Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] You're listening to the Poised Powerhouse Podcast. My name is Dr. Sita Hood, and I'm obsessed with empowering women like you with practical life strategies to live authentically without compromising your wellness. I used to be caught up in the hustle hard mentality until I learned that my quirky little traits I thought weren't that important actually turned out to be the secret sauce. I needed to step boldly into my purpose and create impact not only in my life, but so many amazing women around me. Organizing your schedule, launching impactful programs, redefining leadership without code switching or compromise, and stepping boldly into your God given assignment are all topics we'll discuss here. Think of this podcast as that Sunday brunch with your girls that feels so therapeutic, you can't wait to get to it. But let's clarify, this is not a substitute for a relationship with a licensed therapist. All right, grab your notebook and your coffee or your tea. We don't discriminate over here. And let's start the show.
[00:01:22] Welcome back for another episode of the Poised Powerhouse Podcast. My name is Dr. Sita Hood, vision architect and licensed therapist. How are you doing?
[00:01:35] What is in your mug today? How are you feeling? What's in my mug or what was in my mug? That happens when I record in the afternoons. What was in my mug was the Nespresso almond croissant coffee.
[00:01:53] You like my French accent? Okay. I knew you could appreciate that. I knew it. I knew it. Okay.
[00:01:59] I am feeling excited for Thanksgiving and more importantly, for Christmas. I don't know about y'all, but, like, the way that the calendar goes is Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Right? Like, it's just so exciting. I love the season as a whole, but I don't know, seriously, around Christmas, everybody is just in such a giving mood. And giving is one of my top love languages. So just like a celebration of love all around. That's the reason why I love Thanksgiving and Christmas because Thanksgiving, like, kind of kicks it off. That's when everybody want to share their food. That's when, you know, friendsgiving happen and all of that. And so it's really exciting. Exciting. And I don't know if my Nespresso lovers knew this, but I gotta put you on game because I have this tradition with my family where I buy the kids an Advent box. And so we have, of course, the presents under the Christmas tree, but, you know, they be so anxious. So I like to do an advent Bible study. So you can hit up Daily Grace company or not consumed. They have Bible study or Advent studies for kids and families. So we do that. But also they have an Advent box that you can order on like Amazon or any kind of store right now. And they get to open one small thing a day. Or realistically you could probably make up your own Advent gifts. But I'm not trying to do all that thinking. So I just buy the pre made Advent boxes. But anyway, Nespresso has an Advent box, so I ordered it for me. Because mama got to have Advent too, right? I mean, if that's what you into. So FYI, Nespresso has Advent boxes. Speaking of Christmas, Thanksgiving, everything in between this holiday season. Do you know that feeling you get when your to do list seems like it has a life of its own? Like it's bossing you around instead of you showing it who's boss. I mean like multiplying like rabbits overnight type of deal? Okay, picture this. Cut to you probably this morning. You started the day with the best intentions. I mean, you was like, boom. Tackled that task. Boom. Tackle that task. And you really feel like you are killing it when you look at your list and it's 12 o'clock. Okay, you feel super accomplished because again, all of this stuff, you done checked it off. Go girl. I see you. I see you out here. Only for 8:45pm to roll around. And when it roll around, it's rolling around like somebody running from a police in a high speed car chase. Like you like, hold on. What the heck? Where does the rest of the day go? You were just doing so good with your list, but now it feels like you can barely tread water. The more you check off, the more those pesky little tasks seem to keep on adding up. And if these kids hand me one more piece of paper for something to complete for school, I'm gonna scream. Right? It feels like you are not making much progress on your to do list. And why? It's because it just keep growing and growing and growing and growing. Just like your lawn. Oh, don't talk about your laundry. Okay? I ain't gonna talk about your laundry. I'm not gonna. You can fold it and put it away whenever you want to. It's okay. Or you could just keep picking from the pal for this week. You know, it's your house, do what you want. But going back to the to do list, it's a legit cycle of busy work that leaves you exhausted. And nobody is going to find this surprising unfulfilled. If this sounds familiar, today, this episode is for you. Because we are about to flip the script on what it means to be productive and why doing less just might be your secret weapon to doing more. Stay tuned.
