Ever feel like everyone is faster than you?
As if you’re messing about, while everyone is launching new products, writing books, and blogging like maniacs?
Do other people not suffer from procrastination?
How can everyone be soooo productive???
Each year, I make my own Christmas cards
Last year, I decided to draw each card.
A little ambitious, as I had to draw each card in pencil, then ink it, and finally add colors.
One card recipient asked me how I could find the time to draw these cards? She made me feel a little guilty I had wasted time on drawing cards. How unproductive is that?
We live in a time of busy-ness.
Everyone is chasing productivity. Amazon lists 5,564 books about time management; and Getting Things Done by David Allen has 1,248 reviews.
But how productive can we be?
I’m no productivity expert
Sure, I like to portray myself as a professional, who gets stuff done. I don’t miss deadlines.
But the truth is that I suffer from procrastination, chaos, and doubt.
Sometimes I work like a maniac, and I get an unbelievable amount of work done. At other times, I’m barely muddling through. I try to force myself to work harder, do more, become more productive.
But I’m hitting a wall.
This happened during the last few weeks.
Until I re-discovered the 90% rule.
I’ve always hated the idea of giving it 110%
Only misguided managers ask their team to give it one hundred and ten per cent.
Working with gritted teeth doesn’t make us more productive.
In his book Accidental Genius, Mark Levy describes how Robert Kriegel, a mental coach, trains Olympic athletes.
During a practice run he found his sprinters were tense and tight. Rather than asking them to up their efforts, he requested they run the next practice round at 90%.
The result?
Everyone ran faster the second time!
When writing first drafts, I usually follow the 90% rule. When I take it easy, I write faster and get better ideas. Last week, I decided to take the same approach to my working day.
I slowed down. I took a long break early afternoon. I gave myself permission to go out for longer walks, do nothing, or read a random book.
We grow up learning we have to perform, to better ourselves, to toughen up. Giving ourselves permission to do nothing seems crazy, but it works. Research has indicated that boredom fuels creativity. And even daydreaming is good for us.
In a recent blog post, Chris Winfield admitted he was only able to truly work 16.7 hours per week. You might think that others are far more productive than you. But this isn’t necessarily true.
When the 90% rule doesn’t get you unstuck …
Running your own business can be exhilarating.
When things go well, you feel fabulous. But when things don’t progress like you want, the going gets tough.
Most of us have learned to toughen up. To be independent. To hide our weaknesses. And as small business owners, we love our freedom, the ability to make our own choices.
But sometimes our biggest weakness is trying to go it alone.
We’re afraid to admit we’re stuck.
For instance, I have wanted to create an in-depth tutorial about writing your own web copy for quite a while. I want to show exactly how to make crappy copy good. I want to include video, and make-over examples, and a checklist. I want to help more people write web copy that converts.
I’m good at breaking complicated processes down into tiny steps, so I can move forward. It usually works.
But this time I’m stuck.
Compared to developing a business blogging course, the project seems simple. But somehow it became a Gordian Knot – a small knot, but so tight I couldn’t disentangle it. I couldn’t define a first step. And even the 90% rule didn’t help.
What could I do?
I admitted I needed help. I emailed a friend and fellow copywriter, and asked her whether she’d be interested in developing a product together?
And you know what?
I rediscovered how much fun it is to do something together. And the product will become better for it. I’m sure.
Getting frustrated with our lack of productivity is a waste of energy. Getting angry because we can’t seem to move forward doesn’t get us anywhere. The first rule of productivity and getting things done is being kind to ourselves.
And productivity isn’t our aim
Don’t chase productivity.
Aim for happiness.
Set your own rules.
Decide what makes you happy.
Recommended reading on writing productivity:
How to write faster
How to train your brain to write more
How to get into a writing zone
You say the obvious but in a fruitful way with analogies. Your posts are simple but uplifting and it’s like a breath of fresh air.
Thanks
Jini
Thanks so much, Jini. That’s a beautiful compliment.
Hi Henneke,
I love this post. I am not sure why I never noticed it before!
I believe the 90% approach is truly useful and I have come across research that validates it.
Thanks for sharing!
Peter
Yes, I truly believes it works. Being more relaxed definitely helps me write better content and do it faster, too! It’s weird how it works, but it does.
Good to see you again, Peter 🙂
I’ve been in a whirlwind the last few weeks, trying to meet a couple of deadlines while wooing a big prospect. This afternoon I told myself it would be okay to take a deep breath and see what you’ve posted while my head was spinning. And here you are telling me it’s okay to slow down! Thank you for being the voice of reason once again.
Hi Melinda, Running around like crazy, meeting all sorts of deadlines – I know the feeling so well.
Hope you’re able to allow yourself some well-deserved rest!
