walk2.jpg

3 Types of Awareness That Can Improve Productivity

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Dolly Garland | CATEGORIES: productivity tips, self improvement

“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” – Lau Tzu

Before you can improve anything, you must have awareness of where you are.  Awareness is the first essential step in any kind of development, and you could break it down into various types. But there are three particular types of awareness which relate to productivity, and journaling can help you achieve these.

Time Awareness

Many of us do things on auto-pilot. If you are always driving on the same route, at the same time, you probably don’t even think about where you are going. You sit in your car, get lost in your thoughts, and arrive at your destination. That applies to how you spend your time. You have to do certain things during the day, and most of the time, you do them the way you know how.

That is the problem.

By being on auto-pilot, you are not looking at how you can improve. You may think, after the fact, that your day was unproductive and that you could’ve done better. It’s too late by then, because the day is already gone.

Keeping a journal, by regularly and consistently tracking what you do with your day, gives you an awareness of where you unintentionally end up wasting time.

Unintentionally is the key word here.

By productivity, I don’t mean just work. If you choose to spend an hour playing video games with your child, that is not unproductive. If you choose to sit down and watch a movie with your partner, that is not unproductive. Unproductive moments are the ones where you spend your time doing things you did not intend, and regret it afterwards.

Task Awareness

How aware are you of the things you do daily? You might have a big to-do list, and you are diligently crossing things off it, but are they the right things?

Are those things taking you closer to the things you really want to achieve, values you want to nurture, and the life you want to live? Are you applying the 80/20 rule?

In your journal, don’t just record what you are doing. Write, why you are doing it. It doesn’t have to be an essay or a great philosophical reasoning. Just jot down a line or two on why you think you have to perform this task. Don’t worry about analysing it. For a couple of weeks, simply create a habit of writing it. Once you have recorded two or three weeks worth of reasons, then sit down and look at them.

Be honest, and be brutal. Do those reasons make sense? Or are they pathetic whines of submitting under peer pressure or societal pressure? Are those the reasons that are giving you positive motivation? Are they increasing the quality of your life? Are they taking you closer to your goals?

Result Awareness

You are filling your days doing tons of things. You are always busy, and your schedule feels like it’s unending. But what are you achieving? What are the tangible end results you can claim? Most good things take time to achieve, but if we are always in transit, working towards something but never quite getting there, then there is something wrong. For example, if you want to write a book, maybe it will take you 6 months to a year to write 90K words novel. But by the end of that year, you should at least have a finished first draft. That is your end result.

Make it a weekly or monthly habit to journal about your achievements. If you are working on big projects, include milestones. If we are to use example of writing a book, your first milestone could be writing 5000 words a week. Your big milestone could be having a finished first draft by end of the year. The next milestone could be second draft, and then submission to agents etc.

Enjoy the process, and focus on details, but don’t forget the big picture. It’s a good idea to live in the present, but if you have things you want to achieve, you must also stay aware of your vision and where you are headed. Focusing on and consistently analysing your results will give you that awareness.

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE TODAY:

Keep a journal for two weeks as per above steps, and at the end of those two weeks, analyse your data, and see what you learn about your state of awareness.

 

Dolly Garland is a founder of Kaizen Journaling where she helps a community of Kaizen Warriors create their personalized arsenal for success. Find her on Facebook.

  • Ssdasa

    nice article

  • http://www.trimnhealthy.com.au/hcg-diet-faqs where can I get hcg drops

    You should always be aware of the fact what you do like you said, diet plan is very important either it’s about eating or about exercise. If you are not devoted your self then you can’t get good health results. 

  • http://www.mazzastick.com/blog-3/ Justin Mazza

    I read some where that 98% of people live their lives on auto-pilot. I am sure eventually people have their “wake up” calls and adjust themselves to consciously create their lives. Journaling is indeed a great way to make changes to ourselves and our lives.

    • Dolly Garland

      Justin,

      Absolutely. It’s about getting off the auto-pilot as soon as possible, no matter at what stage you are in life. Once we have that realization, then it’s a lot more easier to keep giving one’s self wake up calls.

  • http://www.sweetandsage.com Sage

    I think results awareness is the one I need to work on the most. My days are filled with “busy-ness” but that doesn’t mean I’m working on the tasks that bring me closer to my goals. I need to focus my energy on the truly important tasks and let go of the busy work.

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Sage,

      Absolutely. That’s one of the most common problems in today’s society, because we are always busy. That’s why awareness is such a key.

  • Dan Erickson

    Nice post.  I’m a writer and it can get overwhelming at times: journaling, blogging, commenting, writing and rewriting books, social media, the list goes on.  One thing I find helpful is to take purposeful short breaks in one form of writing or another.  I don’t stop writing, I just focus on a specific type of writing and ease back on the others.  After a period of time, I’ll switch it up.  This keeps me constantly moving forward in all areas of writing and promotion.  It’s a long, slow process, but it works.  That’s how I wrote my first book “A Train Called Forgiveness,” and it’s how I’m currently rewriting my second book “At the Crossing of Justice and Mercy.”  For more about my work, check out my blog @ http://www.danerickson.net

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Dan,

      I totally sympathise with it getting overwhelming, and eventually for those of us who don’t quit and carry on, come up with our own little coping mechanisms. My methods are more works-in-progress, as sometimes  I find it more useful to focus on one project, but at other times,  I will divide my time between several. 

