What does productivity mean? Today let’s chat about what it can look like and define it for ourselves so we can get things done as busy, work-at-home moms, and still have time for things that really matter like managing our homes, our businesses, and our lives. 

The Official Definition

The dictionary definition of productivity says: the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. When you get down to it, the official definition is getting more done in less time, but is that going to serve us well? Maybe we should come up with a better definition of how we’re going to use productivity in our lives. 

When I think about productivity, I do think of more of hustle culture that tends to preach “Get more and more done, fit more and more to your day. And create massive amounts of content and doing this, running there. And you can do it all.” 

When in reality, we can’t do it all. We have to carefully prioritize or else we are going to get completely burnt out and that burnout can lead to so many more issues down the road. 

How I’m Defining Productivity

So I am redefining productivity as: getting more of the right things done that are going to move us closer to our goals and help us focus on the things that matter. There are  things that have to be done regardless like dishes, laundry, and home management but applying productivity to those is to make them run smoother and as automated as possible. 

 If you know me, then you know I love a good checklist, but let’s dive deeper and see WHY we’re doing the things we’re doing, what we can eliminate and what we need to focus more on.  We all go through different seasons and our priorities should match the season we are in.  I want to start off with an example that I went through recently. This past fall, I sacrificed something and refused to sacrifice another while growing my business.

How Being Clear on Priorities Helps Decision-Making

The first thing that I refused to sacrifice if at all possible, is sleep. I do not function well on less sleep than my body needs. If I start to get sleep deprived, I start to get emotional and my brain gets foggy and that’s not good for me or my family.

Of course there are times with little kids where you don’t get enough sleep, but I refuse to intentionally give up sleep. Staying up late, to get more things done does not serve me well because it drains me. It actually costs more time if I give up sleep because I just can’t function well the next day and in the coming days. 

For a time I gave up time with friends at a mom’s group in order to work on a new business project. You know, the financial implication of this new project was going to really benefit my family. And so I made a couple changes. I could get childcare for my kids on the morning that the mom’s group met. So I of course missed my friends, but it was just for a season and it worked out fine. 

Action Steps for Getting Started

Think about what your non-negotiables are when it comes to your priorities and your productivity. Those are things to consider as you define productivity and what you can fit into your life, what really matters to you and what makes an all around impact. So what are the non-negotiables for you and where are you willing to be more flexible? 

If there’s not a lot of room to change things, you have to accept that it may take longer to reach your goals and that’s totally okay this journey is yours. I started blogging way back in 2012. I have been in the online business world for quite a while now. I actually started with a completely different blog name and different focus. It took me a long time to get clarity on what I was doing. 

Own Your Own Journey

I worked full-time outside the home until January of 2017, I gave birth to three children, we moved along with countless other things along the way. In a lot of those seasons, I chose to take a step back and put my business on the back burner.

I realized that I wasn’t growing near as fast as other bloggers who started at the same time, or even after I did. I recognize some names in the circle I ran in in the early days who are major players now, but that’s okay. I may not be in the same circles as them anymore, but that’s cool because my priorities were where I needed them for the time being.

I shared this because we are all unique. We all have our circumstances, our strengths and our priorities, and you don’t have to follow everyone. You see what influencers say and what others are posting on social media but, you need to do what is right for you. And I’m here to support you along the way with realistic ways to be more productive and systemized so you can focus on what matters.

I’d love to hear what your definition of productivity is and what your non-negotiables are, where you’re willing to be flexible and how you’re going to start making that shift to a productivity definition that works for you.