Ep 42 How to Change the Stories That Sabotage Your Time Management
Hey there, my friend! Welcome to the Productivity Genius podcast. I'm your host, Kelly Fifield, and today we're diving into a topic that could totally transform how you approach your time and goals: rewriting your productivity stories. Now, this might seem like a soft, woo-woo kind of thing, but it really does make a huge difference in how capable you feel and how probable it is that you'll make positive changes. Have you ever caught yourself thinking things like, "I'm just not good at time management," or "You know me, I'm a procrastinator. I've been a procrastinator my whole life," or "I'm not as productive as so-and-so"? These stories—the ones we tell ourselves about who we are and what we're capable of—are incredibly powerful. They can either hold us back or they can propel us forward. But the good news is, we have the power to rewrite them. By the end of today's episode, you'll have the tools to identify unhelpful productivity stories and start crafting new ones that actually support your goals. So let's start by defining what we're talking about here. We're talking about the beliefs and the narratives that we hold about our ability to manage our time, manage ourselves in our time, get things done, and achieve our goals. A lot of times they sound something like, "I'm always behind," or "There's just too much to do," "I'm not a morning person," "I work better under pressure." We can definitely find some evidence, if we wanted to, to show that these are actually true things. Usually, these are just patterns of thinking that we've repeated so many times that they just feel like facts. But here's the thing, these stories aren't set in stone. They're beliefs that we have because of repeated thoughts, thoughts that we've thought so many times that now they just feel true and natural. And the good thing is, they can be changed. These stories are part of what creates our beliefs and that therefore is going to shape our actions. If you believe you're terrible at time management, you're less likely to try strategies that can help. But if you start telling yourself, "I'm learning to get better at managing my time," you open the door for the possibility of growth and change. And one thing you have to look out for is to be careful of stories that seem positive but might accidentally perpetuate unhealthy habits, like for example, if you believe you're the type of person who has always been willing to go the extra mile or work harder than other people, that probably is something you would be proud of. And it feels great when you say that, but it can reinforce the idea that hard work is about longer hours rather than strategic thinking. So if we equate long hours with dedication or prestige, we might subconsciously avoid tools or strategies that could create faster, even better solutions. And by doing that, we're accidentally sabotaging our attempts to do things faster and better. High achievers also have beliefs about other people that influence their behaviors. For instance, if you believe people who work fewer hours are lazy or less motivated, you might be subconsciously increasing your own work hours to maintain your identity and status. I know when I was a brand new teacher, there were teachers, the bell would ring, and they'd walk out the door. And I used to think, "Oh, they're lazy." And I would be there until the lights were coming on in the parking lot. It was like me and the custodians in the school. And I was really proud of that. But by thinking that those people were lazy rather than thinking that they were more experienced or were better at managing their time, or were more creative in getting things done, I was accidentally holding myself back and inadvertently increasing the number of hours that I was working. These subtle, maybe even unnoticed, beliefs can actually drive decisions and actions we're not even aware of. Another factor to consider is the stories we inherit from our families. So maybe you grew up hearing things like, "He's the athletic one," or "She's just like me, always grinding," or "He's a worrywart, just like me." These labels are often said with love and a desire to connect, but they can promote a fixed mindset. They reinforce the idea that our behaviors are genetic or somehow built-in when in reality, they're usually patterns we've picked up through observation. Little kids are amazing at noticing the words and the behaviors of all the people around them. And that's a really good thing, right? It allows little kids to quickly learn things that they're going to need to be able to do to survive in the world. But because this process is so natural, we might mistake these traits that we picked up as something we actually inherited almost genetically, rather than recognizing that they're just patterns that we can change. But the awesome news is that by uncovering these underlying beliefs and this practiced thinking, we can actually intentionally rewrite our stories to support our growth. And the person that we want to evolve into. Okay, so here are the three steps to start rewriting your productivity stories. First, see if you can identify some of the stories you're telling yourself. Start by paying attention to the thoughts that come up when you're thinking about getting things done. Are they supportive or are they limiting? There are no statements that are definitely one or the others. It's not like, "I'm a hard worker" is a bad thought, but what really matters is how does that make you feel when you think it and does it encourage longer hours or does it encourage more efficient solutions? You want to start noticing the most common thoughts you have about it. Like maybe, "I never finish things in time" or "I'm always too busy." The second thing you want to do is question the story. You might want to ask some questions like, "Do I want to believe this story is true? Is this true all the time?" A lot of times we find that these stories are based on isolated experiences or assumptions, not facts. And then the third thing you want to do is reframe it. Replace your limiting narratives with empowering ones. Instead of "I'm terrible at sticking to a schedule" or "my life just doesn't lend itself to be able to follow a schedule," try, "I'm learning how to stick to a schedule that works for me." You want to focus on progress, not perfection, even little shifts in the language you use can make big changes in your mindset. And make sure you lead with compassion and support, speak to yourself as kindly as you would speak to your favorite person. So here's your action step for today. Write down like five to ten limiting beliefs you have about time or productivity or your ability to get things done fast or anything like that. Then review that list and just choose one. For example, let's say I chose the thought, "There's never enough time." Then you want to rewrite that into something you can believe. So you don't want to go to like fairytale world and say like, "There's always plenty of time" or something like that because you're highly unlikely to believe that yet. Instead, try a latter thought. So something like, "I'm learning to work more efficiently," or "I bet I can get more done in less time if I get creative." This process of rewriting is going to help you shift your mindset. Step-by-step. Creating beliefs that can actually support your goals. So I hope you were able to uncover a few thoughts that might be holding you back. And recognize that these stories aren't permanent, you have the power to rewrite them. And create a more supportive mindset. And in our next episode, we're going to explore self-compassion in time management. We'll talk about how being kind to yourself isn't just some woo-woo, soft feel-good strategy. It's actually a critical component if you want to fast track your efforts to become more productive. It might seem at first like a thought that it would slow you down, but it does the exact opposite. If you're someone who's tough on yourself and you use it as a way to make sure you produce high-quality output, you'll learn how that's actually slowing you down. Plus, I'll share some ways for you to overcome setbacks and use tools to track your progress with less stress. You don't want to miss it. Thank you for spending some time with me today. Keep rewriting those stories, my friend. You've got this. See you next time.
