How to dodge this Week 2 trap that kills productivity

My Hormonology

How to dodge this Week 2 trap that kills productivity

day9121814clutterWhen picking which of my photos to use to represent my mood for this day in my monthly cycle for my new Instagram account, I knew I had the perfect one: A photo of the strange and cluttered Volpe Efficiency Motel on Treasure Island Beach in Florida.

There isn’t a square inch of this small beachside temporary residence that isn’t crammed with interesting knickknacks, doodads and kitschy souvenirs.

While each item is interesting and peculiar and invites you into ponder its existence, frankly, there’s so much packed into every nook and cranny, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not really see a fraction of what’s here.

And, that’s what I often feel like in my Week 2: Like my high estrogen and testosterone are pushing me to pack as much into my day as I possibly can. After all, they’re revving my mental and physical energy and boosting my optimism sky-high, making me thoroughly convinced I can accomplish way more–regardless of how many hours are actually in the day.

However, I end up putting so much on my plate that it becomes overwhelming and I don’t end up starting even a fraction of it or getting to the stuff that really needs to get done.

So, for today and the rest of my Week 2, I’m going to take into account my hormonal influences and try a new approach:

I’m starting off by paring down my to-do list. I’m taking off the stuff that there’s no possible way I’d get to even if the day was 48 hours long and I didn’t need to sleep, eat or cuddle my dogs.

Then, I’m prioritizing the three things I absolutely want to get done–and that are actually really doable. Not just doable in my hormone-addled mind.

Then, I’m doing what I always forget to do in my Week 2 thanks to my obscenely high optimism: I’m factoring in all the many, many, many interruptions that are going to steal precious time from my day–the chatty neighbor, the cable guy arriving early and leaving late, the errand that will probably take twice as long to run because it’s the crazy holiday season.

So, by the end of the day thanks to these adjustments, I should have those three priority tasks completed. And, if there’s time left over, then I can tackle the 169 other tasks I also wanted to get to today.

If you’re anything like me in your Week 2 and find yourself optimistically writing out a huge to-do list–without getting most of it done–try the techniques I’m using above.

Then, let’s see if we can channel all this Week 2 revved mental and physical energy into more productivity and accomplishments together!

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