Slow productivity. Earlier today I asked the good people of the interwebs to tell me the first thing they thought of when they heard those words.

You see, I use that phrase a lot in my head. It’s a concept I love and believe in, but I’ve held back from using it out in the open. And apparently my instinct to keep it quiet was bang on!

Last year a friend I met on Instagram tagged me in a post. She was going on holiday and wanted to switch off and relax but, like most of us, wasn’t sure she’d be able to go the whole week without checking her email You can read the full post here, but here’s how it ended:

“Any tips for avoiding the urge to check the emails?! @louise_bettylou I'm looking at you!”

Well, since you asked…!

Rumour has it that summer is here, although you really wouldn’t think it. As I write I’m curled up in an armchair wearing several layers and my big winter slippers. But apparently it really IS summer, and I’ve decided I want to enjoy it! 

So, I’m here to make a declaration.

Back in the day, I managed five administrators in a frazzle-inducing environment. When the pressure was on and everything felt important, I'd help them prioritise. We’d look at their workload and figure it out together.

But when you run your own business and work by yourself, who on earth do you ask?

When you spend your days being pushed and pulled around by other people’s priorities, it doesn’t take long before exasperation and exhaustion kick in.

It’s easy to see how it happens…

I love a system. And I also love a podcast. So, imagine my delight when Alice Jennings invited me to be part of Sorted, her podcast all about the systems and tools used by small business owners to help things run more smoothly.

A few weeks ago I was listening to a podcast whilst doing the dishes and my ears pricked up at the mention of ‘rituals of completion’. Although I don’t call them that, these rituals form part of my own productivity jam and are something I talk about with clients, so I was really interested to hear Gretchen Rubin’s take on this subject in her Happier podcast.

When we're busy, it's not always easy to take a break and we push through, telling ourselves we don't have time to stop.  I can tell you how important it is to press pause. But in the heat of the moment, when you're stressed and overwhelmed, having someone tell you why you should take a break isn't always that helpful.

Maybe what you need instead is a list of fun ideas you can play with. Practical suggestions about what taking a break might look like in reality.

Some people are naturally inclined to rebel against structure, preferring to go with the flow and see how the mood takes them. For others, structure is what grounds them, keeping them calm and focused.

I definitely fall into the latter camp, but the former is equally valid. The key is to find a way of doing things that feels good to you, leaving you confident that the important things will get done.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly been guilty of setting an intention and then forgetting all about it when life starts to feel busy! Today I’d like to suggest another way to keep your good intentions front and centre. It might sound simple, but it can make a big difference!

I do enjoy a spot of reflection and introspection at this time of year! On 1st January I wrote a list of behaviours, beliefs and habits that I want to drop this year, and a list of those I want to cultivate. Did you do something similar? If so, how’s that working out for you so far?

If you’re struggling to stick to the changes you committed to, these two questions might help.

was recently digging around for some content on slow, simple living and I found this blog from Sarah Wilson. It resonated really strongly with me and I just had to share it with you!

I’ve talked at length about the importance of loosening our grip on technology if we want to be less distracted and more productive. Sarah takes it one step further, inviting us to consider that addiction to our tech could actually be an addiction to being needed.

Many years ago a friend and I decided to go to a Pilates class together. We went for three or four weeks and loved it. Then, one week my friend couldn’t make it so we didn’t go. And we haven’t been back since.

This unfortunate outcome is typical of what happens when we ‘break the chain’ of a habit. When we stop, it’s hard to get started again.

A couple of weeks ago I had one of those lightbulb moments that simultaneously makes you feel better (“aha! Now I know what I need to do!) and worse (“for goodness’ sake, how did I not realise that before?”).

I was having a really grumpy kind of a week. You know the sort? Everything feels like an effort. Energy is low. Irritation rises to the surface more readily than usual. I was feeling decidedly unsettled and I wasn’t sure why. Actually, I chose not to even try to figure out why.

I almost didn’t write this blog. I thought it might be confusing; that I’m contradicting the advice I shared in my last post. But I wrote it anyway, because I know it’s important.

Last time I said that if you’re feeling stuck, you should get up and walk away.

I stand by that advice, and know that it works. If you’re eager and motivated to get a particular thing done but you’re just not in the right headspace or your energy is off, walking away can help.

But it’s not ALWAYS the right thing to do.

What do you do when you’re feeling stuck with the thing you’re working on?

When you need to do something important but are getting nowhere.

Let’s say, for instance, that Mildred sits down to write a blog post but is feeling uninspired. She doesn’t know what to write. Has no ideas at all. The words won’t come.

What should she do?

When we run a business doing what we love, it can be very easy to just keep working. To spend all day and all evening on our laptops because we’re having such a good time writing, connecting with people online, tinkering with tech or playing with new designs in Canva (guilty as charged).

But just because it’s fun, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to keep going ad infinitum.

A while ago I shared a story about a meltdown involving a stapler. In today’s instalment of Louise's Meltdown Moments (not an actual thing, but perhaps it should be…!), I’m sharing a cautionary tale about the dangers of decision-making.

Take a look at your to-do list.

How many small things have been lurking on there for what feels like forever?

By ‘small things’, I mean tasks that would take less than fifteen minutes.

You know the small tasks I mean, right? The ones you just never seem to get around to but that you really can’t ditch.

Have you ever noticed how many times you reach for your phone during the day? Do you think you could put a number on it if you had to hazard a guess?

No?

If you're anything like me, and many, many other people, you probably pick up your phone without even realising you're doing it. It's like some weird muscle memory thing. It's become habitual.