Entrepreneurs, ADHD adults and other Creative Geniuses often seek my services because they fail to be very productive. That’s why they’re surprised when in my Maximum Productivity Makeover I tell them that to be more productive, they may need to take a break.
Don’t confuse productivity with busy-ness
You confuse productivity with busy-ness. We all do. In fact in North American culture, working hard means you’re moving up in the world, you’re successful. As I was writing my first ebook, Grow With the Flow, I thought of how proud I used to be to tell people how busy I was; I wore it like a medal or a badge of honor. Not anymore.
I realized that being productive is doing what you need to do or get done in order to progress toward what you want to achieve.
As an avid gardener, I liken busy-ness to working hard at pulling whatever sprouts up, without considering if it’s the right thing to do; in the end, I have a garden overrun by weeds. If I had been productive I would have taken fewer but very focused steps and ended with a garden full of flowers.
Respecting the lulls of energy can actually make you more productive
ADHD adults feel especially guilty taking a break because they think they have to work more to get more done. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When you feel mentally and physically wiped, pushing through to get more done is the worst thing you can do.
We all have cycles throughout the day where at times you have a lot of energy and at other times you have virtually none left. But for ADHD adults and other Creative Geniuses the peaks are very high and the dips look more like crashes.
Consider the athlete who trains hard for an important competition. Did you know that before a competition, the same hard-working athlete rests to conserve energy and recharge for peak performance?
This strategy is not only good for athletes, it can also benefit you. Taking the time to recharge when you feel wiped allows you to regain your energy; whereas, working through this period in your day, actually never allows you to recover.
So now, how can you use this today?
First, become aware of periods in your day when you feel wiped.
Then, instead of pushing through, take a break that will give you energy.
In my next article, I’ll provide ideas for rejuvenating breaks.
Dear Linda, I have been reading your inspiring articles for a few years now, and benefiting from your sound advice. Since you have invited comments, I take the liberty of commenting on the new website , which at least for me, is far less user friendly – especially the colours: the light blue text on blue background makes it very difficult to read. It actually hurts the eye and deters from reading. The dark blue is also somewhat heavy in atmosphere. I don’t know what others have said, I personally would be happy to see lighter colours, and a better contrast between text and background.
Yours
Shirley Egozi