[00:06:10] Hey. Hey. Aren't you tired of running around like a chicken with your head cut off? How many times have you promised to do better with your wellness routines only to let life get on top of you again? I want to invite you to Pause and Pour by downloading my app, the Lavish Haven, your sanctuary for cold cultivating daily wellness. It's completely free to use. You'll start with our Pause and Pour quiz and then access our signature daily and weekly wellness trackers, mood playlists, elevated emotions, collections, scripture based guided audios, and so much more. Hit the link below to start today.
[00:06:52] The very first reason that you're struggling with productivity is because you have an incorrect perspective of productivity. Yep, I said it. According to Oxford Languages, productivity is the state or quality of producing something. And I think our first mistake is assuming that productivity is time bound. The word productivity simply means producing a thing, and produce means to make or manufacture from components or raw materials. Another definition is a cause to cause a particular result or situation to happen or to come into existence. Where does it say anything about time in that definition? It does not. It does not. We add on time. So again, there is no definitive time cap in this definition or on the meaning of productivity. When I'm going through life and I say I want to be productive today, but I only get three things checked off my to do list, why don't I feel like I was very productive? If all the words reproductivity means is to make something come into existence, to make a thing happen, to make it be. If those things cause something to happen or bring something into existence, if those three things that I did, if they do that, why is that not good enough? I mean, I'm just saying. Why? Why is it not good enough? Why is that? What if those three things, one of those three things was filling out all the paperwork for the school that I can tell you there are mountains and mountains of school paperwork to complete and it annoys me to the nth degree because why are y'all always sending home papers? Don't you have a more efficient way to get notes home? But then, okay, I hear you because not everybody checks their email. But still, the amount of paperwork though, as a parent that you have to complete in 2024 is crazy. Okay, so if that was something on your to do list, trust me, you were productive. We need to start seeing even completing a task, two tasks, three tasks as productive because it is Productive. You did get something major accomplished, even if it was only paperwork. We are not machines. So we have to realize that high quality production. Oh, that's going to take some time. Okay. And that is part of what makes a high quality thing last. So the traditional views of productivity are solely focused on your output, amount and hustle. I want to redefine productivity for you today. So when I am in therapy with my clients, I tell them that I'm only going to present an alternative perspective here. You can choose to accept it or not, but don't shut it down as soon as I say it, okay? Can we, can we just agree to that? Is that okay? All right, so I just want you to just let it sit in the space and see what happens. Just like start getting a little bit comfortable with it and just see. Here we go. The real definition of productivity is that it's multifaceted and it is married to our wellness. Come on, you knew wellness was coming in here. You knew it. Wellness is the lifestyle. I'm always going to talk about wellness, but seriously, you can't have productivity without wellness. You can't be as effective and productive as possible unless you have wellness. Mental productivity comes when you're doing the work in therapy and when you are mentally stable, you are productive in other areas. Physical productivity comes when you rest in your body. That could be you sleeping. Even if you have a million other things on your to do list. I guarantee if you feel an exhausted, if your body is feeling heavy, tired, weak, whatever, you need to rest. And when you're done resting, you can power through or supercharge finishing that physical task that much more quicker. Financial productivity is when you create a budget and you make a plan for how you're going to accomplish your goals in real life. Spiritual productivity, when you spending time with God and devotion, being poured into. This is important to understand because if I have a report to work on for a project, but I'm uber exhausted from being out all day, it's going to take me twice as long to finish that report because I am not in a position where I can be physically productive. Research shows, literally. And y'all know me, so you know I'm going to link some sources in my show notes because who's playing? Not me. Research literally shows that you have a decreased mental capacity when you are tired, which leads to more errors and you are 70% less productive. So you may as well go ahead and take that nap. That's why doing a simple task can take you hours on end. If you're exhausted versus 30 minutes if you just knock it out because you're in a hit a good headspace. I'm not kidding. I'm really not kidding. When you are tired, you literally do not work as efficiently. And let's just say that you hungry research shows that if you are hungry, trying to power through something, your impulsivity is increased when you hungry. So what that means for you? Well, let's just say that you don't like how somebody had emailed you and you felt like they was being really petty. And if you hungry, AKA you have a physical need that is unmet, you are more likely to have a petty clap back in your response to that person. And because you from the hood, your response is super brutal because you used to listen a little scrappy and they got you messed up because