Things I Know For Sure – TPW294

With all the uncertainty in the world today, there are many things I don't know for sure. Still, there are a few things about productivity and making a life that matters that I'm certain about.



Things I Know For Sure About Productivity
and Making A Life That Matters

What do you know for sure?

The older I get, the less certain I am about many things, but here are a few things I know for sure about productivity and making a life that matters.

1. Something about habits

When it comes to our habits, what we do consistently makes a much bigger difference than what we do occasionally.

2. Something about persistence/perseverance 

Tiny steps taken repeatedly over time will get us where we want to go . . . if we don't give up.

3. Something about limits

The single most valuable habit (in terms of productivity) is writing things down. We think we can remember things, and sometimes we can. But there are limits on our mind’s capacity to hold stuff. And everything we try to hold in our head consumes a tiny bit of mental energy and takes a tiny bit of our ability to focus. They add up and can make it hard for us to give focused attention to the really important stuff. That's when things start to drop through the cracks.

By developing the habit of writing things down--appointments, tasks, ideas, information--we get them out of our heads and leave space for creative thinking and problem-solving. 

4. Something about control

The only thing in the world you can control is what’s happening between your ears. We can’t control our circumstances and we can’t control other people, but we can learn to manage our own minds, and that will make all the difference in how we experience life. 

5. Something about acceptance

God cares more about who you are than what you do. Not that what we do doesn’t matter, but our character is more important than our activity. 

6. Something about connection

We can have more influence on people (even people who disagree with us) if they know we care about them. No one has ever been persuaded to change by someone standing at a distance throwing rocks at them. Both for the sake of our own growth and for the sake of our ability to make a positive impact on the world, it’s important to be kind to and friendly with people who think differently from us.

7. Something about compassion

Everyone, even those whose actions you despise, is doing the best they’re capable of with the resources available to them at that moment.

That belief isn't an excuse for bad behavior; it doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences. This belief isn’t about letting them off the hook, but about your own perceptions of the humanness of the other people you meet.

As Maya Angelou famously said: “When you know better, you do better.”

A related statement that I've seen on social media is: Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting battles you can’t even imagine. 

This idea that everyone's doing the best they're capable of in any given moment applies to you as well. Beating up on yourself for your mistakes or bad choices doesn’t help. Recognize them, learn from them, and show compassion to yourself. Consider asking yourself: what resources do I need in order to be capable of better? 

8. Something about humility

No matter how certain you are of being right, there’s always a very real possibility that you might be wrong. Believing this prevents you from closing your mind off to new ideas and perspectives.