“Consider everything an experiment.” ― Corita Kent
How can one be productive? -Quora
As this year ends, I think it’s an excellent time to reflect on just how far we have come. We focus so much on what we want to achieve that perhaps we don’t stop and realize that we are not the same person we were when the year started. There has been people and experiences that have changed us either for the good or the bad. This is the time to reflect and see if what you are aiming for is still relevant. Do we need to readjust and realign our priorities? Do we still feel the same way about these things?
In the military, we would call this time for reflection an After-Action Review or AAR for short. This is when we would sit down and ask the participants what their experience was. Did we hit our objective? Where did we come up short and what did we do right? What did you learn? To know is you are productive, you first need to know what the goal was that you were aiming for.
What is your target?
We can apply an AAR to weekly, monthly or year end events. Did you hit your weekly, monthly, or year-end goal? What did we come up short on and what did we do right? What have we learned? By taking time to see what worked and what didn’t we can now adjust our aim.
Being productive is only relevant in the terms to what you want to achieve and the kind of life you want to live.
- Write down your dreams and goals. You can’t hit what you can’t see.
- Evaluate the activity you engage in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Are they in alignment with your core beliefs? Are they taking you to or away from your goals?
- Reflect on what is working and what is not. Conduct an After-Action Review.
- Adjust your aim and keep moving.
For 2022 to be productive for you, take a moment of reflection and see what your core values and beliefs are. Then you will know what kind of activities you need to incorporate or eliminate.
Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/productivity
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I have an elderly neighbor who holds onto everything. She gives me things that are more than thirty years old sometimes. I appreciate the gifts but I wonder why is she holding on to the stuff or better yet what does she plan to do with it once she passes. It may sound like a morbid thought but it always brings me back to the decisions I make for me and my family. I want to leave my family with more than just debt! I realize it is the memories that last. We are all passing through this time and space, if we chose to let go of things, we could begin to hold on to love.
With every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. In many instances, so many of us can find fault in the behavior of others but rarely take a moment to ask ourselves “how did my behavior contribute to this?” It was a hard reality for me to face and I didn’t always like the reflection that I got back but I was able to see things in me that I could work on. Change begins from within and we all have the same opportunity to be the change we wish to see.
A quiet mind is a focused mind. Life offers up tons of distractions everyday. Use the quiet moments throughout the day to relax and reflect on what is important to you. The more you can quiet your thoughts the more clear and focused you become. Consciously focusing on your breathing or just simply sitting still are great tools to use.
I worked with a civilian contractor early in my military career. Whenever I would say “life sucks”, Mrs. Brown would reply back with, “life is what you make it.” Now more than 25 years later, I finally understand what she was trying to say. What we choose to focus on, is what we attract, whether “good” or “bad”. In other words, like Facebook, once you begin a search, it will continue to feed your timeline with similar posts.
Let your outside be a reflection of your inside. When you have the feeling of success on the inside, dress as if you already have success on the outside. There is nothing like the feeling of confidence when you know you look and feel good. You may not be where you want to be but celebrate where you are. You deserve it.
There is something to learn from everyone. What folks sometime forget to realize is that the road is often a two way street. You have something valuable to teach as well as anyone else. Perhaps when people cross your path, it’s not because of who THEY are but it’s because of who YOU are.
Many people describe the type of work that they do when you ask “tell me about yourself”. What I discovered is what we do is not who we are. As I develop my talents, skills or gifts, I am finding that they are slowly making a way for me. The opportunities are endless if your are not afraid the be limitless. By only focusing on what you “do”, you will never discover what you can become.
Stay focused on your dream but flexible with the process. Staying flexible allows for you to recognize new opportunities when they arise and bounce back from set backs. In times when life causes you to stretch and bend, rest assure flexibility will not cause you to break.
Sweet N Social 