when following the methods gets in the way of getting things done. The goal of your processes is to get your projects completed, and when however you do that work gets in the way, then throw it out.

Here’s how your current seemingly-brilliant methods can get in the way.

  • They don’t fit your lifestyle. Maybe your lifestyle requires more adaptability, and you need less strict methods. Perhaps your life is more orderly, so less stringent methods aren’t as optimal.
  • You’ve internalized your methods. I’ve found this happens a lot in Agile methods – you internalize so many principles and ways to do things, planning them out may get in the way.
  • Your priorities have changed. That nicely organized system you had to get things done was for a different you. Now you’re focusing on different issues, and your old methods don’t apply. Sticking with your earlier priorities will interfere with your current needs.
  • Your psychological needs changed. Productive methods provide us comfort, leverage our advantages, and make up for our flaws. Those change and evolve, and your processes will need to as well – if they don’t, there’s going to be a lot of internal stress.
  • You’ve learned new tools. There are productivity tools out there, software to methods of using notecards, and so on. Once you find a new one out, why not try to use it?

Productivity methods are essential to getting things done. But there are times to switch them up because your needs changed, you changed, and because there are better methods. Let yourself do it.

The methods don’t matter – what matters is getting things done. When there are reasons to change, do it. The methods are just a way to get where you want to go.

Steven Savage