Breaking Free from the Busy Trap
5 Steps to Productivity Bliss
Have you ever felt like you're running on a treadmill, constantly busy but not really getting anywhere? If so, welcome to the club. As someone who struggles with focus, and a never-ending to-do list, I understand the frustration of feeling busy but not productive.
We all have the same number of hours in our day, but how we spend them can make a huge difference. This isn't the moment where I reveal a perfect 10-step morning routine or a secret productivity hack. Instead, I'm someone who rolls out of bed and resuscitates myself with a blast of strong coffee before racing my kids to school. After that, I start sifting through the heap of emails that have piled up from the East Coast, spending my morning scrambling to catch up before I can even truly begin.
So, believe me when I say that I’m a “busy trap” expert. Scurrying on the proverbial hamster wheel is second nature to me: I relentlessly process calls, put out fires and tackle to do lists. And yet, too often, I don't make the progress I want on the important things.
People might find that hard to believe, and could point to the companies I’ve started and books I’ve written as evidence to the contrary. But these accomplishments have happened only because I’ve learned how to push beyond my nature to procrastinate, take on too much at once and scatter my attention far and wide. It’s taken research and self awareness to figure out what works for me, and I’ve learned a lot - too much for one newsletter. But today I am sharing my top five tips to help you boost your productivity too:
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Set Boundaries: For women, in particular, setting boundaries can be challenging due to our tendency to be people-pleasers. I used to struggle with saying no. What has helped me immensely is the realization that I don't need to give an immediate answer. Now, I buy myself time in order to be more thoughtful about any new commitment or responsibility. Instead of scrambling for the right words when someone springs a request on me, I invoke a go-to response that gives me some breathing room, like "Give me some time to think about it" or "I need to run this by Charles or the team." No one will fault you for taking a moment to decide. This approach will relieve the pressure you feel on the spot and ultimately reduce the amount of regret or resentment you experience from taking on too much and spreading yourself thin.
Leverage Technology: Although I'm Gen X, I'm surrounded by millennials and Gen Z in my business life, which allows me to discover the latest technology, including productivity apps and project management tools. Admittedly, I still rely heavily on Apple Notes for to-do lists (and Post-its—old habits die hard!). But I was recently introduced to Notion, a fantastic app for organizing tasks. It allows me to create detailed to-do lists with visuals, link directly to documents, save articles and podcasts for later, and more. And for those in the midst of wedding planning, I just learned of an incredible project management tool called Plannerd. which allows for seamless end-to-end wedding planning for DIY couples (and planners.) As a bonus, they're offering Sweet Success subscribers 3 months free with code PLANNERD3, so click here to take advantage or pass it along to any couples you know who need some relief from their wedding prep! I wish I’d had this app! Here’s a flashback to my wedding day in 2001(!) for fun…
Clarify Your Purpose: As I've gotten older, I've become more aware of the relentless march of time. Observing the weekly changes in my children, like my 13-year-old's deepening voice and my 16-year-old's growing independence, reminds me of how precious time is. Realizing I only have a couple of years left before my eldest heads off to college makes every moment with him invaluable. This past Saturday night, when he asked to watch Dune with me, I was on the couch, popcorn in hand, ready to dive into the world of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and the sandworms. When you prioritize with this perspective, managing your time becomes easier, and distractions tend to fade away. You become more focused on your purpose and protective of your calendar.
Eliminate Distractions: Distractions are everywhere—your phone, laptop notifications, unnecessary noise, and even a cluttered environment. I've made a conscious effort to eliminate these distractions when I need to focus, creating a space that allows my mind to concentrate and enter a state of flow. My friend Cara Natterson, a pediatrician and best-selling author of This Is Awkward, implemented a rule in her household where everyone must deposit their phones into a communal bowl after school and work. While Cara initially created this ritual to foster meaningful dinner conversations with her teenage children, it has value for anyone seeking more focus. Simply silencing notifications or turning off your phone isn't always enough; the very presence of the phone is a distraction and occupies mental space.
Embrace Inefficiency: In this pursuit, I'm reminded of my friend Tiffany Dufu and her book Drop the Ball: Achieving More By Doing Less. Drop the Ball is a mantra I've come to embrace. Tiffany argues that women hold themselves to impossibly high standards, a challenge I've faced myself. Striving for perfection in every aspect of life—be it as a wife, mother, friend, businesswoman, mentor or philanthropist—is an impossible standard. Embracing inefficiency means accepting that success is imperfect and giving ourselves grace when things don't go as planned. Moreover, the way productivity experts talk about attacking your day, it's as if the goal is to squeeze every last ounce of work out of it. But we're not robots. We're human, and there's a point of diminishing return to the amount of work we can put in.
Implementing these strategies hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it. And let me assure you that if I can do it, so can you.
What other productivity methods or tools have you embraced that have allowed you to create more value in your work and life? Leave a tip for me and our Sweet Success community below.
Here's to less busyness and more productivity,
XO
candace