you don't want no problems. Right? Exactly. Exactly. So now are you starting to see why we need a redefined definition of productivity? I know, I know it making sense now, right? Okay. Of course. This is a podcast for poised women in leadership who get things done. So we're going to look at the marriage of wellness and productivity. The secret productivity upgrade is actually a powerful trio. The foundation of mental clarity, the engine of physical health and spiritual guidance as the compass to guide you through your purpose work. So let's talk about your foundation. Mental clarity as a foundation is so important because it helps you become efficient in so many ways. Here's the proof I got you. You know, I'm not just going to say something to you without giving you proof. You have enhanced decision making capacity because you can tackle more complex problems and you can make more informed decisions because your ability to assess a situation is crystal clear. When you have mental clarity, you have lower stress levels and minimal overwhelm and overwhelming thought because your priorities are focused and your goals are clear. You have better communication skills, which reduces conflict in your teams or just with your colleagues in general. And it's because you can articulate better in your expectations, your goals, your visions, your boundaries. And another perk that we don't talk about nearly enough is the psychological safety that you feel when there is mental clarity. Why does that happen? Because you feel safe. And because you feel safe, you are more open to taking calculated risks and you're comfortable being innovative. Why? I have a clear goal. I have a clear focus. I know where I'm headed. Mental clarity is the foundation. Now let's talk about the engine that keeps you moving forward. It's going to be your physical health. Because as we just discussed, when Your physical health is in check. You have got more energy and more stamina to complete the big projects. We not doing a little baby projects that we could do in like two hours, no more. If you have reached a certain status of leadership, what people are trusting you with our lives, first and foremost, you're being trusted with a lot of lives, right? The work that you're doing impacts a lot of people's lives. But not only that, your projects are going to take more time and so you're going to need that energy. When you are feeling good physically. Big projects don't intimidate you because you know you can do it. It's just like if you've been working out for any period of time, you look at exercises and you might not like the workout, but after you've overcome those thoughts on like, I can't box jump. Oh, I can't lift that weight. Oh, I can't. You don't feel intimidated by another workout routine that you see because after a period of time, pretty much every workout that you do, if you have the basic level, the basic training, that foundation, you know that physically you have the strength, you have the capacity to carry out that specific regimen. So it's the exact same thing. If you have trained properly, if you have the mental clarity, if you are physically rested and you're feeling good, you have the capacity for a larger project or even a different project because you are thinking clearly, you have an increase in cognitive functioning, speaking of thinking clearly. And that in and of itself improves your attention to detail and it improves your memory on projects and even your executive functioning. Like if our physical needs are met. Oh, we out here killing it. We killing it. We killing it. There's a total difference between the Dr. Hood that shows up for sessions when I get seven hours of sleep versus the Dr. Who that shows up for sessions when I Get eight hours of sleep. She's different, she feels different, so she shows up very differently. Being in good physical health also increases your self confidence because again, when you look good, you feel good. And that's not just something that people say. Like some folks say it, but some folks live it. And we know it to be true. Like, there's several cliche statements, but that one in particular happens to be true. If you think you look good, you start to feel good, you start to feel better about yourself. Which is why we can take a hot shower and come out and be like, girl, everything gonna be okay after you've been worried about something. Most importantly, physical health is your long term sustainability. Plan, okay? You have to be in good physical health so that you can actually reach your goals and enjoy the fruit of your labor. Otherwise, why we doing this? What we doing is for. So physical health is the engine that drives you forward in your goal. And finally your compass. That is your spiritual guidance. Even more relevant than the foundation is the compass. Even more relevant than the engine is the compass because it tells you where you're going and when you've gone the wrong way. Your productivity is supercharged with spiritual guidance because you will experience increased resilience and adaptability knowing I'm not in this thing by myself. Emmanuel is walking with me. God is walking with me. And also, when you know that something is yours or that God has a plan for you and he's carved out something special for you, you do not have to fight. You know, you don't got to fight for what's already yours. And if you realize that you don't have to fight for a thing that gives you permission to rest when things happen. And after you rest, then you can gear back up and go after what's already yours. And when you have spiritual guidance and you're using that as your compass, then you are guided by your values so you make better decisions. And it's clear what you need to do in a particular situation based on your values. If it don't align with my values, we not doing it. Period. Boo. Okay.
