3 Productivity Hacks for Leaders that are Guaranteed to Boost Your Mood

As a woman leading in the nonprofit sector, I know your days are filled with endless meetings, tight deadlines, and a never-ending to-do list. I've been there, and I know it's not always easy to stay motivated and positive when facing these challenges.

When I get behind, I get irritable 😤 Any interruptions will annoy the crap out of me. The thing is, not only do I get short with others, but I also beat myself up.

• Another lost day Kathy!
• What is wrong with you?
• You didn't get to that again?
• Seriously Kathy! Is it that hard to stay focused?

The impact of less-than-productive days

You, too, likely feel irritated on less-than-productive days. You also know the consequences of how an unproductive day can spill into your evening. Being short with your staff is certainly not optimal, but a cutting remark with your child can leave you feeling inept in the parenting department.

I'd had enough of it!

This all-too-familiar cycle was the norm for me for years. The more determined I got in the last few years to do meaningful work, the more necessary it became to be productive. Changing a few things has made an incredible difference for me. I still have less productive times, but they are fewer and farther between. I end most weeks ticking everything off of my weekly list.

When you decide it's time to be more productive...this ↓

✅ Being more productive will help you take that weekly and daily to-do list and get them done. That way, you can shut off at the end of the day, knowing you completed what was needed. 

✅ Being productive at work frees up your mind and energy to shift into the rest of your life. Feeling upbeat when you come home at the end of your workday results in a much more enjoyable evening with your loved ones!

Let's dive into the three powerful productivity hacks that enhance efficiency and boost mood👇🏻

3 Productivity Hacks for Leaders that are Guaranteed to Boost Your Mood

1️⃣ Prioritize Self-Care

As a dedicated nonprofit leader, it's natural to put others before yourself.

However, taking care of your well-being is essential for maintaining a positive mindset and achieving productivity because:

   👉🏻 It's hard to focus when you are hangry. 

   👉🏻 It will take you way longer to create the document when you haven't left your desk for 3 hours straight.

   👉🏻 You'll find burnout knocking at your door if you don't take proper care of yourself.

If you neglect self-care, you're more likely to be unproductive, experience heightened stress levels, and eventually face burnout, just like my client Nancy.

🟣 NANCY'S STORY

Nancy was neglecting her physical and mental well-being, feeling exhausted, and struggling to be productive.

• 🆘 She knew she needed HELP to get on track with proper self-care practices and to deal with the feeling of being constantly overwhelmed, irritable, and unable to manage her responsibilities effectively.

Nancy started with wanting to carve out time each day for self-care activities that rejuvenate her, like a morning meditation or an evening walk with the dogs, but she didn't always have the motivation to do that. Many of my clients have high aspirations like this but struggle to get there. To get moving in the right direction, I encourage them, like I encouraged Nancy, to start small and work to add micro-moments of wellness throughout her day. 

WHAT WORKED FOR NANCY

Nancy began working through the course Wellness AT Work and learned how to add micro-moments of wellness into her work day. She immediately found she was feeling healthier and more productive!

👉🏻 DO THIS: Add micro-moments of wellness into your day

Think about what you can do in one minute or less:

• stretch your back
• complete ten squats
• have a drink of water
• grab a healthy snack
• walk around the office 

These micro-moments will help you rebuild your willpower to focus on your priorities.

Learn more about the Wellness AT Work COURSE

2️⃣ Master Time Management

As a nonprofit leader, learning effective time management is a game-changer. Learning to manage your energy and priorities helps you have increased productivity and allows you to maintain a positive outlook.

Here are the basics:

   ✔️ Take time to plan your week, determining the top projects and tasks needing to be done.

   ✔️ Break your projects into tasks which makes them more manageable.

   ✔️ Each day, identify your top priorities for the day

   ✔️ Create time blocks in your calendar to work on allocating tasks

  ✔️ Embrace technology tools such as task management apps, calendars, and reminders to stay organized and on track. 

By maximizing your time and staying focused, you'll accomplish more while reducing stress, undoubtedly boosting your mood.

However, time management strategies alone won't be the simple answer.

🤔 You'll also need to manage what's happening in your head when you think about those tasks.

