How can I increase productivity and what is productivity?

Well, I’m glad you asked…First, the dictionary definition of productivity is, "the state or quality of producing something."

That sounds pretty boring and mechanical doesn’t it? Not really something that people would be interested in doing.

A better definition of productivity is that it’s a way for us to increase our achievement and bring about fulfillment and happiness. This definition has to do with success and becoming successful. Something that people are actually interested in.

Now that we are clear on what productivity is let’s dive into ‘clearing the mechanism’ and what that means.

Clearing the mechanism is about letting go of everything that is stopping you from being productive. It’s things that are depleting your energy, focus, and commitment. When you ‘clear the mechanism’ you can identify areas of improvement and work on the things that will bring about the most change.

A powerful method of identifying areas in your life where you are robbing yourself of energy is to write down a list of everything that is on your mind.

Spend 15 minutes writing down everything and anything that pops into your mind. It doesn’t matter how random it is, or how unimportant it might seem; that’s part of the exercise.

It’s pretty amazing how much stuff is on our minds. Don’t be surprised if you’ve written down numerous pages of things.

Now that you are done with your list go back through the list and put a big X by everything that’s outside of your control, or sphere of influence. The things that no matter how much you think about them you won’t be able to change or influence them.

The next step is to consciously, let go of that item. Say to yourself, "I release this from my mind and I consciously let it go." The key is to make the choice to unburden yourself from that though and consciously let go of it.

Once you’ve identified those items go back through the list again and put a big checkmark beside the items you do have control over. The next step is to go through those items that have a checkmark and prioritize them into the top ten things you want to focus your attention on.

This process will give you areas to work on and improve. Inevitably, there will be items on that list that when worked on will dramatically improve your productivity. By ‘clearing the mechanism’ (i.e. your mind) you will free your self of energy robbers and be able to use that released energy for accomplishing the important tasks in life.