The Simple Answer to Productivity Is?

Year end approaches and everything starts to call for attention. Productivity suffers. Maybe you have holidays in December so you have calculated how many days you have to get things done. The kids will finish school on __ so I have to get everything finished before then. So it goes. 

Except is doesn't. You find that nothing gets done because you are fretting about what you did not do yesterday. The cat is still at the vet and you have rude messages on the phone from your boss. Apparently it is not okay to arrive 30 minutes late after lunch. Does he even realise how hectic the traffic is this time of year?
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You may think that artists have it easy. What with painting, entertaining and contemplation in the off-peak times. Life for us is a doddle. But no. It is fraught with angst too. There are deadlines for commissions. Packing paintings for year-end exhibitions and the usual business paperwork too. Plus the courier company wants it's bill paid last week.

Then sales actually start grinding to a halt. Yes, the demands of the festive season can leave most people staring into empty wallets. This creates a severe dent in disposable income to oh, about May next year. So no joy for artists for a while then. No matter. All this is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Except for one thing.

The one thing that is important. Put aside all distractions for a moment. Simplify everything so that you can focus on the ONE THING. Which happens to be doing your art. All the running about getting frantic over nonsense does no take your life forward. Your number one focus must be creating your best work. Then sharing your work.

Not sure about this? There is a book devoted to this topic. It is well worth the read if you have time that is. There is a similar principle in economics too. The 80/20 rule which says that eighty percent of the returns come from twenty percent of the customers. The trick is knowing who that twenty percent is and what they like. Nothing that a bit of focus cannot solve.

This is also the way to peacefully live you life. Focus on the twenty percent that matters. The rest is  distraction. When you get down to the real work your entire being calms down. The act of creating is a real need. You can feed the body, but you cannot ignore the soul.

But what about your business? Remember what made others join your world? It was your art. No matter what you create think of it as your art. People want this from you. It is also what makes you happy. So do more art.
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Give up the rat-race. Ignore the tail-chasing madness. Keep doing the one thing that makes your life complete. Maybe all you need to do today is the one thing.

​What do you think? ​