❗️ Just because you put "performance review" on your agenda

doesn't mean you'll eagerly jump into it at the allotted time.

If you are uncomfortable with conflict and know this review will be challenging, you may put it off unconsciously. Seeing it pop up on your list week after week requires you to start looking at the unconscious thoughts getting in the way.

🟣 SASHA'S STORY

Sasha knew that she was struggling with more than time management.

• 🆘 She decided to use the worksheets from The Emotions of Time Management course to look at what internal roadblocks were getting in the way of some of the key tasks she struggled with.

WHAT WORKED FOR SASHA

For example, Sasha kept putting off the annual report. It had been on her list for a month, and now the pressure was on to finish it. As she worked through the exercises...

• She realized she valued her clients and felt the data was almost sterile, lacking the truth behind the numbers. 
• She also highlighted how overwhelmed she felt with the software into which she inputted the report.

💡 These two insights helped Sasha add some client stories to the report and ask for help with the software. She then reengaged in the task and completed it on time with a sense of pride rather than frustration.

👉🏻 DO THIS: Master your inner critic

Work through The Emotions of Time Management to help you apply the time management strategies despite your sabotaging thoughts.

Learn more about The Emotions of Time Management COURSE

3️⃣ Make the best use of your productive times

🙋🏼♀️ MY STORY

 A few years ago, I took a deep dive into productivity. As an overachiever with high expectations of myself,

• 🆘 I wanted to do more, do it better AND enjoy life. And I wanted to teach others to do the same. I had to figure it out first, so I could guide you on your journey. Here's some of what I learned👇🏻

🟦 Identify your most productive times

• When is your energy highest?
• When are you best able to focus? 
• What time of day are you least likely to get interruptions? 
• When do you have the most willpower to fend off distractions?

For many of us, this is in the morning. It may the 30 minutes before everyone else shows up. It could also be the hour after everyone comes in and then disperses. 9:30 – 10:30 am could be a golden hour for you. Still, others have a peak mid-afternoon. There is no right time. Tune in to notice yours.

🟦 During peak times, do the projects needing intense focus

What are the things that require a level of diligence and focus? 

reading over and digesting a report

• writing a proposal 
• filing in the spreadsheet
• composing a discipline letter

For most of us, these task demand attentiveness and call forth a need for concentrated attention. Put these tasks into the times when you are most productive.

WHAT WORKED FOR ME

🟦 Use your willpower wisely

Willpower is the age-old skill of self-control, restraint, strength, and determination. Willpower happens in your head.

   🗣️ Our mind chatter tries to get us to avoid pain.

   🗣️ That inner dialogue suggests to us, subconsciously, that doing a particular project on our to-do list hurts.

   🗣️ Our inner voice says that if we do the task in front of us, it will be painful, hard or troublesome.

So instead, that little gremlin 🗣️ inside suggests we check email again, move to a different project or head to Tik Tok, LinkedIn, or your favourite social media newsfeed. 

👉🏻 DO THIS: Learn to manage your willpower

Honestly, learning about willpower helped me the most with productivity. It takes resolve to push past that and get to work, especially agonizing jobs. To stay on task, get done the important work and leave feeling productive at the end of your day, you must activate your willpower. Start by:

   ✅ Understanding what willpower is and what it isn't

   ✅ Learning how to stop depleting your willpower unnecessarily.

   ✅ Learning how to get more willpower quickly when you need it most.

I took what I learned and put it into the course Willpower Essentials: Getting Done What Matters Most

 Learn more about the Willpower Essentials COURSE

Remember, boosting your mood and enhancing your efficiency go hand in hand. Prioritize self-care, master time management, and learn to manage your willpower, and you'll find yourself accomplishing more while enjoying the journey.

Here is the thing, as a leader, you can inspire other women leaders in the nonprofit sector with your positive energy that will undoubtedly create a ripple effect within your organization and community. The choice is yours!

You may have noticed that I linked three different courses above. All of them are instantly accessible to you, plus many, many more, when you join The Training Library for $19.97/month.

🤔 How much do you pay for your Prime, Netflix, Google or Apple membership? 

Is your growth and development (also your sanity) not worth that much too?

Joining The Training Library gives you the tools to lead and live your best. I hope I'll see you in there soon!