Things are going to get really weird. We are going to have to deal with circumstances that we’ve never had to deal with and we are all going to rise to the occasion and it’s going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.
So many people are asking me how to be productive right now.
I am wary that there is a habitual desire to fill all this extra time we are suddenly being gifted, with being busy. Like before all this started. When we were all so busy we didn’t have time to truly listen to each other, to make meals and sit down and enjoy them, to finish a creative project that had no purpose aside enjoyment.
I want to invite you to approach being productive from a new perspective for the time being. We are being offered an opportunity to do things differently now.
Change happens from the inside out. It’s about giving yourself permission to make the things that feel good a priority over those that meet the old version of results-driven productivity.
Maybe that means doing a whole lot more of ‘nothing’ than you’re comfortable with, in order to retrain your central nervous system to be satisfied with the simple things in life. Maybe your work now is to do less. Maybe the most productive thing you can do is decondition the desire to be productive and instead to just do things that are fun and feel good.
Instead of being productive, I invite you to carve out your own daily non-negotiable rituals that support you, and make those your focus, instead.
Daily non-negotiable rituals
Our lives are the sum of our habits, and so it makes sense that we want to instil rituals that contribute to us living our best lives. Daily non-negotiables are made up of systems and processes that allow us to thrive so we can focus on the important details of life: love, creativity, connection, productivity, happiness, spontaneity and flow.
Your rituals are a combination of your values, big bold dreams, and practical aims filtered into realistic daily things you do that keep you healthy, happy and grounded.
Discipline is the key to your daily non-negotiable rituals working for you. Remember, the way you do one thing is the way you do everything, so when you have your daily non-negotiable rituals in place and are showing up for yourself with them every day, you are setting yourself up to creating a life that you can only marvel at.
Here are my 8 non-negotiable rituals to get your own ideas rolling.
1. Meditate / reflect / sacred space — Alone time where I connect inwards with myself and meditate, write, journal or just lay down and let my thoughts softly move through their motions without attachment as I observe what is coming up for me.
2. Hydrate — Start my day with a tall glass of water and then warm lemon water or fresh ginger tea (great for building your immunity). Drink plenty of water (2-3 litres) throughout the day.
3. Move — Dance, yoga, walk, run, weights. Do something to move and sweat every day.
4. Dream and manifest — Practice gratitude, ask for what I want and stretch my imagination for what is possible.
5. Work towards dreams and desires — Do something every day that shows the universe where I am invested.
6. Rest — Take time to relax, do things that bring pleasure, practice stillness and try to stick to work hours.
7. Create — Do something creative. Sing, draw, make, write, cook, play, photograph.
8. Love — Nurture new and old relationships. Cuddle (maybe only virtually for now), connect and communicate.