  • http://www.thebounceblog.com/ Bobbi Emel

    Great ideas, Dolly!

  • http://susangregg.com/ Susan

    Thanks Dolly,

    In the Toltec tradition there are three masteries: Awareness, Transformation and Intent. I have found without awareness it is impossible to change and move forward.

    Thanks for the great article and the suggestion to focus on our awareness,write and collect data. Writing sure creates a lot more clarity.

    Susan

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Susan,

      Thank you for sharing that. I’ve never heard of Toltec Tradition, but I will look it up. 

      Awareness is a key stage whether it’s part of spiritual growth, career growth, or personal growth. Unless we know where we are, we can’t consciously move forward. It’s like trying to set up sat nav, without having a starting place. :-)  

  • Missgaonmymind

    I feel like I waste just about everyday because I too am on autopilot.  I have so many goals and dreams, that I don’t know how to productively get back to achieving them.  I think I may be focused on so many things that I’m desiring that I end up doing a bunch of nothing.  For instance, I love reading positive blogs like this one, and I’m on and off them all day at work, cause I feel like I don’t have time when I get home.  So many blogs give me inspiration, but a lot time goes by into reading everything that blog has to offer.  I need clarity and yes awareness.  So thank you for the journaling suggestion, it just may help!

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      I can totally relate to that, as can many other people I’m sure. We live in an incredibly “busy” society, where our to-do lists are growing bigger and bigger, not to mention our “I-want” or “I-wish” lists. It can get really overwhelming keeping up with everything. 

      The key is to start applying. Once you read something that inspires you, and ideas that you think would be of use to you (such as journaling) then start doing it. Give it a try, and see if it works for you. Otherwise we end up in a sea of inspiration without actually using any of the new techniques we learn.

  • http://glynisj.com/ Glynis Jolly

    Although I feel that I pay attention in all three areas that you discuss here, I know that I have wasted time and tasks that have resulted in zero at the end of the day. Having it in writing here helps me see my flaws.

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Glynis,

      That’s the thing – most of us have some degree of awareness. Especially people who are interested in personal growth (as I would assume all readers of this blog to be). So you are never completely blind. But having it in writing, gives that added clarity, because once it’s out of your mind and onto the page, you are then in a position to evaluate it objectively. 

  • saraholeary

    Love the idea of journaling about my achievements – rather than about what I wish to achieve. All of these ideas are an interesting new take on using a journal – as a tool to set and achieve goals. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Sarah,

      Journaling is an incredibly powerful tool, for just about anything. We always focus on things we want to achieve and that’s important. But it is also essential to actually acknowledge things that we have achieved. It marks the progress. It shows us how far we’ve come already. It would also make you think about the lessons learned, mistakes made, and triumphs earned. From that, you could decide which of those things you want to replicate in the future.

  • http://chantalbeaupre.com/ Chantal Beaupre

    Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”

  • http://chantalbeaupre.com/ Chantal Beaupre

    Dear Dolly,

    Many years ago, the great Thomas Edison said, “Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”
    What you offer here, in your article, seems to be a remarkably effective solution to this issue that affects, according to Mr. Edison, 95% of the population.

    Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.

    Love and blessings,
    ChantalP.S. Sorry for the last incomplete comment; I hit “enter” too quickly!

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Chantal,

      Absolutely true! I see so many people, and not necessarily particularly young ones without life experience,without even basic degree of self-awareness. It astounds me that how could anyone go through 40-50 years of life without learning things about their own character which seem pretty obvious to the rest of us. But people do. People wrap themselves in a bubble, and never dig too deep. Maybe they are scared. Maybe they are just not interested. Or maybe it doesn’t even occur to them. Whatever the case, there are a lot of people like that. So I think it’s all the more essential to spread this message. To encourage awareness. Because each person who is more complete in themselves, and happy with who they are, spread that in their environment. They make better people. They make better partners. They make better parents. They make better employees and better bosses. In turn, together, we make a better society. 

  • http://www.healthyzine.net/the-myth-of-multitasking/ Jcrosskey@Healty Zine

    Thank you for this post. I think it cuts at the heart of why most people don’t get done what they intend to (me included). In our current society, we are taught to do a bunch of things, instead of being great at a few things or one thing. Having a million things on your plate is to be expected, but it often leads to a feeling of being unfulfilled. Journaling is a great exercise for this because, if you are honest with yourself, what you need to be doing daily will bubble to the surface. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      J,

      Yes it does. And what’s surprising is that despite having a million things on your to-do list, if you come right down to it, and come down to your essential goals, there will not be that many things. 