[00:19:09] You also experience higher levels of emotional intelligence because one thing that Jesus is going to do, he's going to have you checking yourself first and foremost. Okay? And that introspectiveness builds self awareness and that enhances your emotional intelligence. And you also experience an increase in creativity and innovation because God is the Creator who gives us a unique spin on old ideas. This is why our definition of productivity has to shift. We've got to understand exactly how committed wellness and productivity are to one another. And once we've got that down, it's only up from there. Okay? Now you might be asking, okay, that sounds good, Dr. Hood, but how do I do this in real life? So I'm going to give you a really quick rundown of 25 ways to supercharge your productivity. But if you want a more detailed explanation, I will leave the link for a handy little graphic or PDF down in the show notes. Okay, you ready? Here we go. 1. Prioritize mental clarity. Start the day with exercises like journaling, quiet time, mind mapping to outline your goals and your tasks for that day. 2. Embrace the 8020 rule or the Pareto principle. Focus on the 20% of tasks that yield 80% results. Okay? I want you to identify high impact activities and prioritize them in your schedule. 3. Limit information overload. Set specific times aside to consume information and I want you to avoid having information overwhelm and do mental decluttering. Okay? 4. Engage in creative outlets. Dedicate time for your creative activities so that your mind is stimulated and your stress is reduced. Engaging in creativity enhances your ability to solve problems and it can inspire you to do new things. Right? How many times have you been doing something that's super fun with your friends and then you like, oh, we should add on this or we should do something like this and then boom, an idea is birthed, a project is birthed, a moneymaker is birthed. So engage in creativity. 5. Schedule regular breaks. I want you to consider using the pomodoro technique. Work for five minutes, then take a five minute break. This is going to help you to maintain your energy and your concentration at the same time. Set realistic goals. Set your larger goal and then I want you to break it down into bite sized pieces. 7. Stay physically active. Incorporate physical exercise into your daily routine so that it boosts your energy levels and helps your cognitive functioning. You literally think better when you have that physical health. 8. Limit multitasking. Limit the multitasking. It is a myth that doing so much multitasking is actually beneficial. Focus on one task at a time so that you improve your efficiency in that task and you eliminate or reduce the amount of errors that you have. 9. Establish a morning routine. You knew it was coming because we love routines over here. We love it. We love it, love it, love it. Okay, Start your day with a structured morning routine and you want to switch it up. What that morning routine looks like might be a little bit different every day. 10. Create a comfortable environment or even a comfortable workspace. Okay? Design a workspace that promotes your specific focus and creativity. So if you like candles, music, low lights, et cetera, Set it up. Set it up. Okay? Set it up so that you are your most productive self. 11. Engage in quiet time. Engage in quiet time. Quiet time is essential to quiet your brain, to do a brain dump, to get that spiritual guidance that you need from God and to experience emotional resilience and to drop stuff off that you're worried about so you can dive into your productivity. You can dive into your day. Right? 12. Reflect and adjust. At the end of each day, or a week, or a month or a year, take some time and reflect on what works and what didn't. Work. 13. Cultivate emotional intelligence. If you want to grow in emotional intelligence, take the time to learn more about what it is and where you know you have an opportunity for growth. I do have a episode on emotional intelligence that I will link in the show notes. 