I’ve got a productivity hack for you to help with creativity and resetting boundaries.
This hack came up as an extension of getting some my time and space back, now that my kids have gone back to school after lockdown.
Watch the video or read on below for the details :)
So now that my kids aren’t underfoot quite as much, I realised I’ve been letting everybody (including the dog) into my office space much more than usual, all taking up “space” – physical, energetic and mental space. I even have a large flattened ball pit in my office right now taking up space! That ball pit has been in my space lately along with some other things that don’t belong there.
Which when the tipping point came, I realised the problem was that I needed to reinstate some boundaries so that I can get some physical, energetic and mental space back, and in-turn be more productive and creative.
Boundaries. They are SO important to finding your flow in business (and improving your well-being).
It’s kind of like running a Facebook group…
Facebook Groups Are Like A Party
A Facebook group is a lot like having people in your space.
Let’s say you create a Facebook group….
You invite all the right people in and then you give them some boundaries, such as:
- please don’t plaster posters all over the walls
- don’t take somebody out of this space to another party
- be nice to everyone at the party
- let’s behave appropriately so the cops don’t have to be called
And a few other rules that you might put in your Facebook group so that everyone has a good time “at the party”.
Rules and guidelines set boundaries so that you can spend more time being productive, rather than running around putting out ‘spot fires’ all the time.
It starts with looking at…
How Much Time Do You Spend Online?
Have you ever checked how much time you spend on the internet?
Does your phone give you those little reminders of, “You’ve had this much screen time this week?” (and you go, “ugh!” Delete.)
This past week, mine popped up again and gave me a percentage of the extra time I’d spent online. I realised that I spent more time in this online space than I have on my back deck.
Per day, I’ve spent twice as much time in this “room” (that happens to be the internet) than I have on my back deck doing yoga and exercise….
And that made me think about who I am letting into the online space where I spend my time?
On my back deck, I let in:
- my kids
- my hubby
- the dog (he comes in and out and in and out)
- occasionally, I call over the back fence and invite my neighbours
But I would never just bring #allthepeople – not even my best buddies – to just sit there on my back deck and talk to them non-stop. It just wouldn’t work that way.
That’s when I realised that if we actually utilise our online spaces like our actual lounge room, we would be much pickier about who we invite in.
Treat Your Online Spaces Like Your Lounge Room
When I say ‘online space’, I’m including your:
- Facebook feed
- Instagram feed
- inbox
- booking system
- DMs
And all those other spaces online that get a percentage of your attention.
If you think of these spaces like your lounge room – who are you letting in there all the time?
Avoid Comparisonitis
Who’s in your online lounge room all the time? If you notice them there and they don’t make you feel GOOD – why are they there?
Why haven’t you unfollowed them or kept them quiet for 30 days?
Even if they are friends or family, you can unfollow or hide them. You don’t have to look at those things that bring up feelings of crankiness or insecurity.
I know so many practitioners and business owners get into comparisonitis. So, why are you following those places and spaces that make you feel like that?
Now, some of those places may actually give you a feeling of being challenged. A good feeling of challenge where it pushes you up against your comfort zone. And that actually helps you choose to change something.
Now that’s cool! Being challenged to the point where you can feel that jiggle of, “I’ve got to lean into that. It might bring me some new aspect or understanding.”
But if what you’re looking at gives you a feeling of:
- less than
- anger
- justification
And you’re consistently doing that, it’s like inviting one of your worst enemies into your lounge room and letting them lecture you all day every day.
There might even be people who are your “friends” who say or do things that make you feel bad. You would never invite that person in your lounge room, so why are you letting them in your space to make you feel like you do.
What about your Inbox?
Every morning, I wake up with 35-40 emails. And I would never let into my lounge room:
- that wine company
- the online marketing company
- whoever is giving me scarcity this and lack mentality that
I would never let them in my lounge room like that.
And yet every couple of days, I get these emails from them and I just delete them, usually.
But that’s still like inviting somebody into your lounge room and just kicking them out again.
Why not just unfollow or unsubscribe?
All of this stuff takes up so much of the bandwidth in your head. And it wastes so much of your possible productive time by focusing on getting them in and out and in and out.
So I do a regular KonMari cull – I ask “does this person/brand/space bring me joy?”
Whenever I’ve done this productivity hack, it creates so much creativity and so much space. Because it’s one less thing to worry about.
The nervous system also stops jumping up and down when that person’s name appears on your screen, on your calendar, or in your inbox.
Tidy Up Your Booking System
Your booking system is another place you can apply the same logic of, “Who am I letting in my lounge room?”
If you’ve had a booking system or patient management system for a while but haven’t cleaned up the back-end, take a few minutes to make sure not everyone can see your:
- availability
- different types of consultations
- offerings
- private information
You should be inviting people into a consultation room rather than going, “Here are all the things I have, all of the opportunities to have a meeting with me. Just pick the one that suits you.”
Instead, only have one or two for people to choose from. And then the rest of them are really specific and you can invite people in the same way that you would into your lounge room.
Set Boundaries
We have boundaries in real life. Having those same boundaries online is really important.
I’ve always had it around groups. Facebook groups are sacred space to hold space for everybody in the group to co-create. Just like it is in the Natupreneur Hub.
When we have this type of space, there needs to be boundaries so that everyone maintains their physical, energetic and mental space. There is an invite and a letting go. And the same thing happens whether it’s on your Facebook feed or Instagram feed, as well.
If you find yourself cringing every time you see that one person on Instagram – unfollow! Hate that repetitive email in your inbox? Unsubscribe.
Show Them The Door
If those feelings aren’t helpful and they are hindering you, then it’s really important to take control of your boundaries and show them the door. They don’t have to be in your lounge room anymore.
You spend so much time – possibly more time – in this online room than in your own rooms in your house. So those online spaces have to be sacred for you. The same thing goes for your inbox.
Take Action
Resetting your boundaries is the BEST creativity and productivity hack, so where else you can apply this in your online space?
My invitation to you is to consider…. Where can you create more space for productivity and good feelings so that you can enjoy more space for all the good, yummy, productive, inspiring, creative stuff that you want to be here to do?
I’ve definitely been doing it. Clearing up my inbox feels really nourishing. It doesn’t feel like a to-do list item of getting my inbox to zero. It feels like I’m doing something that’s nourishing me and keeping my sacred container of online space just that.
Go set (or reinstate) some boundaries so that you can find your flow again!
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