Productivity. We hear this word a lot these days, and not always in the healthiest of contexts. We’ve started a trend around being productive that has, in turn, created a belief that to produce means to hustle. 

Anytime I’ve caught myself immersed in hustle culture, burnout was soon to follow. 

So how can we find a healthy balance of being proactive, efficiency machines without depleting our energy, time & other resources? 

A recent article published by Inc.com, titled ‘5 Things The Smartest People Do That Make Them Super Productive (Without Destroying Their Health)‘ highlights the solutions to this predicament. 

The key takeaways from this article can be lumped into two categories: Intention & Boundaries.

Creating the right intentions is a crucial first step in the process. Intentions translate to how we plan on showing up & contributing in our role. 

Will we show up, ready to focus on what’s necessary for daily success?

Will we be fully present, ready to set goals, celebrate achievements, and remain mindful of the desired outcome? Or will we end up working through our days on autopilot, where we allow our conscious minds to take a back seat, relying on memory to take over & get things done?

Creating positive intentions helps to cultivate a growth-oriented mindset, driving us to complete tasks with a sense of pride & motivation, yielding more favorable long-term results.