Thanks for this article Henneke. I’ve been thinking about it for the past few days. Testing it out. 90% is a nice balance for my normal full throttle way of doing things. I think I do get more done this way. Have a great weekend. And thanks again.
Hi Lisa, glad to hear it’s working for you, too! Thank you for stopping by to let me know. Always good to see you. Hope you’re having a fab weekend, too.
A week or so ago, I commented on how engaging Henneke is with her readers.
Well, after reading a good number of the comments here, I must say you guys (and gals) are terribly engaging yourselves! So many of you offering personal and often heartfelt thoughts and advice…it is very refreshing.
Well done guys (and gals!).
Hi Henneke,
Great post. Interesting and timely post because I was at the point of hitting the wall as well … especially within the last 4 – 6 weeks. But you mentioned alot of good things here and that whole 90% thing is something I have to try especially since you said this:
“When writing first drafts, I usually follow the 90% rule. When I take it easy, I write faster and get better ideas. Last week, I decided to take the same approach to my working day.”
I think I try too hard when writing my posts and my content and I may have and come up with better ideas if I take it easy more.
Enjoy your time off. Hope you have a great next few weeks.
– Andrew
Hi Andrew,
You might want to check out the book Accidental Genius as it goes into more detail about free writing – using the process of writing to come up with ideas. This only works when you tell yourself to take it easy. And it can be a great way to get unstuck.
Outlining posts is a quicker way to write. But if you don’t outline and free write instead first, you can often come up with better ideas. It’s a little more work as you spend more time structuring your post, but I like it. It’s fun.
Amen, sister!
I’m all about the working smarter, not harder philosophy. I’m going to be completely honest here, I love doing nothing. I work my a$$ off when things need to get done, but I’ve realized that taking breaks (even naps!) and NOT pushing myself to the point of exhaustion makes me so much more productive in the long run. I also do the (gasp) unspeakable for a blogger. I unplug. I try to have one Internet-free day at least every other week and connect with actual live people, just in case I forget how.
I recently got back from a 5 month backpacking trip through Eastern Europe where a month-long vacation is considered normal. I may not go that far but I will fight like hell for my daily dose of happiness. 🙂
Great post, Henneke, thanks! Enjoy your refueling!
That’s a valid point – pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion is unproductive. Butt somehow I do reach that point from time to time.
I love your idea of Internet-free days. I wish I was so disciplined. Do you manage to log off from email, too?
I’m originally from the Netherlands, where 3-week holidays are quite normal. It’s a great way to recuperate!
Thank you for stopping by, Mandie 🙂
O hell, the woman whos asked how you found the time was probably me…
Nope, it wasn’t you. I can’t imagine you saying that. You have your own sketching book, too, don’t you?
Yes, but I do wonder where you got the time 😉
I did not interpret it as a negative comment. You are ridiculously productive, Mrs. D!
Well, perhaps, but that’s the point isn’t it, we often think others are more productive while that’s not necessarily true.
And the comment I received about my Christmas cards was critical, in the sense of Do you have nothing better to do? . It made me feel guilty for a while. Crazy.
Thanks Henneke for this article. You bring serenity and you speak with common sense. The Internet (which I love) is getting full of testosterone, anxiety and must-do-must-have-must-rush. Time to step back a bit for me and remember how I was working before computers. I enjoy the stream of comments above.
Sometimes the comment section is better reading material than my actual blog post. 🙂
Yes we have to be careful that we’re not carried away by a maelstrom of must-dos and must-knows. Focus is incredibly important, but probably more difficult than ever before.
Thank you for stopping by again!
This is such a wonderful article – and so true. When the drive to become more productive becomes the main focus, it can sometimes have the opposite effect – and stifle creativity instead.
Sometimes we do need to slow down. It’s often when we step away from ‘productive’ mode (eg: while taking a walk, having a shower, reading etc) that we have our best ideas.
Yep, that’s so true, Sarah. Isn’t it amazing how many of our ideas do NOT arrive when we’re working at the computer? Washing dishes or other household chores can also be good for coming up with ideas 😉
Thank you for stopping by again!
Hi Henneke, I just found your blog and this was the first article I read. Must say I really enjoy your style and your honesty. Both the content of this post and your readers’ comments resonate with me. I’m off to discover the pomodoro technique before I digest your kind-hearted freebies sent to me after I subscribed. Also love the way you manage expectations about having some downtime. Looking forward to your return in late September.
Hi Somono, Thank you for stopping by on your first visit. That’s great!
Glad to hear you’re enjoying my writing – I try to keep it fluff-free. And I am really lucky with so many lovely commenters. 🙂
Enjoy your snacks! (I assume you signed up for the snackable course?)
Until soon.
In my new gig, this is one thing I’m very glad my client understands. Though he wants me to aim for 5-7 short articles a day, he explicitly told me he wants quality over quantity. So if I take a bit longer to research a story and make sure it’s accurate, he’s happy.
