I happened to chance upon a photograph this morning and it brought back a host of memories. As I went back into the past, it changed my mood completely. The victim in me came alive and I started imagining how the future would play out. The photograph made me feel a vacuum. My mind took over and exaggerated it completely. I was in another world – a one that I had created.

It took me a couple of days to get back. During the two precious days that I lost, my mind went through a frenzy of negativity. My emotions were in control of my life and I was just a slave following instructions; productivity was at its lowest.

The photograph brought back memories and took me to a different world.

Just like the photograph that moved me, we can have numerous stimuli from the outside which could catapult the entire day or week, and that’s the end of our to-do list and productivity!

Most of us believe that being productive is about managing time,  finding a work-life balance, and getting more done with less. This is where I find a huge disconnect! We look at time management and productivity in silos instead of looking at it as “life management”.

When I say life management, it’s not only about doing tasks but also about who you are being while you’re doing what you’re doing.

Let me explain with an example. Imagine this situation – I’m working on a deliverable at my workplace and I’m unhappy with my supervisor. I feel a lot of hurt, angst, and anger, and I cling to it while I work day in and day out. Would it not affect my productivity?

Doesn’t our mental state affect our productivity?

Yes, it would; because who I’m being is equally important as what I’m doing.

Only if I’m truly present at the moment and completely involved one hundred per cent would I be truly productive.

So how to do this? I learned the answer to this during my incident with the photograph. I realized that the first step is to be conscious.  As I was watching myself, I was able to be a witness to my drama.

That evening I made sure that I went for my evening walk and did my yoga. The workout after a long working day got me physically very tired and I slept by 10.30 pm.

I woke up early at 5.30 am and made myself a nice hot beverage, and enjoyed one hour with my beverage, my thoughts, and myself. I read two chapters from my favorite book and only then did I get into the daily routine.

Spending time doing nothing and being with myself enhanced my productivity multifold. It helped me clear all the knots in my mind.  Just being without doing anything was essential for me, and was truly healing and grounding.

I was ready for the day and everything it had to offer!

Spending time with myself drastically improved my productivity.

This exercise changed my mood completely; it helped me feel gratitude and generosity. It gave me an instant boost to work towards my vision, and most importantly, it helped me realize that today is the most important. How I manage my day will decide how much joy I will feel and experience. The more I’m able to experience joy, the more productive I will be.

We all like formulas, as they are tangible and help us find answers.  I’m sure each of us has the formulas that keep us grounded and happy. I guess I have found mine!

I don’t need a vacation or a New Year resolution to feel renewed. All I need to do is wake up early and give myself one and a half hours of nothingness so that I can feel and experience myself truly every day  along with being a witness to my thoughts and emotions!

This requires a very important ingredient which is discipline, and this doesn’t come with a mere change in the year; it comes from a deep internal need to make a shift.

So, to sum it up, to be productive, I also need to feel happy and at peace. This isn’t an option; they go together. When this happens I’m truly present in the moment 100 % and that is  productivity!