A New Way to Think About Getting Shit Done

Over the last few months, I've been working closely with Michael Neill, author of several best selling books and 2x Tedx speaker. He's been helping me explore a new way of looking at our inherent gifts as humans and shifting how I see life and work. 

One of the areas that I'm starting to see differently is the space of productivity and getting shit done!

What I'll do today is point you towards what I'm seeing new, and ask you to experiment with it and see what you see. 

The goal is that in a small but meaningful way, you start to see productivity and getting shit done a little differently too.

We'll start by looking at bandwidth. 

When I refer to bandwidth I am pointing to our connectivity to inspiration and creativity. It refers to having enough headspace to allow creativity to flow.

Like the bars on your phone, our mental bandwidth is always expanding and retracting.

We have moments of high bandwidth (5 bars when getting anything done is pretty easy) and low bandwidth (no service or 1 bar when pretty much everything feels hard).

In the past, when I was trying to get shit done, I bulldozed my way through my to do list.

Whether I had high bandwidth or low bandwidth, I forced myself to get shit done and then gave myself heck for it not going smoothly. I might think 'I'm a procrastinator', 'I'm not good at this', 'why do I have to do this', or a slew of other judgemental thoughts that creeped into my mind.

Coincidentally, giving myself shit for having low bandwidth is not helpful, and leads to lower bandwidth.  

Not a great strategy for creating is it, and yet we all do it. 

So here's the first experiment for you:

Experiment #1: Start noticing where your bandwidth is. Are you at 5 bars, 4, 3, 2, 1 or no service? 

Remember no judgement, bandwidth is meant to expand and retract, simply notice!

Once you have a sense of your bandwidth in the moment, do something that takes it into consideration. If you're at 5 bars, it may be a good time to focus on a creative project, a complex challenge, etc. If on the other hand, you're at 1 bar or no service, perhaps it's time to do something that doesn't require as much creative energy.

The idea here is to use your bandwidth to help direct what you do in the moment. It's taking into account that TIME and BANDWIDTH are not the same. It's giving consideration to our design, our inherent operating system as humans. 

Which brings me to the second experiment to better understand our human design.

Experiment #2: What is on your mind throughout the day?

While simply noticing our bandwidth and acting accordingly is hugely helpful, it is also helpful to start noticing what takes up our bandwidth and what gives us bandwidth.

In my experience, one of the things that keeps my head full and bandwidth low, is having a lot of tabs open.

Like our computers, when too many tabs are open and running in the background, our computer doesn't operate optimally. 

Similarly, when we have a lot on our minds, our ability to be in flow is compromised. 

Our bandwidth is low because much of our headspace is taken up by thoughts. In contrast, when our thinking is settled and calmer, we tend to have higher bandwidth because we have space for our creative signal to get through. We simply know what's priority and how to approach it.

Giving ourselves permission to turn off all the tabs, other than what is going on right now, is a beautiful way to free up headspace.

For me writing, walking and learning something new expands my bandwidth. Having imaginary conversations in my mind, worrying or fearing the future contracts it.

***Now a word of caution here, it might be enticing to try to "fix" or "change" your bandwidth when you notice it's low, but it's my experience that this often does more harm than good.  Trying to raise your bandwidth to get something specific accomplished is as frustrating as trying to download your favourite movie when you have no signal on your computer - you end up spinning your wheels, getting annoyed and the movie doesn't download or takes a lot more time and effort than necessary. Often it's simply easier to wait for a better signal.***

Here's the point I'd like you to take away. The better we understand our design, the more effortless it is to get shit done. 

So over the next few weeks, notice where's your bandwidth? What feeds your bandwidth, drains it or is bandwidth neutral? Then use this information to organize what you do in the moment. Notice what's working and what's not.

You see, bandwidth is a renewable resource, but it's also a precious one.

As Michael Neill says, "it's the unsung hero of productivity"