The Secret to Success is Obsession
The secret to true success is that you have to truly enjoy what you’re doing - and if you do, you’ll sort out everything else along the way. If you want to succeed, finding the enjoyment in the things that you do is often more important than perfectly optimizing your approach, and will result in better results in the long run.
Why Doing Things Imperfectly is Still Worth Doing
Perfect is the enemy of the good - Meg struggled with perfectionism and it held back her ability to enjoy artistic hobbies for years. Likewise, perfectionism can hold you back from your fitness goals, especially when you take an “all or nothing” approach. Doing ‘something’, even if it’s not perfect, helps you to maintain the habit.
Most Of Productivity Is Just Managing Your Environment
Productivity is more about removing barriers to focus rather than having the most ideal setup, brilliant strategies, or the newest tools and accessories. Managing your environment by minimizing distractions naturally creates better work flow, which means getting more done. Having a space where you’re away from interruptions, turning off notifications or putting your phone away where you can’t readily check it, or wearing headphones to block out noise are all methods to keep focus on your work. Everyone’s environments are different and have different obstacles to productivity. What works for some people won’t work for everyone. Figure out what methods work for you and how you can best control the amount of distractions around you.
I Hate The Cult Of Productivity
Productivity Culture focuses more on what influencers can sell you than if doing more work is actually good for you. People hesitate to stop and ask why they need to be “doing more.” Often, there is a finite amount of work to do and it’s not actually possible to be “more productive,” meaning that trying to always be productive isn’t necessary. Long term success when it comes to accomplishing goals and mastering skills is more about having the right skill sets, building sustainable practices, and finding work that is meaningful to you, regardless of how productive you are.
Is It Okay To Work Hard For Yourself?
Quitting isn’t bad - it’s an important skill to have. You can’t do everything, so you have to be okay with quitting things that you don’t enjoy or aren’t beneficial to you. Laziness, too, isn’t inherently bad. It’s a natural part of life and the cycle of productivity. You can’t always be doing something, and laziness helps us recuperate from the energy we expend. Forcing yourself to work tirelessly at all things (your day job included) doesn’t bring more productivity, satisfaction, or money - so you need to assess if it’s really worth your time. It is okay to work hard when you want to do it, especially on things that bring you happiness or make you feel proud of what you accomplished.