Now if only more self-employed people treated themselves and their work the same way!
That’s a great point, Bree. I think it’s important to run a freelance business as a business. I have different client folders in Dropbox and recently also set up an Enchanting Marketing folder, just as a reminder I should treat myself as a client and plan working on my site, just like I plan work for clients.
Sounds like your new gig is going well. That’s great!
You hit the nail on the head, again.
If I get stuck I often refer to one of my favourite phrases: If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. It helps me to move forward when I’m striving for perfection and getting to the point where I’m hardly moving at all.
Next time I will try and think of giving it 90%. The more little tricks to beat procrastination the better. Thanks for all your helpful posts. 🙂
Yes, that’s so true – if a job is worth doing, than it’s worth doing badly. I’ll remember that. 🙂
And most of the time we probably find that we’re not doing the job badly at all, or we can do it badly and then improve. I am also a firm believer in writing shitty first drafts, and then taking the time to improve my writing.
Good to see you again, Kerstin 🙂
Henneke,
Thanks for reminding us that unless we set our own pace and are kind to ourselves we are doomed to be dissatisfied, unproductive, and unhappy.
I’m positive that I was more productive in the days before the internet, before I allowed myself to be bombarded by the many books, blogs, podcasts, etc. on productivity. Not only does consuming all those ideas take time away from my own goals, but also they overwhelm me and make me always feel like I’m behind.
Fortunately, reading your blog helps pull me back into reality. Today’s takeaway is getting help with my projects has benefits, and being productive comes when I’m true and kind to myself.
Thank you.
Yes, you make an important point – the Internet and the sheer amount of information available IS distracting. And this always makes us feel we’re lagging behind, because there’s always stuff we can’t do or haven’t tried yet or perhaps even haven’t heard about yet. There are always more blog posts to read that tell us what we MUST do to become successful.
But we can’t do everything. And I really believe that doing a limited number of tasks well will make us more successful than trying to do a huge number of tasks and spreading ourselves too thinly. It’s impossible to know everything.
Always good to see you, Flora. 🙂
Hi Henneke,
I have a rare brain disease and one of it’s manifestations is the inability to concentrate for long periods. So, I starting using a Pomodoro-let method, in that I would shoot for 15 minutes.
That turned into half-hour, then 40 minutes. I can do eight of those in one day, which means I have roughly 4.3 hours in my nine hour day to take breaks, get up, move around, and go to useless meetings.
When I’m doing my 40 minutes, the phone is out of the room, there is a “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door, and there is no farting around on Facebook, etc. If I think of something I want to do that is non-task related, I write it down. This avoids the “SQUIRREL!!!” effect.
For me, that is darn good. Sometimes it does take discipline. And I think that no one is able to churn for a solid eight or nine hours (deadlines excepted).
We humans are made for some lolly gagging about.
Mary
I totally agree with you, Mary – no one can work consistently for 8 hours each day. I used to be mistaken that 8 hours was the norm. But it’s easy to have an 8 hour (or even a 10 or 12 hour) working day when most of the time is taken up by unproductive meetings, where daydreaming is the norm.
Managing 8 forty minute slots a day is excellent – even for people who aren’t struggling with a brain disease like you. I love your point about writing down non-task related ideas. That sounds like a great way to stay on track.
Good to “see” you here!
I like your aiming for happiness approach. After all, that’s where we want to be in business and in life. It just makes both more fun.
Exactly. How can productivity itself be our aim in life?
As usual, you hit it out of the park. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I have been recommending you to folks in my mastermind.
Thank you for recommending my blog, Kelly. I appreciate it!
Great post Henneke.
I’m very glad to hear I’m not the only one suffering from productivity deficiencies.
Between learning all the time and trying to write, my progress has been very slow.
I have found that following Winston Churchill’s habit of a short nap in the afternoon
is helping increase reading and learning time. It gets me long into the evenings.
However, the discipline to write on some sort of schedule is still a challenge.
Thank you for all the great content.
Learning new things requires a considerable amount of effort, concentration and energy. Don’t underestimate it. I am quite bad at this – counting only the time I write as productive time. Even doing a blog illustration doesn’t count in my book, but of course it all requires energy.
When I worked in Hong Kong, I regularly found that people were napping during lunch time. Apparently it’s good for productivity! I am not surprised that it boosts your energy later in the day 🙂
This couldn’t have come at a better time, Henneke. Thank you, thank you. I’m guilty of thinking everyone else has it together while I continue to limp behind. Just yesterday, I complained of this to my wiser older sister. After reading and commenting on my first draft of a whiny blog post, she added this: “P.S. I also sense you are feeling a little frightened by your goals. You are a really good writer. Relax.”
It seems like many of us feel like we’re limping behind. I guess most people don’t admit it. It’s more common to talk about perfect success stories online, but that’s not always helpful.
