How to Be Reflective to Be Productive but Not Paralyzed

It’s possible to be so busy with chores that you cease to ever be productive. Then, whenever you spend your time, really think about if it’s truly important. So you need to have that habit of thinking if what you will do will matter. Do not just react and do the next thing in front of you or your goals will suffer.

Have contemplative routines to consistently reflect on what you do. Do not only think and never do but be mindful of all your actions all the time. You can also reflect and evaluate yourself by sharing your day with others. When you’re talking about what you did to other people, you reflect more.

Have a routine for your life that is constantly improved to work well. Since your work can easily pile up, always have a routine to plan things. Have that blocked time to plan out what’s important to be productive. Otherwise, you may just waste your time always doing unimportant things.

Reflecting can also make you learn better as you summarize key ideas. Also, try to explain great ideas to friends and apply those ideas together. When you’re explaining ideas to other people, you’re reteaching yourself. After all, if you don’t truly understand a concept, you cannot explain it to others.

Once you have ideas, think of tasks as choices to be more motivated. Constantly look for choices that you can make so that you have control. Also, you can ask yourself why you’re doing something to be more motivated. This purpose guides you to work hard as you’re passionate about the vision. Remind yourself how everything you do is somehow connected to your values. With this, you’re choosing to see things in a way that will drive them.

When working with other people too, learn how to appreciate others’ work. Focus on what they chose to do to let them be independent with their goals. Pointing out to others that they can choose to be productive helps them. It does not matter how the team interacted but the cultural norms. For the team to work well, they need to have an equal amount of voice. Also, the team needs to demonstrate to each other that they are listening to each other.

Source: Charles Duhigg