MEANINGFUL PRODUCTIVITY
What I Learnt after Dedicating at Least 10 Minutes a Day to Inspired Action for One Month
A game-changing approach to productivity and why you might want to try it.
While having a light chat with my friend, I shared that I could not get very much done during the lockdown.
My well-meaning friend answered, “It is tough if you are not used to using the Pomodoro technique.”
HUH?!
Feeling confused, I paused.
The conversation was cut short by my toddler in need of attention, but the pondering lingered. What has the technique got to do with this?
All these productivity tools are shoved onto our faces, suggesting that it would work if only we knew how to practise them. While I agree that productivity hacks can be really handy, all tools work under certain assumptions and limitations.
During my corporate years, I had at least 8 hours each day structurally dedicated to making progress and crossing out items on my to-do list. Then, the Pomodoro technique made sense.
In this season of my life as an entrepreneur with two young and lively children, my dedicated working time can be so compromised, and my focus is often challenged. I wondered how Pomodoro can help when you have a screaming toddler in the background, asking for your attention constantly. Where can you get in those 25-minute work sprints? And did I mention the lockdown?
We can have a lengthy discussion about whether or not the lack of time is a manufactured effect of time sabotage or excuses. The fact is every technique has requirements in order to make them work. Finding the right-size approach is essential rather than fixating on a technique and feeling discouraged if you cannot follow through.
Feeling determined, I set out on a quest to find the right-size productivity approach. I wanted to prove to myself and any overwhelmed person out there that we can move the needle or make the change by allowing 10 minutes per day minimum for a tiny imperfect, intentional and inspired action towards our goals. That was how a self-challenge, Stolen Tiny Pomodoro, started.
This challenge is not intended to dismiss or discount the effectiveness of the Pomodoro technique but rather offers an alternative to help keep moving forward when our mental bandwidth is challenged. The approach also expands our options when we simply do not have the flexibility that is required for the Pomodoro technique or any other task-based goals or if we feel fearful or doubtful about our next step.
Inspired: to fill with courage or strength of purpose — Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
So, what is the deal?
My approach
• Decide on ‘how I want to feel’ rather than ‘what I want to complete’.
When we set a goal, our aim is not to achieve the goal itself. Our actual desired result is the feeling we want to attain once we reach that goal. So, why not start by setting an intention to feel the desired feeling and figure out which activity can lead to that feeling?
For each desired feeling, I allowed myself one week to implement related inspired actions.
• Define relevant, inspired actions that bring me closer to the desired feeling.
• Define my bottom line. Only ten minutes are required to work on the activities. Anything more is a bonus.
• Record and celebrate all the wins — big and small.
This self-acknowledgement serves as a dose of encouragement. I would celebrate by saying nice things to myself, such as, “Oh, I am good!” or doing a little dance.
• Focus on progress over completion or, dare I say, perfection.
“When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running..”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Why should it work? (And why you may want to care)
- A ten-minute time span allows me the freedom to focus on working on a manageable intentional activity without waiting for a ‘perfect moment’.
- A ten-minute bottom line gives me no excuse for the lack of time. Remember when your colleague asked if he could have 5 minutes for brain-picking, and before you knew it, it had been 20 minutes or even longer? You do have 10-minutes per day for things you really care about. The commitment to the bottom line will help train your brain to find a spot for the 10-minute sprint for an inspired action rather than finding an excuse to procrastinate.
- The minimum requirement of 10 minutes per day allows me to be free of guilt if I spend ONLY 10 minutes per day working on my goal because that was an agreement.
- Setting a goal based on your desired feeling and identifying the related inspired actions help you shift from ‘I have to’ to ‘I want to’. A desire-driven and value-connected goal enables you to feel self-motivated.
Now that I had used myself as a guinea pig for this approach, how did I feel about it?
Overall, I found the challenge to be enjoyable. The light-weight but intention-filled requirements made it easy to commit even during the lockdown — when the house was full and my focus was scattered. I ended up spending more than the minimum time requirement every day. I also experienced the peaks and valleys of the feelings that the nominated actions brought, and I got to deepen my self-awareness along the way.
You can find the weekly challenge journal, where I shared my desired feelings, inspired actions, wins, and learnings of each week here: Week 1 Spacious and Peaceful, Week 2 More in Control, Week 3 Courageous, and Week 4 Joyful.
What have I learnt about this approach?
After deeply reflecting on the challenge, here is the list of what I learnt, proved and embodied.
1. Despite less than perfect conditions, being intentional about how you want to feel and taking relevant, inspired actions will move you forward.
2. Honour your pace. How often have we bought into a hustling mentality, burnout and self-depreciation? When you are filled with critical thoughts that either paralyze or overwhelm you, the best thing to do is show yourself some compassion and take a tiny step. Tiny action is better than a grand plan kept in a closet.
3. This approach does need a mindset shift to focus on progress rather than completion. You would want to set realistic expectations of what you can do within that 10-minute investment. Ten minutes may not be a lot, but you get to vote for what you want every time you show up with full focus. It is enough to kickstart the first step and is enough for tiny steps that follow. There will be a moment when a deeper time investment is required to cross the finish line. You get to define what the right-size commitment for you is.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
4. Shifting from task-based to purpose-based means moving away from ‘I have to’ and moving towards ‘I want to’. The want-to list is fuelled by value-aligned desires, not obligations.
It also helps you question if the activity fits the purpose and fixates not on getting the task done perfectly.
5. When taking action in a less perfect environment and timing, key is balance and agility in your approach.
For example, while writing is up at the top of my joy-list, delaying my bedtime for an interrupted writing time and short nights are definitely not on my list. However, I can write down key messages, words, and an outline within 10 minutes, and get right back at writing when I get some quiet time.
6. Celebrating your wins goes further than a moment. By celebrating your wins, you anchor that feel-good emotion and create an encouragement loop for the behaviour. It also sends a message to your subconscious that your achievement matters, which helps improve your self-belief.
Can you imagine what can happen in the next 30 days if you consciously set your intention on how you want to feel and commit to activities that bring you close to that feeling?
I want you to escape the false narrative that productivity means doing more! This narrative gets us confused motion with progress. Productivity should mean doing more of what really matters to you.
As opposed to constantly being in hustle mode and winning at all cost mentality, I believe that achieving success can be done in a gentle and sustainable way.
To bring the idea of a gentle achiever to life, I created a 7-day practice to uplevel your productivity by setting intentions, taking inspired actions, and honouring your pace.
You can download your gift here.
I look forward to hearing about your experience with the approach and what you learn.
Let’s do this!
