Busy and Productive are Not the Same Thing
Are you so busy that it causes you stress or anxiety?
You try so hard to get it all done.
You’re going non-stop.
You multi-task, trying to maximize every minute.
Always More To Do
There’s just more and more to do these days. Most of my clients complain that they are so busy “DOING” that there is no time to rest or play. There is no such thing as “Me Time.”
Too much “DOING” and BUSY-NESS eventually wears you down with fatigue, low energy, sleep problems, illness, anxiety, irritability, and dissatisfaction.
If you wake up the next day and go right back to push, push, push…the quality and productivity of your work goes down. In the end, you actually get less done.
High Intensity Interval Training
Work smarter not harder with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This is a concept used in fitness and athletics. Interval training means alternating intense periods of exercise coupled with adequate recovery/rest time.
- Work hard – really give it your 100% effort and focus for a short interval
- Rest!
- Repeat Steps 1 & 2
In the fitness world, this ultimately maximizes productivity of time spent working out because it makes most efficient/productive use of your energy and muscles. Athletes don’t lift weights while trying to simultaneously trying to do two other things.
Busy and Productive are Not the Same Thing
You can apply this High Intensity Interval Training to your life and to your To Do Lists. You cannot do everything at your 100% all the time without some recovery time. It’s not humanly possible.
Busy and productivity are not the same thing. Busy all the time leads to feeling anxiety and overwhelm, which makes it harder to get things done. Productivity means alternating “DOING” with recovery time, which reduces overwhelm and anxiety and ultimately makes it easier to get things done. You’ll feel better about yourself too.
To use HIIT in day-to-day life:
- Don’t multi-task – either work hard or rest hard
- Take a 5 min recovery period for every hour of work
- Don’t multi-task during your recovery period
- Value your recovery time as much as your “DOING” time
No Multi-tasking during Recovery Time
The old thoughts that told you to keep pushing more and more will tempt you to do something while you’re resting in order to “make productive use of that time.” You will have to remind yourself that the reverse is actually true!
Even neuroscience research is now showing that multi-tasking is really a misnomer. In the brain it is considered “switch-tasking”, with the brain constantly switching back and forth so fast it appears to us to be simultaneous. Switch-tasking actually uses more brain energy than doing one thing at a time.
Recovery time is downtime — no “doing” but instead resting. Many people have told me they are so used to running around like a chicken with their head cut off that they forgot how to rest and relax. So here are a few reminders:
- Sit (and do nothing else!)
- Do Mindful Belly Breathing
- Take a nap
- Do a quick meditation
- Sit or play with your pet
- Mindful eating (Note to Self: eating while on your computer or phone is not recovery)
- Have a cup of tea
- Go for short walk
- Listen to relaxing music
- Listen to Happy music
- Stretch
- Read a book for fun
- Call a friend
Apply HIIT Interval Style to Your Overall Week
Schedule in recovery time into your overall week or it won’t happen. There may be a day that requires you to push at your 100% all day with long hours. This is life. But please don’t fool yourself into thinking you can do that every day and still be at your 100%.
Sprinters give it their all. But they couldn’t do this if they continued jogging for the rest of the day. Running yourself ragged is not the answer!