14. Delegate and collaborate. Okay. Because some of y'all don't like to delegate. I gotta do it myself where it ain't gonna be done right. Okay, okay. We're gonna put that, we're gonna put that to be it. Okay. Delegate. Recognize that you do not have to do everything yourself. Give it to other people to do. Empower them, let them grow and then find people to collaborate with so that your productivity is enhanced. Use technology and use it wisely. There are a lot of apps and tools that can help you stay organized and set reminders and track your progress without you feeling overwhelmed. 16. Engage in continuous learning. That's pretty self explanatory. You should always be open to learning new things. 17. Practice self compassion because you're not going to check everything off that to do list. Boo. And it's okay. You are still worthy of love. Go check out my episode on performative self acceptance if this is a struggle and that particular one hit you really hard. 18. Value based networking or networking mindfully, I want you to think about surrounding yourself with positive, like minded people who inspire your growth and your productivity. Because have you ever been around that person where it's like you guys are talking about a thing and a thing that's been kind of dormant for a while or maybe you are losing some steam on birthing this thing and then you go have lunch with that person who's like minded, whose values are just like yours and then you feel empowered and fired up to actually start doing some stuff. Yeah. Value based networking. 19. Limit decision fatigue. I want you to simplify your daily decisions by creating again routines to conserve your mental energy only for the critical choices. Think about those silly little decisions that you make. Make the decision once. Implement a routine. Boom, bang, boom. Done. Let's focus on the big picture over here. 20. Foster a supportive environment. Cultivate a workplace culture that values your wellness and values productivity and values open communication and collaboration. 21. Celebrate the small wins. Small wins add up small wins build momentum. Small wins create progress. Okay. 22. Practice the two minute rule. If a task can be completed in two minutes or less, do it immediately. Do not put it off. Do not write it down. Eat the frog. Tackle the task period. 23. Limit meetings. I want you to assess the necessity of all of these dang on meetings. And if you have to have a meeting, keep it short and keep it focused. Encourage concise agendas, small agendas. Okay, I'm a big fan of oh, let me create a loom and send that on over to somebody instead of scheduling an entire message. 24. Establish an end of the day review. Spend a couple of minutes at the end of each work day looking at what you accomplished and where you left off so you can tack it on. And you're not spending five to 10 minutes trying to figure out, oh, where was I at with this project again? No, we have written down where we need to pick back up and how we need to jump back into the thing. 25. Engage in a digital cleanup. Can't say it enough. Regularly organize and declutter your digital devices just like you do your home or your workspace. And there you have it. Practical, reasonable, evidence based ways to supercharge your productivity. Which one of these are you most excited about? Let me hear it in the comments below.
[00:27:41] It's time to talk about what I've been loving. Product recommendations, shout outs to family and friends, and overall gratitude. Let's get into it.
[00:27:55] Welcome back to another what I've been loving this week. I have been loving the holiday Nespresso coffee blend. So I got the peppermint coffee, I got the gingerbread coffee and the almond croissant.
[00:28:09] Just love saying that.
[00:28:11] Okay? Okay. Be for real. Almond croissant. That's how Americans say it, but I just like saying it like French people say it. Anyway, that's what I've been loving. What have you been loving this week? If you enjoyed today's episode, share the love. Share with your mama, share with your auntie, share with your best friend. Then head on over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five star review. Reviews help the podcast to grow. Well, that's all I have for you this week. I'll see you on these social media streets by.
