“But I do my best work under pressure.”

“If I’m not stressed, will I still get things done really well?

You might have heard some people say this. BUT… what if we can define productivity in a way that brings you more joy.

What if this new productivity definition could also make you more efficient and effective as well?

Suzie’s story

Just this week, Suzie* asked me: “If I’m less stressed, what will happen to my motivation and my drive?”

We were talking about her baseline of stress in our coaching session.

You see, there’s an optimum level of stress in our bodies.

Too much stress and your brain function goes down. You become less effective. And you have way less fun.

Too little, and you just don’t get sh!t done.

Suzie’s baseline of stress was soaring at 50% higher than what was ideal for her brain function. And her health!

“I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for 2 years in this stressful job,” she said.

Her role meant that she was the troubleshooter. That was the productivity definition of her role.

When things went wrong, that’s when she was needed. And things went wrong daily – often several times a day. This happened because of the way things were structured in her workplace.

With so much on, sometimes, the only thing she could do was to patch things up as best she could. Which was even more stressful for her because she felt like she wasn’t doing a great job. 

Why do we think being that stressed is productive?

Now our bodies are incredibly resilient.

So Suzie’s body had acclimatised to that higher baseline of stress. Over time, it became the new normal.

More than that, she had started to believe that this overly high baseline of stress was necessary to get things done.

It was how she had begun to define productivity.

When I invited her to shift her baseline to a healthier one, Suzie was concerned. Would she still hit her performance targets – if her baseline of stress changed?

Could she still stay on top of things if she was less stressed? Could she still get things done?

That’s when I referred her to this video below.

Take a couple of minutes to watch it. It’s about how you can do your best work whilst

• Feeling calm and confident

• Being more effective than you ever were, whilst…

• Experiencing more joy, ease and flow

Finding our way back to joyful productivity

I get it. It’s absolutely important for us to stay on top of things and get things done.

What’s at stake here is how you do that: the high pressured, stressful way…

OR the way that is easier, more joyful and actually more effective.

Here’s a list that shows you the 10 common beliefs that hold us back from fulfilling our potential.

Free PDF download: 10 common beliefs that hold us back

(Don’t worry… it’s a Dropbox download link. I’m not collecting emails.)

You can use this list to identify any sneaky subconscious beliefs that may have been holding you back. Because knowledge is power 🙂

These 10 beliefs are what my clients have often described when I helped them to discover blocks and then clear them.

So you might recognise some of these beliefs. And you probably know someone who has them!

How do you clear these limiting beliefs? There are a few ways:

Find yourself a coach who specialises in transformation. 

Check out some of the strategies that have helped hundreds of my clients succeed. They’re in the bestselling book: It’s Supposed To Be Fun: How To Get Sh!t Done Without Being Hard On Yourself. (Available on Kindle and in paperback.)

Let’s get more done together, with more joy, ease and happiness. 

Because burnout sucks. And not living your full potential is a slow drag.

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