How can you be more productive?

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3 years ago

How can you be more productive?

Sunday Reflection No 2.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:2 NIV

Hello readers. It's the 20th of June and the third Sunday of the month and Father's Day! So before anything else, I would like to greet all the fathers across the globe… 

Happy Father's Day!!!


Growing Branches

As we grow, new 'branches' grow in our lives. We gain new interests, we meet new people, new opportunities, new learnings, new experiences, etc…

But like any fruit tree, some of these branches don't bear fruit, wasting resources… and these resources are time and money…

We waste money on a cable TV subscription with over a hundred channels when we can watch only one at a time. Then we waste our time channel surfing for hours. Or waste a day on a watch binge of your favorite TV series. 

Image source: Unsplash.com

Or we waste both time and money watching useless slapstick YouTube channels. While they earn money by wasting your time.

Do you spend hours and hours playing your favorite mobile game and ignoring everyone around you?

How much time are you wasting looking at the lives of others posted on social networks and posting yours too? Sure you gain new 'online' friends, but what about the people around you?

Then there's gambling, drinking, and other vices.

I'm not totally against entertainment, but if these activities take too much of your time and resources, then you have to cut them off and focus on more productive activities.

Productivity Requires Sacrifice

Cutting off the branches that don't bear fruit means more nutrients will go to fruit-bearing brançhes.

Just as when we cut off the unnecessary activities and even some 'associates' we can focus on more 'fruitful' activities and spend more time with the people that matter.

To be more productive, some sacrifices are necessary.

Personal Experience

I used to play computer games a lot. Stay up late just to finish one more quest… then another.

I had my share of drinking till I dropped and other not-so-desirable activities.

I'm thankful that I was able to put them behind. I still drink, watch tv and play some games on my phone, but only occasionally.

Pruning.

Pruning is more selective. When you prune a fruit-bearing branch, you remove the dead, diseased part of that branch, like dead leaves.


Even when we are focusing to be more productive, there are cases where we are bombarded by what we see as opportunities. But if we are not careful, some of them are just distractions. Thus we have to prune them further.


Where to focus.

We should focus on things that we could bear fruit. It doesn't mean, we should focus only on making money. That will just stress us out.

There are other branches that we should focus on in our lives.

  • Family

  • Health (physical, mental, spiritual)

  • Friends

  • Community

What is important is, we should keep things in balance? Only then we can truly be productive.

Have a blessed Sunday.

And thanks for reading.

Related post:

https://read.cash/@JLoberiza/deep-in-the-mud-4524deb3

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3 years ago

Comments

For me I think I/we am/are already at that point in our lives that our future is what's more important and tge people around us. Yes there are still those who socializes more on social media rather than the real people beside us. Sad reality. I came to the point that I got tired or binge watching or browsing my social media. Probably because I cannot earn from those. I'd rather focus on earning while still spending time with my loved ones. I remember one of my favorite quotes, the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. I have a lot of wasted times in my younger days. Same with you I have had my drunken moments to the point of passing out every night to every other night to twice a week to once a week to once a month until I got tired of it. Now I only drink occasionally.

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3 years ago

Wow! After reading about your drinking bouts, I was surprised to see your name at the bottom. Baka nagkainuman na tayo noon? Haha

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3 years ago

When we are focusing on how to be productive, we should take opportunities serious. Whenever there's an opportunity to do a task do it and don't wait for any push.

But if we are not careful as you rightly said some opportunities are just distractions.

The important thing is to keep things in balance? Only then we can truly be productive.

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3 years ago

If you know how to multi-task then you will be more productive. I watch shows in Netflix or Youtube while crocheting. When I finished one movie, I also have finished a project or two, depending on the size, though. 👍

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3 years ago

I used to do something like that. But I have come to realize that multi tasking is just a concept. Unless we can have multiple brains like a computer with multiple processor, you can't really focus on multiple tasks at the exact the same time. For us humans, we are just shifting our attention from one task to another. When a task requires focus like composing my article or drawing, I don't do anything else. That's why I use distraction-free text editors and my social media notifications are always off.

I do watch a movie or a TV show when my hands need a break. But when I watch something on TV, I enjoyed it more if I'm not doing anything else.

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3 years ago