      There are a lot of things we need to do. But there are very few important things that we absolutely, totally want to do and achieve. Those are the things that journaling can help us find time for, and make important. Of course that’s not to say that you couldn’t use some other goal-setting method or just pure reflection. But then there are tons of ways to do everything, and it all comes down whatever works for individuals. 

  • http://happierhuman.com/ Amit Amin

    Reading your guests posts is great, Dolly – it’s like you’re evangelizing journaling as a proven but underused self-help tool. I don’t mean the word evangelize negatively – I personally have benefited from the practice, and believes others will as well. Rather, I imagine it must be nice to have such defined purpose. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Amit,

      You are perfectly right. And I don’t take it in a negative sense at all :-) I’m rather happy with my mission! Journaling is definitely underused and not well understood tool for personal growth. 

      Good thing about defined purpose such as this is that it was simply born from life. I didn’t set out thinking, I’ll go spread word about journaling. It happened, because it worked for me, and because I completely and totally believe in it. When you believe in something, you have a lot to say about it :-)  

  • Cheapgifts

    Not Red Sole Shoes long found your lady walking on a local retailer dressed in Enormous Sounds By way of Medical professional. Dre Recording studio earphones plus may possibly never reject a want so that you can check with the pup how they seemed. Your dog appeared to be style more than enough so that you can i can currently have easy take note Beats By Dr Dre of her Sounds earphones and then to express I actually seemed to be happy is fairly a strong understatement. Finding out about a good plus having these folks to get by myself designed people prefer to publish the following Sounds By way of Medical professional. Dre Critique, thus Red Bottom Shoes anticipation if perhaps will help all those buying much more home elevators these folks.
    With the glance, come to feel, style and design, and the majority of notable, a great good level of quality, its visible this Enormous plus Medical professional. Dre plus its coaches and teams currently have created a vintage to line of high-quality Puma Shoes earphones geared toward popular music devotees plus fashionable tore enthusiasts, mainly. The state report is definitely that these earphones currently have utilized through a couple of years with homework plus progression in advance of these folks published to your consumer.This is certainly totally obvious whenever you perceive just what exactly can come by Monster Beats By Dre all these Sounds music cancelling earphones. A bass sound noises will be vibrant plus 100 %, a mid concentrations plus words will be very clear, cleanse plus distinct, as well as levels will be crispy plus split without the need of possibly distorting and also sound tinny. Nonetheless the following Sounds by way of Medical professional. Dre set will not be which has no flaws, need to say that. Organizations lots of records of Red Bottom Heels your vinyl brilliant, and you simply unquestionably have got to you should move these folks out of if you find yourself accomplished paying attention to these folks and also you might shell out quite a number of capital for energy Puma Outlet.

  • http://www.MargoDeGange.com/ Margo DeGange, M.Ed.

    Dolly,

    This is such a good post on  3 levels of awareness.  I think it is
    crucial to have awareness about what we do, and of course what we
    intend, and I totally agree with you that our actions should bring us
    closer to what we want.

    We absolutely get there through awareness and through the tools that
    help us to become more and more observant about what we think, feel, say
    and do.

    I appreciate your work. It is really helping others.

    Love and light,

    Margo

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Margo,

      Thanks for taking the time to comment, and for your kind words. We all have our own passions, and I believe it’s good to share the things you believe in, so that your message is honest, and so that you are living what you are preaching! 

    • http://www.facebook.com/garlanddolly Dolly Garland

      Margo,

      Thanks for taking the time to comment, and for your kind words. We all have our own passions, and I believe it’s good to share the things you believe in, so that your message is honest, and so that you are living what you are preaching! 

  • Linda

    You have wonderful, helpful ideas! Today I’ll use your idea of writing in my journal to record what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.   …thanks so much!
    Linda at… http:://www.lindajomartin.com

  • Pingback: Leading an Increase in Productivity | Leadership Made Simple

  • http://www.motivation.net.au/ Motivational

    Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed
    reading it; you will be a great author. I will remember to bookmark your blog
    and will often come back later on. I want to encourage that you continue your
    great posts, have a nice morning! 

  • http://www.happybowelmovements.com/ digestive problems

    Time management in terms of health counts a lot, it brings fitness and prevents you getting many diseases and infection, if you know when you’re eating and what you’re eating you won’t get sick and would enjoy healthy life. 

  • http://www.happybowelmovements.com/ digestive problems

    dfdsfd

  • http://managemesystems.com/ Carl

    Excellent article – I find myself using a lot of mindmaps these days to maintain awareness because writing things out in full text is very time consuming – to be honest I’ve got a few too many projects on the go at the mo and that’s the only tool I’ve found helps me keep up.  Love the idea of focusing on the reasons behind doing everything and will look at putting that into the mindmaps I create.  I’ve found the best indicator of whether or not I’ve been productive is I get a deep sense of satisfaction after working on those things I really want to do and those things are indeed to do with things like writing books.  Many thanks for this advice.