Mindful Mondays #20: Mindful Productivity
Mindfulness, acceptance, taking action, and dealing with Daylight Savings
Good morning, and welcome to Mindful Mondays.
Today I’m going to talk about a subject I’ve done a lot of thinking about over the years: mindful productivity.
Can I tell you a secret? I’m a born slacker.
Since I was a kid, I’ve liked nothing more than to lounge around with my nose in a book. In school, I managed to do well on tests without needing to study much (at least until I encountered the soul-crushing grind of intermediate algebra).
As such, I had terrible—or rather, non-existent—“work habits” for most of my life. In college, I struggled mightily with procrastination, experiencing what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul” whenever I had a major paper due.
My struggle led me to search for solutions. I started reading books about how to overcome procrastination and get things done more effectively. (If you can name a productivity or time management book, I’ve probably read it.)
Some things I’ve tried have worked for me, others not so much. Over the years, I’ve learned that different techniques work for different people, as we all have unique temperaments, habits, and nervous systems.
As a longtime student of meditation and Eastern philosophy, I’ve also thought about how I can apply those teachings to productivity. What does it mean to get things done mindfully? Is there a way to set and pursue goals that supports not only our egos, but our deepest aspirations as human beings?
Some of the most useful insights I’ve found into mindful productivity have come from two sources: Morita Therapy and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Morita Therapy was developed by Shōma Morita, a Japanese psychiatrist influenced by Zen Buddhism, in the 1920s. (Thanks to my friend James for turning me on to Morita.) ACT was developed by Steven C. Hayes in the 1980s. Both schools of therapy emphasize mindful acceptance of reality as it is—but also, taking action on what’s important.
These two pillars, mindful acceptance and committed action, form the core of my personal mental model of mindful productivity.
For example, I might really not want to clean my shower. It might bring up feelings of distaste and boredom. But if cleaning the shower is important to me, I need to accept those feelings, allow myself to feel them, and clean the shower anyway.
Procrastination is largely about avoiding things we don’t want to feel. That’s why acceptance is such an important part of this model.
Here are some other key aspects of mindful productivity that I’ll write more about in the future:
Clarifying your core values
Setting short, medium, and long-term goals aligned with your values
Turning outcome goals into daily habits and processes
Blocking out digital distractions while you work
What helps you stay productive? What are your biggest challenges around getting things done? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment. I’m working on putting my personal system—the one that’s worked for me and dozens of my clients—into a form I can share more easily with the world, so your help is appreciated!
Tweet of the Week
Today is the first Monday of Daylight Savings Time. As long-time readers know, I am fervently anti-DST because the time change disrupts our natural circadian rhythms and damages our health. Satchin Panda is a specialist in circadian biology at the Salk Institute here in San Diego. Here are some tips from him on how to adapt to the time change:
Even though Dr. Panda suggests starting these changes a couple of days before the time change, it’s not too late. Just try a few of the habits above now and you’ll still benefit.
Podcast of the Week
Dr. Andrew Huberman—The Foundations of Physical and Mental Performance. I couldn’t resist sharing a crossover between my two favorite podcasts! In this episode of the Tim Ferriss Show, Tim and Dr. Huberman discuss five pillars of physical and mental performance: sleep, nutrition, exercise, light exposure, and social connection. And for you nutritional supplement junkies out there, Huberman also details his favorite protocols.
Quote of the Week
“Work done for a reward is much lower than work done in the yoga of wisdom. Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward. Work not for the reward; but never cease to do thy work.”
—The Bhagavad Gita
That’s all for this week. As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mindful Mondays. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to read more about? Let me know by replying to this email, commenting on Substack, or hitting me up on Twitter. I read every response.
May you be well,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
PS: Would you benefit from some personal guidance in clarifying your values, setting meaningful goals, and establishing the habits and routines you need to build an awesome life? Reply to this email and ask me about 1:1 coaching.
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I’m a big fan of Panda.
And I love the example you gave of mindful acceptance and committed action. I hadn’t myself made the explicit link between the two. The committed bit of action really solidified the link for me