3 Habits that Boosted My Productivity
A reflection on the first three months of the year, Conflux style
Hello readers,
I hope April is finding you well. The days are getting longer and as a result I’m spending more and more time outside (yay!). 2024 has been a fruitful year so far in my business. In creativity? Not always. I’m doing my best to find pockets of time to lend themselves to whimsical thinking, tinkering with words on a page, or some other casual crafts.
Today I’m sharing 3 habits that boosted my productivity upon implementation. I feel I’ve found a groove finally, and that I’m choosing dancing with the chaos of life instead of fighting against it.
That being said, there’s always room for improvement, and always room to squeeze in more casual creativity. I hope these snippets encourage you to do so.
Happy creating,
Lauren
Habit #1: Monday Start
This may be more of a technicality than a habit. After all, I’m not really changing anything here, except which day “starts” the week in my head.
First, I bought a Monday start calendar. Visually, seeing the week days and weekend grouped separately inspired me to start planning my weeks Monday through Sunday, vs Sunday through Saturday. It makes way more sense, right?
This shift was two-fold: one, I felt more motivated and clear-headed at the beginning of the week with a “fresh start,” and rest/recreation time came more naturally. Sunday, the end of the week automatically turned more towards reflection on the past week, preparation for the week ahead and a period of rest in between.
Habit #2: Intentional TV Time
At the start of the year, my husband suggested we cut down on our weekday TV time. I was relieved, to be honest, as I often felt perpetually behind, and that those weekday hours spent in front of Netflix could have been spent doing something else. For the past three months, more or less, we’ve avoided TV during weekdays.
I found it harder than I anticipated in the beginning. Not because I was jonesing for a Netflix binge, but because I found I lacked other ways to relax and unwind. So while cutting down on TV time allowed us both to be more productive, it also afforded me the opportunity to redefine how I rest and recharge. Turns out this was opportune for me to pick back up some creative pursuits, clean up my office, reset for the next day or just take some extra time to lay in bed and read.
Habit #3: Embracing Inconsistency
I’m not convinced this is a habit as much as it is a mindset, but it’s proved so beneficial I had to include it here.
I’ve talked about a similar concept before — jumping back into things if you lose track for a while. Though I believe it bears repeating. Embracing inconsistency, befriending impermanence demands a change in perspective. Things that were once road blocks have now become speed bumps. Everything changes, my daily routine changes, the day I have planned out “perfectly” will inevitably change.
Instead of fearing it, or fighting it, or attempting to twist it to my will - I’ve relented. I will be inconsistent, things will change, and what works today may not work tomorrow. That’s okay. As long as we carry on.