Plantspiration for Productivity
The act of motivating oneself can be a real drag.
In fact, it may even pull you further into the depth of procrastination.
Especially if you’re going about it all wrong.
If you’re a productivity hound, like myself, it’s easy to get carried away in all the wrong ways.
If this is case, you may be prone to validating your self worth based upon your output.
This may spiral into you feeling spite towards perfectly good humans, just becuase they’re busier than you.
(Remember, everyone is under different circumstances and deadlines. Comparing yourself to others is just plain silly. The only person you shuld be cocmpeting with is yourself.)
More often than we like to admit, these behaviors deadend into burnout, anxiety, and poor sense of self worth.
(Trust me, one of my most unproductive weeks this year was a direct result of that pesky comparison.)
These results make it plain to see, this is not the ideal path towards that healthy work hustle we’re all striving for.
Today, your plants and I will lend some insight into warming up them productivity gears properly.
Set The Mood
Just like your plant needs to be set up just right to go full beast mode on their growth...
You can just expect to wake up ready to kill it.
Consider how you can set the mood for that seamless work flow…
• A morning plant chill session can put you in a great state of mind to tackle the day.
• Any kind of movement, anywhere from yoga to walking to youtube muscle training, is great for pulling yourself out of any midday slump.
• Ensuring you have all the proper tools is essential for getting in that work flow without interruption, always have some water, snacks, or coffee/tea on hand before you dive in.
Instead of rushing into your obligations and unpleasantly battling each one...
Strategically, set the scene for success.
It’s not rocket science that if you start out your work day feeling good, your quality of work will be that much better.
Your solution to get into your best workflow may not look exactly like the example above.
In some cases, you may even have to sacrifice something you think you really don’t want to give up.
Maybe it’s that thirty minutes of TV at night or a snooze or two in the morning.
Sure, you may miss it at first.
After a week or two, you may find the positive tone it sets for your day is well worth the small sacrifice.
Motivation = Inspiration
It’s hard to want to do work if we don’t see the benefit.
It inherently goes against the dopamine release behind your drive and reward system.
Without a reward in sight, you may run short on that dopamine necessary to fuel your engine.
Would you love caring for your plants nearly as much if you didn’t get that resultant new growth?
Maybe not so much.
A quick fix for a lack of motivation is a healthy dose of inspiration.
Journal about the why.
Why do you do what you do? What is this going to help you achieve or acquire? Are you working towards your dream lifestyle? Are you feeding the family you love more than anything?
Engage with something that inspires you.
Watch a video by someone you look up to. Listen to a podcast about something you find inspiring. Spend time with that plant family you work so hard to support.
Have your vision on hand.
Seeing your goals daily can ensure you’re crystal clear on why you’re even doing what you do. It’s so easy to lose sight of your vision, especially in the hustle bustle of modern life. Vision boards can be a great way to do this.
Next time something inspires you, store it away in your motivational arsenal for the next time those procrastination urges hit.
Allow For Dormancy
Every plant has a dormancy period throughout the year (or even years!)
This is a time where they simply store nutrients, consume less, and grow a lot more slowly.
Then look at what they do: explode during active growth season.
They even experience this dormancy on a day to day basis, rising and setting their work days with the sun.
Every living organism needs rest to continue their basic functions - you are no different.
I’ve been there.
There have been times in my life where I worked full time, ran a business, and did full schedules in college.
I had just enough time to breath, but that was about it.
No days off and always something to do.
While regular meditation and clean eating certainly helped me last a lot longer, crashes were always inevitable.
I learned that your lifestyle can’t go against your basic biological requirements for rest.
Your plants have them, you have them. There’s no getting around that.
Inevitably, your body is going to take back that time one way or another.
It may manifest in the form of those days where everything is a chore, and you can’t bring yourself to do much more than you absolutely have to - if you can even manage that.
In extreme situations, your body’s payback comes in the form of big stress episodes.
I knew a girl in medical school who would get massive migraines every time she had a bit of time off.
Her body was in go-go mode for so long, that any bit of rest directly translated into the optimal time for the consequences of the stressful lifestyle to unfold.
Instead, making self care even just a small daily priority can initiate a world of difference.
My output has become so much greater with a little more space in my day to day.
This enables me to get so much more time, in way less time.
Not to mention, I’m always surprising myself with increasing quality of work.
Isn’t that kind of efficiency what it’s all about?
Next time you're burning the candle at both ends, remember how your plants manage to slay all day - through optimal setting, focus on purpose, and time for rest.