(7 minute read)

By Bethany Rees 

Wow! I see you out there. You are busy! 

I mean look at everything you do and everyone you take care of. And I am truly honored that you would take time out of your busy day to read the thoughts swimming around in my head as I’m constantly learning how to live life on the rocks...the essential rocks. 

This week, I’d like to share what I’m learning about increasing productivity and decreasing stress . 

But you’re so busy. You have work to do. People are waiting for you to be productive. I completely understand. 

So here’s how we can go along on this learning journey together in the shortest amount of time as possible so you can get back to the daily grind. We will break this topic up into 2 parts. 

Part 1 (this week): We’ll identify the problem as to why we are not as productive as we could be and why we stay in a state of stress.  

Part 2 (next week): We’ll learn about the solution to increase our productivity and decrease our stress. 

Sound like an efficient and productive plan to get you in/out of this blog as quickly as possible so you can get back to work? 

Great! Let’s go. 

Part 1: Identifying the Problem

You and I, like so many others, are going through our daily lives so stressed from the fast and furious pace we live, we should all have our own personal Vin Disel to come help us solve the problems we face. We run from one problem or activity to the next without ever really taking a break. Maybe that’s why we all have heard the phrase life is a “rat race.” 

We are always available. We are staying busy, because busyness equals progress right?  After all, don’t we try to psych ourselves up for a challenge by saying:

This is the life we live. 

So now let’s take some extreme ownership of it. The truth is you and I are not as productive as we could be. You and I  are not producing solutions to problems fast enough. You and I are too slow. You and I are doing things the hard way and there is a lag in our thinking. 

You’re the problem! 

I’m the problem!

Ouch. Did I just say that? I’m sorry, let me rephrase that in my southern voice. “Bless our hearts, we’re the problem.” Did that make the statement go down better? 

We push and push to be productive. Yet what we are getting is less work done and more stress. 

Stress is our body's emotional and physical reaction to an unresolved problem or demand and is ultimately caused by lacking the time, know-how, and/or resources to resolve that problem or demand. And stress takes its toll on us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and we begin the slippery slope from stress to exhaustion to burnout. 

Stress keeps us so worked up that our bodies become exhausted and our minds become foggy. We become blind to seeing what is directly in front of us because we lack the agile thinking to see our problems from a different perspective. 

We are no longer able to see the connections between our problems, the root causes, and the solutions. We are so devoted to the concept that we must keep going and that if we work harder and longer then we’ll be able to solve the problem. 

Why oh why do we feel the need to drive ourselves so hard and have the mindset that if we just do _______ a little harder and work a little more, we’ll accomplish _______?

Why has society (and by society I mean a ton of people like you and me) morphed into this “always available” work mode when it obviously leads to less productivity and more stress, burnout, and mental health issues?

Let’s zoom out and take a look at what “working hard to stay productive” and  “always being available” is getting us.

Problem 1 - Off Balance and out of Harmony  

I know you're probably reading this blog post as quickly as you can, but I need you to go slow here. Get out of your current hamster wheel, roller coaster, or rat race and take a break to reflect on what you are doing and how you are doing. I have a hunch that your life might be out of balance, and all the varying aspects of your life are not in harmony with one another. 

Take a look at the wheel of life below that shows all the areas that make up your life.

How are you doing in all of these areas? 

Let’s start with the good: 

• Do you feel peace and harmony in any of these areas? 
• If so, say a prayer of gratitude for these areas. 
• Think about what you are intentionally doing that is allowing you to have peace in these areas?

Now let’s look at the focus on your “stress:” 

• What does your mind focus on the most? 
• What area takes up most of your time and attention and leaves other areas getting the shaft? 
• What area is causing you the most stress and wakes you up at night? 
• Can you pinpoint your areas of stress? 
• Can you find the root cause of that stress in that area?  

Now that you took a few moments to reflect on how you are, let’s check on the rest of our fellow Americans. 

Problem 2 - Society Has a Stress Problem

Our stress is not going down. It is going up. We tend to stay in a state of stress, so we’re obviously not learning how to “handle it.” According to The American Institute of Stress, there are some worrying statistics about workplace stress in America. Below are statistics they have compiled from various studies, reports, and surveys.

(Note: This data is pre-pandemic. It’s important to mention that most data just coming out of 2020 and 2021 show that the pandemic has greatly increased stress and mental health issues.)

Problem 3 - Working Towards Burnout

Burnout seems to be a new buzzword that we are beginning to hear everywhere. But there’s a reason why we’re talking about it...because there is a huge increase of burnout in society. Unlike previous generations, those of us currently in the throes of the workforce are always connected to our work. When we go home we are just a post, tweet, text, call, or email away. Not to mention those working remotely and our stay-at-home or homeschool parents, their work is constantly beckoning them. Our home is no longer a sacred refuge away from work. 

According to Greg McKeown in his book Effortless, 

“Our culture glorifies burnout as a measure of success and self worth. The implicit message is that if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we must not be doing enough.

Burnout is not a badge of honor.

It is true that hard work can equal better results. But this is true only to a point. After all, there’s an upper limit to how much time and effort we can invest. And the more depleted we get, the more our return on that effort dwindles.” 

 The problem is we're off balance in our life. We're stressed. We're burned out. And yet, we keep making the same choices that keep getting us the same results (less productive, off balance, stressed, and burned out). 

We are making choices about what to do with our time. Sure, people ask things of us (our boss, our family), but we are the sole decider in what we do everyday. So the root cause of our lack of productivity is us. We choose to be available 24/7 to work and not have healthy boundaries with work (How many times do you check your phone, text, or email for a work related issue?).  We choose to take on too much. We choose to focus on one area so much it becomes a detriment to the other areas of our lives. As a society we have become one of the most stressed nations in the world. We are burning ourselves out. 

As you go into this week, begin thinking about how you are spending your time. Work to pinpoint your areas of stress and areas in which you are not being productive. Reflect on the wheel of life and ask yourself where you need to spend more time and attention. 

Next week, we’ll get into the solution of how we can become more productive and less stressed. See you next week!

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better.  Identify the Problem.

Rocks Before Sand!

Scripture: Chasing After the Wind

4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. 6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

~Ecclesiastes 4:4-8 NIV

References used:

• “Wheel of Life.” Paul J Meyer, Motivation Institute®. 1960.
• Milenkovic, Milja. “42 Worrying Workplace STRESS Statistics.” The American Institute of Stress, 25 Sept. 2019, www.stress.org/42-worrying-workplace-stress-statistics. 
• “Not Everything Has to Be So Hard.” Effortless, by Greg McKeown, Currency, 2021, pp. 7–7. 
• Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+4%3A4-9+&version=NIV