Dear Kirsten, I’m about ready to scream. Everywhere I look there’s “Five Steps to Inbox Nirvana” or “The ONE Secret to Productivity Flow.” I swear I’ve tried it all and none of it works. Sometimes I look at the systems and think, there’s no way in hell. Other times I can see potential and I jump into it with both feet and a rush of enthusiasm, only to crash and burn within a week. I have so much that I want to do, and yet I find myself jumping from this deadline to that emergency, and my projects rarely take form in the way I want. I’m skeptical that you’ll have any ideas I haven’t tried, but I figured it was worth a shot… do I have a change to someday finishing everything, or should I just let it go as a dream and focus on the day-to-day? Signed, Gaaaa!
Oh, honey, I totally understand where you’re coming from. Letters like yours make me want to give you a giant hug and then step out to do battle with the ego-centered productivity industry where everyone believes that their system is the key to endless productivity and happiness. I may well be tilting at windmills, but a gal’s got to try, right? First off, there are a few ideas that I’d like you to internalize, 100%. You are not at all flawed or wrong because you don’t fit into society’s narrow definition of a “productive” person. You are capable of achieving every goal you’ve ever dreamed about, and a good deal more that you can’t even conceive of yet. We just have to bring your ecosystem back into balance by putting your productivity in context. So here’s what I want you to do. Write me back with an example of the last trick, tip or system you jumped into with enthusiasm, and recount for me all the painful details of your crash and burn. It’s not going to be fun, but I can start to pull your personality type from the story, and from there we can move forward to put your productivity in perspective. With love, Kirsten Now it’s your turn! Please leave a comment and tell me about your most recent crash and burn with a new productivity system. Featured photo credit: Thinker via Shutterstock and inline photo by Andrew Mason via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
