How to Gain Confidence and Increase Productivity

You may be surprised how much confidence and productivity go hand-in-hand. Confidence doesn’t work well without productivity, and vice versa. Think about it in your own life: the times when you are most productive and checking items off your to-do list, how confident do you feel? Or, on the other hand, when you have that confident go-getter attitude, how much easier is it to get things done?

Confidence and productivity are inherently interconnected. If you start mastering one, then the other falls into place.

Here are some ways to both boost that confidence while also seeing an increase in productivity:

Include others

One way we gain confidence is by getting confirmation that we are doing a good job. It’s hard to get that kind of appreciation working all on your own. With some projects, flying solo also can decrease productivity, but it does depend on the project. Even a one-man job, though, like writing a blog post for instance, can still use some team help. Bounce off ideas with each other, or having someone read over work is a great way to making an independent job one where you can include others.

Take criticism, don’t back away from it

In the last situation, many a content writer has shied away from team involvement because the criticism they received was too much to handle. They didn’t gain confidence, they lost it. That negative energy didn’t help them write more articles either. However, when you learn to see criticism as a benefit, a chance to improve your work, not as a heated stab at you, then you begin to see that these criticising colleagues respect you enough to want to help. It doesn’t always feel that way, but try to see it as your friends having confidence that you can succeed with some slight adjustments. Those small or large changes may be what you need to be more productive as well.

Tap naps

Things always look worse when you’re tired, so do yourself a favor and take a nap. Not 3 hour naps every time you yawn or get distracted, but a short 20 or 30 minute nap here and there actually helps feel more alert. By taking out a short amount of break time, you’ll actually find yourself being more productive with the time that you do have, and feel more accomplished and confident in the process.

Focus on finishing one task at a time

When your to-do list is overwhelming, follow writer Anne Lamott’s advice: “Just take it bird by bird.” She recounts a time when her brother had to finish a 3 month assignment writing a report on birds, an assignment he saved until the night before it was due. We’ve all felt that impending doom when a task seems too large to finish in such a short amount of time. Rather than try and be productive, we curl up under our desks or find some other way to avoid what we need to get done. Lamott’s father would not let his son stay “immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead…[He] put his arm around [Lamott’s] brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

As you face similar dilemmas, just take it bird by bird. Find tasks need to be done first, and pick 3 or 4 to work on that day, blocking out time frames to accomplish them. Don’t move on to another task until you finish the task you are working on, and don’t let yourself go over those time blocks unless absolutely necessary. Discipline is a key to be productive, but you’ll see how that discipline also makes your confidence soar.

These are only the beginning building blocks to increasing your productivity and confidence. Comment below with other ideas you’ve implemented that have made you more productive and confident. Sometimes all you need is one good idea to get you going.

If you need some help growing your business and increasing your productivity, check out the live events and resources available through Digital Altitude!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *