Why Your Productivity is a Dumpster Fire (And How to Fix It)

Or... Don't do menopause in The Bahamas

Last Thursday, I was melting into a sweat puddle in The Bahamas, portable fan in hand, because, “Hello,” have you ever tried having daytime hot flashes in a country that doesn’t believe in dishing out temperatures lower than 85 degrees?

Here is an exceptionally embarrassing photo of me trying to blow dry my hair (yes, that’s my fan tucked in my bra).

It turns out blow-drying is a waste of time, as hot flashes drench my bangs during the actual blow-drying effort. So continuing would become an uncompromising cycle of drench and dry until my bangs fried.

To be honest, the drench and dry cycle continues even without the blow-dryer.

What was I saying? Oh yes, The Bahamas. It was Thursday, and my husband (Mark) called me up to the loft bedroom to “discuss something.” Richie, our wizard of a maintenance guy, was with him, and they looked guilty before they even opened their mouths.

“What?” I say.

“We were thinking this half-bath could be a full bath with a little construction work.” Says Hubby, who then proceeds to explain all the boring details of ductwork, rafters, and plumbing. Richie tries to look invisible.

“Whose idea was this?” I ask.

Richie speaks for the first time. “Not mine.” His pointer finger aimed squarely at Mark’s chest.

I know what this means. It means crashing, sawing, dust, workmen coming in and out, and tracking sand through my living room. It means the end of my week of glorious productivity.

“They can start tomorrow,” Mark says.

“We’re leaving,” I say.

This is how we found ourselves enjoying an impromptu trip to Washington, DC. Mark and I met here umpteen thousand years ago (okay, it was twenty-four, but you know how time flies), so it feels like coming home.

I’m not creating much in DC. I’m indulging in the art of museum-hopping, exploring the delights of the international food scene, wandering leafy avenues (yay, 20K step days), and scouting out real estate for a possible move. But yet, I’m still productive because I’m productively consuming.

I’ll explain.

One strategy “Business Lisa-Marie” invented for dealing with a seven-figure business with only three full-time employees, was the strategy of the Three Cs. It didn’t take long for “Business Lisa-Marie” to realize that the Three Cs also worked well for “Personal Lisa-Marie.” In fact, the Three Cs worked for just about any Lisa-Marie, and it seemed to work for others when I passed it on. So here I am, passing it on to you.

I divide all my activities (and tasks) into three categories: Creating, Consuming, and Communicating. And dearest heroine, if you’re trying to do more than one at a time, you’re trying to pat your head, rub your belly, and solve world peace simultaneously. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work.

You can work in one category (and one only) for a specified period—ten minutes, an hour, or, in the case of my abrupt trip to DC, a week.

Let’s define the categories:

Communicating:

Anything you do that develops and maintains personal and/or business relationships that doesn’t include creation. For example - phone calls, lunches, meetings, email, Twitter, Facebook, etc... Although this newsletter is about strengthening my relationship with you, I don’t count it as Communicating because it involves extensive Creating.

P.S. Sometimes, communicating tries to trick you into thinking you are creating. Take, for example, my husband, bless his corporate-programmed heart. When he first retired, he sat in front of his empty inbox like a lost puppy, waiting for someone to throw him a bone—twenty years of corporate life had turned him into an email-responding machine. The withdrawal was real. Responding to emails isn’t Creating. Neither is hosting two-hour meetings where everyone talks in circles about synergy (excuse me while I gag). Creating requires focused intellectual heavy lifting, and your brain can’t do that while pinging Joe from accounting, trying to explain that bar bill on your expense report.

Consuming:

Any activity where you are receiving input. Reading blogs, researching ideas, surfing the web. These activities are essential for filling your well, generating ideas, or relieving your anxiety, but remember, it’s the danger zone. It is essential that you plan and time any activity in this category. Mindfulness is key.

P.S. Want to hear about rock bottom? Picture me, early pandemic, glued to my screen like it was the reunion show on “Love Is Blind.” I was lying in bed with my COVID cat, Jimmy, my phone glowing eerily in the dark Scottish morning, refreshing death counts and reading apocalyptic predictions. The world had gifted me the perfect, uninterrupted creation time, and what did I do? Became a professional doom scroller. That’s what unchecked Consumption looks like, my friend.

Creation:

This is my favorite category. It’s an activity that produces a physical output and requires some level of creativity and intellectual commitment. So, this newsletter is a creation, but so is preparing a meal for your dinner party, painting a picture, or planting and nurturing a garden.

P.S. During my Ph.D. work, I learned the hard way that trying to work in another category while creating does not work. I tried to host a podcast only to discover that Communicating your ideas while Creating them is like trying to describe a painting while you’re still painting it. “Oh, that blob? It’s either a breakthrough discovery or a coffee stain. I’ll let you know next week.”

So, how do you implement this strategy? You pick a lane. Want to Create? Get one of those blockers on your computer and shut down your communication tools. Want to Communicate? Give it your undivided attention to ensure the message you want to send comes across clearly (trust me, when I made the mistake of letting my warehouse answer the customer service line early in my company development, I took it over and made communication my priority. Angry customers become your best advocates when they realize they’re talking to the company president who gives a damn). Want to Consume? Set a timer and know your objective because that rabbit hole goes straight to Wonderland (and not the fun kind.)

So, the major lesson is never mix your C’s (productivity isn’t a cocktail). I set aside a few hours of my Sunday morning to Create this letter to you. I have spent the last week Communicating with my husband about the choices we have speeding towards us. I’ve also Consumed pages and pages of real estate options in Washington, D.C., and spent hours at museums.

Remember: You, my heroine, are a focus ninja, capable of laser-sharp precision and extraordinary focus - when you stop trying to do all the things all the time.

Now, excuse me while I stop Creating so I can Communicate with Richie about tile choices for a bathroom I didn’t know I was renovating a week ago.

JOURNAL PROMPT

Can you use your journal to think about everything you’d like to accomplish this week? Try classifying them into the Three Cs and scheduling time for exclusive focus on Creating, Consuming, or Communicating. Did it help get things done?

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