And I am sure you’re just as wise as your older sister!
Thank you for stopping by, Cheryl. I appreciate it. Let’s all relax a little more and have a little more confidence in ourselves.
What a great post. Some friends and I in our accountability group were talking about this very thing last night. I’m one of the on and off types; some days I get so much done, other days I can barely get anything done.
Thank you for the nudge to look at things differently.
I think we all have to find what works for ourselves. I’m often an on or off type, too. It’s not necessarily bad!
Thank you for stopping by, Mona.
Years of working in the corporate environment can challenge anyone to thinking they are not doing enough. The mantra there is do more and do it faster.
Henneke makes a great point. You need to find the balance. The best way to do that is to spend as little as ten minutes each day just asking yourself simple questions like:
Am I avoiding a project because I am afraid it won’t be successful?
Do I really need a break now or am I procrastinating?
I find that by asking the questions I get the true answers. When I don’t ask I sometimes just end up running around in circles.
Thanks for the great post!
Thom
Yessss, those are excellent questions!
A lot of this boils down to knowing yourself and understanding whether you’re just tired, need more time to let an idea germinate, or need to push through your fears.
My experience with corporate environment is that – despite all the productivity drives – it’s often hugely unproductive. Too many meetings that last too long. Too many emails that are irrelevant. And often little opportunity to work in peace to get something done. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by to add your useful points, Thom. 🙂
Hello Henneke,
I think you chose the perfect timing for this article, since most of us are going back to work and rethinking about our targets. Your point of view is very interesting, also from the psychological point of view, no happiness- no productivity. I was wondering if you could recomment us a book on time management that follows that philosophy. I liked Tim Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Workweek” by the way.
Happy Tuesday 🙂
Uh-oh, I’ve not read Tim Ferriss’ book yet. It’s on my list. The title puts me off a little, as it’s a little hypey (that’s the anti-marketer in me).
I’ve started reading Getting Things Done by David Allen, but found it quite intimidating. I’m going to try re-reading it next week.
Chris Winfield’s post is interesting (I linked to it above, too). I’ve tried the pomodoro technique he describes, but haven’t been as disciplined with it as he has been. I’d recommend trying it out. Here’s the link to his post again: http://www.chriswinfield.com/40-pomodoro-workweek/
I also found Chris Bailey’s blog interesting: http://ayearofproductivity.com/top-lessons-learned-a-year-of-productivity/
However, I found that too much productivity focus breaks my spirit. Only apply what works for you.
Perhaps others have other recommendations? I’m happy to learn, too. As I said, I’m no productivity expert. Only sharing what I’ve learned so far.
You should definitely read Tim Ferriss’ book, is a lesson in philosophy 🙂
I read Chris Winfield’s post on productivity but didn’t realize his blog was all about that. Just read another of his articles- the 100 point one and I think I’m done with productivity lessons for a while hahah. I confess it’s a bit intimidating. Will try the Pomodoro technique anyways, but I think it’s hard to apply in the architecture field. As you said- one should apply what works for him/her.
Keep us posted on David Allen’s book. If you like it, I’ll read it!
You might just want to try out the Pomodoro technique when you’re writing. Forcing yourself to work 25 minutes without allowing distractions, can really help. And if you find it useful for writing, then you evaluate whether you can use it for other activities, too.
And I totally agree with you – all this advice about productivity can be intimidating. Just reading it can make me feel so unproductive that I lose faith in my own ability to get work done. 😀
Henneke, you rock! 🙂
And I mean it, seriously.
I have that same problem. I’m also an artist and web designer, so oftentime I can’t decide whether I should prioritize art or design over blogging/writing, and projects that involve all 3 arts gets me stuck.
I realized that it’s mostly a self-esteem issue. And a self-pushing issue. How ironic, when I know I shouldn’t push too hard for my health’s sake (I easily burnout or get depression/anxiety attacks).
And THIS: “When I take it easy, I write faster and get better ideas.” — That works for me, too, but I ignore it too often just because of that “I might not be taking my business seriously” kind of crappy thought.
We humans are strange creatures, aren’t we?
~ Luana S.
Yes, we’re strange creatures. 🙂
But to defend ourselves, it’s difficult to know when we need to push ourselves and when we need to slow down. We need to balance ambitions and taking care of ourselves. Sometimes we are procrastinating and just need to get something done. But at other times procrastination simply means an idea needs to simmer a bit longer before we can act upon it. It’s not easy – especially not if you try to do many different things like you.
However, I’ve found that when I get tired, it rarely helps to push myself to achieve more.
Take care!
This makes so much sense and I can’t wait to implement! Giving 110% can be overrated especially when the results are similar to even giving 100% !
Thank you for this post.
And who can give 110%? Superhumans?
Thanks for stopping by, Lita 🙂