When we think of boosters – at least for us, they’re associated with shots which means they’re usually not our favorite topic…but that’s not the case today. Let’s think of boosters in a new way – as in ways we can boost an otherwise ordinary day. These boosters will help rejuvenate us and make us more productive – and who doesn’t want that?
We’ve chosen some seemingly antithetical boosters here and we’d love to hear your thoughts on ways you boost your productivity.
We can connect – as in, in person or at least real-time – with another human being. It’s healthy to spend time with others; we’re better together! So make a new friend or spend time reconnecting with an old one. A short phone call. An early morning walk. Or a shared pizza from your favorite Italian eatery.
And we can disconnect for a few minutes. Yes, we will survive for 30 minutes – maybe even longer – without being connected to our electronic gadgets. Cell phones, laptops and everything else social media-related. Believe it or not, people used to live through entire 24-hour periods (actually much longer) without any of these gadgets! It gives us much needed time for reflection. And silence.
Most of us can increase the time we spend nourishing our souls. Replenishing ourselves. Then we can be filled up. Ready to face the next challenge. Filled to overflowing to help replenish others when they need it. Let’s face it – most of us need it these days. It’s been a rough past 18 months.
Many of us can also decrease the time we spend listening to negative self-talk. Or repeating the list of things we don’t do so well. It would make for more pleasant conversations with ourselves and it would free up a lot of time to think about and do more important things.
We can spend time learning from others. Feeding our minds. Reading that book we’ve wanted to read for the past few years. Learning another language. We might even take on a stretch assignment or two – it will help keep our minds sharp.
Unlearn a few bad habits. Yes, we know this takes intentional effort…but it’s worth it to reprogram our brains when we realize we’ve gotten into unpleasant ruts. The benefits are worth the effort required to change. Pick something tiny to change and then start working on that one thing until you’ve broken that single habit. Then you can move on to another – that is, if you have more than one bad habit!
Serve others…instead of waiting to be served. Need we say more here?
Speed up work on your priorities. As C S Lewis said, “Put first things first and we get second things thrown in; put second things first and we lose both first and second things.” Too often, we devote too much time and energy to second things, but life is simplified when we get our priorities in the right order.
Slow down checking off the non-essentials on your long to-do lists. These are often the secondary things.
Stop saying no to a little R&R. In order to function at our best, there’s a balance to work and play. Stop feeling guilty for saying “no” – it’s not a four-letter word! Stop doing what you think others think you should be doing.
Start taking care of yourself. Take a little “me time” to refresh. In addition to work, we need to devote time to rest. To play. To develop and deepen friendships. To exercise and eat right. To follow our dreams and do what we’re passionate about. Remember, whether it’s starting fresh or starting over, as long as we have breath in our lungs, it’s never too late to start.
Be YOU,
Lisa
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