Embracing the Productivity Paradox
I recently attended an event with the amazing speaker and coach, Julie Jones, where she addressed the spell many of us fall under, thinking we are here to do things in this order: Do, Have, Be. But in fact, the most meaningful, satisfying and productive life is one in which we: Be. Do. Have. Being must come first. This is a productivity paradox. We assume that to be productive, we must do X,Y & Z. Yet, if we are not being true to ourselves first and honoring the state of being we are in, our productivity will be only a portion of what it could be.
So, counterintuitively, we must face ourselves and ask, “Who am I? What is my truest expression of being in this moment?” When we are clear on who we are, the foundation from which all of our actions spring, our doing will be magnified tenfold. It will also be a lot easier.
Have you ever pushed or forced yourself to do something you really didn’t want to do, or that wasn’t aligned with who you are? Something that felt out of integrity for you? Most of us have at some point in life. I’m not talking about self-discipline to do what we are called to do, even when it’s hard. That comes with the territory of being true to yourself; there will be moments where you have to make hard decisions and do hard things.
I’m talking about those times you know you are pushing yourself to do something you really don’t want to do and that doesn’t make sense to your being. These are things you wouldn’t do if you didn’t absolutely have to, weren’t getting paid to, or didn’t feel responsible for. Because sincerity of intent carries through our actions. The “doing” will be much less effective and impactful if it does not come from a sincere place.
So if you find yourself doing things that are not aligned with your being, it may be time to step back and reflect. Take a few deep breaths, then ask yourself the following questions:
Who are you at your most joyful?
Would your 5-year-old self do this? If so, how would they do it? (Hint: It’s not always the thing you’re doing that’s a bad fit; it can be how you’re doing it.)
When you close your eyes, where in your body do you feel resistance to this action? Ask that part of you what it needs.
Sometimes it is as simple as needing rest, a power-nap perhaps, so you can be your best in whatever you are doing that day. Other times, it is more complicated like realizing you may be in a job role that is not a good fit for your strengths, or you may be working with a team member you just cannot get along with no matter what you do. These challenges will require you to be even more grounded in your being in order to take the needed steps to change your situation.
Communication is essential in making changes so that your being is centered and your doing can be activated from there. First, we must be honest with ourselves. Second, we must be honest and clear with others. One way I’ve found to be honest with myself is to journal. Ideas arise from my subconscious that might not have come to the surface if I wasn’t writing them down in a stream-of-consciousness way. Putting ideas into concrete words also helps with getting clear on how you feel and what you think. This, in turn, helps you honestly and directly communicate with others.
Once we feel solid in our being and are communicating from that place, we can (and often naturally do) enter a flow state of doing. In his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes about how acting freely (which I believe can only happen when we are centered in our beingness) leads to self-growth and expansion.
“...It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.”
― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
This is when we enter a flow state and time disappears. Our engagement with an activity becomes all there is, and we experience the high of doing something we love. This is the productivity we long for. Measuring our activity is now secondary, and we are all-in on the doing, creating, experimenting, exploring, building, and connecting.
One example of what this transition of being to doing looks like for me on a daily basis is my early morning routine. I have architected my environment and my habits to support my being first thing, so I do not need to think about doing anything. I simply make tea, sit to meditate, read, journal and then am so centered in my being that I feel ready to fully wake up and do what I need to. Then I work out. That activates my “doing” self and motivates my body and mind to move. I get energized for the day and all the doing that will fill it.
Yet sometimes I find we can get caught on the hamster wheel of doing and forget that we still need regular pauses to be.
A few ways we can re-center in our being include:
Taking 3 deep breaths
Snuggling with our companion animals
Making and sipping a cup of tea while looking out the window
Going for a 10-minute walk
Listening to a 5-minute guided meditation
Each of us is different. You may find a morning routine is enough of a foundation for your being to remain centered and clear in everything you do for the whole day. Or you may discover you are more productive when you re-center periodically throughout the day with mini-breaks like the ones suggested above. They can be good reminders of who you are and why you do what you do.
There is the kind of productivity where you check dozens of things off a list and power through your day, ignoring your body’s cues and your mind’s pull to what you know you really desire. Then there is the kind of productivity where you operate from peace and stillness, the actions feel like they take care of themselves, you are in a state of flow and receiving, and you complete exactly what you need to – even if it’s only one thing. Even reading this, you may feel the paradoxical pull of wanting to check off all the items on the list, wanting to achieve the most, do the best, get all the accolades.
Yet to be truly productive in a way that honors our highest selves, we must set aside the egoic drive to do more, and instead, paradoxically, be less. Be less of the person we think we should be, less of the roles we think we are supposed to play. Simplify who we believe ourselves to be in order to get to the deepest root and grow from that grounded place. Our actions, then, will sprout from a place only we can know and cultivate, and the results will be more unique, profound, and ultimately productive than if we were flying about, racing to get more done.
This productivity paradox, then, is one of being still in order to know and do what needs to be done. This is no easy task in the Information Age. With constant distractions and stimulations, being still and taking focused action has become challenging beyond belief. It requires a level of discipline and structure that we must initiate from within. Though difficult, it is not impossible. And if you have a passion, a purpose, a dharma, I know you deeply desire to be productive, to make a difference. That desire is the oxygen you need to fuel your fire of self-discipline.
Create a routine that prioritizes your being first and your doing second. Ask for support from the people around you. Set up structures that make it easier for you to focus. Experiment and track how this influences your mindset and productivity. Fine-tune and adapt as needed. Because being you is the most effective productivity tool you’ve got.
How do you embrace your beingness? What does this do for your productivity?
