Reframing Productivity Series Part I: The Problem with Time Management Tools
I've tried them all. But there's one thing that none of them seem to be able to fix: that 'always behind' feeling.
As a working mother and former Sales Leader turned small business owner, I understand how hard it is to manage a calendar. But I have to admit, it was exceptionally hard as a Sales Leader. Most of my work days looked something like this:
6:00 am: Start the day. Get dressed, make the kids breakfast and lunches, get the kids dressed, feed the dog, etc.
8:15 am: Get kids off to school
8:31 am: Start the day. Realize I am late to my first meeting. Also realize I have 30 unread slack messages from last night and about 100+ emails in my inbox. Awesome start to the day.
2:33 pm: Finish 7th meeting for the day. Rush to use the restroom and refill water bottle, but before doing so, send a quick note to my 2:30 pm meeting that I’m running a few minutes late.
3:00 pm: Meeting Canceled. Feel slightly grateful because now you found 30 minutes to eat and catch up on inbox.
4:36 pm: Look at time after finishing a doozy 1:1. Check inbox and slack, how can I never seem to stay caught up on those? Glance and notice that some of the Slack messages are calling out that I’m late to submit my forecast…again. And I still need to scrub pipeline.
4:46 pm: Realize I should have left 20 minutes ago to pick up the kids for soccer. Frantically close up shop for the day and resolve to catch up on the to do list some time after the kids are in bed and work through that unread inbox while I’m sitting on the sideline at soccer practice.
I’ll just stop there…Can you relate? It’s exhausting. And seemingly impossible to feel like you’re ever making headway.
When I would describe this situation to friends, often they’d empathetically suggest I delegate more and stop letting my calendar control my day, but instead of take control of my calendar.
So I turned to time management strategies. And believe me, I tried ALL the time management hacks. And while helpful, no strategy can combat my brain’s natural tendency to focus on what’s left undone.
In other words, no calendar efficiency hack helped with the recurring question of “how could I be so busy and have so little to show for it?”
It was then I realized that I had to tackle the bigger issue: the feeling of being unproductive. The feeling of running on a hamster wheel and going nowhere. It took an intentional shift of focus away from my ideals for the day, reflecting and learning from where I started on any given morning.
This is Part I in my Reframing Productivity Series: tools to help you overcome the constant overwhelm of the day by applying simple tactics to find more meaning in your work while maximizing performance.
Tackling the “Always Behind” Feeling
Here’s the thing: the feeling of constantly being behind is less about the work itself and more about how we process the work we’re doing. According to cognitive behavioral research, humans are wired to focus more on negative events (like what’s left to do) than positive ones. This is known as negativity bias—and it’s why you might finish an incredibly busy day, having completed dozens of tasks, and still feel like you didn’t get enough done.
But just because it’s not atypical to feel this way doesn’t mean its good to feel like this. So how can we combat it?
First, you have to get into the habit of checking your mindset. Recognize that productivity isn’t just about checking off all the tasks; it’s about growth, learning, and moving the needle. Instead of letting your brain fixate on the unfinished, get in the habit of celebrating what’s done or better. A study by Teresa Amabile from Harvard Business School found that employees are most motivated when they feel they’ve made progress, no matter how small. This is referred to as the Progress Principle. The more you acknowledge those little wins, the more fulfilled and motivated you’ll feel—and the less "behind" you’ll perceive yourself to be.
Remember that being "busy" doesn’t equate to being productive. Reclaim your view of yourself by regularly reflecting on the value you’ve created each day, rather than the quantity of tasks you’ve completed.
When you start viewing productivity through the lens of progression rather than completion, the feeling of constantly being behind will start to fade.
Putting The Progress Principle Into Practice
So how can you make a focus on progression a habit? Consider incorporating some of these practices into your daily routine:
Consider creating a “done” list at the end of every day. And I’d also add the caveat of reframing what “done” looks like. For example, “done” could be “completed 3 1:1s” or “Finished reviewing 30% of client XYZ proposal slide deck.”
Write down one “win” at the end of every day. Intentionally train your brain to pick a small win, so you can get in the habit of celebrating the little things.
Remind yourself of previous accomplishments. Consider writing one thing you’re proud of on a sticky note, and put it somewhere you’ll see it all the time. Challenge yourself to change this week over week to a recognize a different past accomplishment.
Reflect on where you are from the lens of yourself in the past. Where were you 12 months ago? 6 months ago? Think about how much has happened in that span of time. Sometimes the best way to see your progress is to look back at how far you’ve come.
Take a social media fast. Social comparison is fuel to any proverbial negative self talk fire. The best way to get yourself in a mindset of progress is to stop comparing to what everyone else is doing.
Tackling the “Always Behind” feeling is particularly difficult for leaders who naturally have thousands of tasks and decisions to make on a daily basis. But it’s a part of self discovery that’s important to face. Ultimately, the more grace you as a leader can give yourself, the more you’ll empower your employees to do the same, resulting in less burnout for everyone.
“The way to measure your progress is backward against where you started, not against your ideal.” - Dan Sullivan
