I'm terrible at sticking with productivity hacks. I hate them, in fact.
They've always felt like confining myself to some mental jail cell and then rewarding myself for sitting still. Like…why? If I'm going to do anything, I need to feel free emotionally and mentally to get it done or anxiety will claim any progress I might have made.
At my former job, my email dinged with back-to-back emails all day. Each email seemed to be bursting with urgency (that's another post – "How Not To Take On Co-Workers' Poor Planning As Your Personal Emergency" – for another time). Nothing I tried worked to keep me up to speed. My sleep cycle was thrown off, I wasn't eating regular meals and the time I once spent after work relaxing with a good book, good music, or good friends was sucked into the vacuum of take-home work.
One day, I finally zeroed out my inbox (Hallelujah!), a feat I hadn't accomplished since I began. With almost thirty minutes to spare at the end of the workday, I started jotting different things I'd figured out on my own and answers to questions I had asked. About 15 minutes later, a new kind of to-do list was born.
Instead of a never-ending list of things to get done, I have three short lists I write on one sheet of paper at the end of each day:
1.Things I Learned Today
Getty Images
Starting with what I've learned forces me to pay attention to everything around me during the day instead of mindlessly grinding away at a To-Do List. I take in what I hear on the radio. I listen to understand more intently when in conversation. I *look* for new words, facts, or procedures throughout the day. This list also helps me to feel a little more grateful. If it's been a particularly eventful day, I jot down the top learning moments that made the most impact.
2.Things I Accomplished Today
Getty Images
The problem with the traditional To-Do List is that we obsess over crossing things off the list. We prioritize an "all-or-nothing" approach when half the things on our lists aren't even urgent. When the end of the day comes and everything on that list isn't crossed off, we feel that we've failed in some cosmic way. We add stress to our lives while thinking we're erasing it.
This section helps me to reflect on how I was successful – not to revel in getting it all done. It doesn't have to be output-based either. Some days I record accomplishments such as, "I sat down and mindfully enjoyed the sunset with a glass of iced tea" or "I finished the book I've been reading for a year."
Celebrating your wins, large or small, is the goal – not beating yourself up for only completing 4 out of 5.
3.Things To Do/Complete Tomorrow
Getty Images
This takes the aggravation and stress out of getting started every morning. Why? Because all you've got to do is consult the list you made the evening before.
I purposely add no more than five items to my to-do lists. It forces me to stop making EVERYTHING urgent. Because it's not. Everything is not urgent and I'm not going to develop an ulcer just because everybody else is rushing.
Using this list is something I'm most proud of lately. It's made me more aware of myself, what happens throughout my day, and the progress I'm making. I don't put such an emphasis on how fast things happen – unless it is truly urgent. I focus on quality and treating myself like a human, not a machine and that's making an incredible difference.
Article originally published on Medium.
Featured image by Getty Images.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here to receive our latest articles and news straight to your inbox.
- Does Meditation Make You More Productive? These 5 ... ›
- The Ultimate Productivity Hack ›
- 5 Time-Saving Productivity Hacks, Reviewed - The Simple Dollar ›
- 12 Mindfulness Hacks You Can Use in 24 Hours – Marketing and ... ›
- 13 Productivity Hacks to Save You Time and Energy - Mindful Minutes ›
- 10 Simple Mindfulness Hacks to Lower Your Stress & Find More ... ›
- 5 Life Hacks for Mindfulness in the Workplace | Psychology Today ›
- Hungry, tired, elated: my week of life hacks | Financial Times ›
- Mindfulness Exercises to Be More Productive -- and Happier ›
- Corporations' Newest Productivity Hack: Meditation - The Atlantic ›
RELATED
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
