Episode 1258: Productivity When Your World Falls Apart

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1,258 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:07] Jeff Brown: I'm Jeff Brown from the Read to Lead podcast, challenging you to reach true success in business and in life through consistent and intentional reading. One way to be inspired to success is to listen to this the Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friends Scott.

[00:00:22] Scott Maderer: And there's nothing wrong with that. Being all that we can do, have some grace for yourself and recognize that this too will pass and you will get to another point, another new place in your life. Because the one thing we can count on is life always changes. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:49] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In [00:01:00] the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that you can. The world

[00:01:10] in today's episode about investing in yourself by stewarding your time. I talk with you about how we all have times, our world just falls apart, both big and small. I also talk about what you can do to deal with this when it comes to our time, and I give you some tips on what you can do to help yourself move forward in a healthy.

[00:01:31] As we talk about stewarding your time, wouldn't it be great if you could support this podcast and do it without just taking too long? Turns out you can't. All you have to do is use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. When you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon, and a small commission will come back to support the show.

[00:01:50] Just that quick. If you enjoy the show when you are ready to buy from Amazon, just use inspired stewardship.com/. [00:02:00] We all have times in our life when our world just seems to fall apart. Sometimes that's really big events, like a divorce a death a major job loss a business going up and failing major things that really cause major changes in our.

[00:02:21] But sometimes even small events can upend our world. Maybe something changing with your job where now you suddenly are working more hours than you used to, or working less hours than you used to. Maybe simply having some kids move out. becoming an empty nester or going to a different phase in your life as they become an adult.

[00:02:45] Maybe a small change in health or a physical injury that will temporarily keep you from doing some of the things that you used to do. Whether it's a major event a massive health [00:03:00] change or a minor event, like just a temporary thing, it can really affect your ability. to focus and to get things done.

[00:03:11] And what's interesting is I've seen people really beat themselves up, even when in reality it's a temporary thing. Like their work shifts suddenly change and they're working more hours and therefore they're not able to get as much done on other things like family or friends or other projects that they're working on.

[00:03:33] I've seen people. take whether it's a large event or a small, and beat themselves up for not being as productive, not being able to get as much done, not being able to focus as easily. And the first thing you need to realize is, When it comes to your time, to your productivity, when these big or small events happen that upturn your world, [00:04:00] the first thing is to recognize that this idea of time healing all wounds or giving yourself time is important.

[00:04:07] Recognize that. , you need to just feel the feeling at this time to, to go through the process of mourning, of grieving, of feeling the pain or the change, or the shift. Acknowledging it and admitting it and getting in tune with it is an important first step because it is the reality. Whether that's a temporary reality or a new shift in your life where it's gonna be different moving forward.

[00:04:37] Doesn't. You need to also focus on some of the fundamentals. Focus on getting enough sleep, focus on eating enough, drinking enough water, taking care of your body and yourself as much as you can. But even there often that becomes a source of guilt, a [00:05:00] source of feeling like I'm not able to take care of myself, I'm not able to exercise like I used to, or I'm not able.

[00:05:07] Spend the time that I used to doing some of these healthy activities. So do 'em in a smaller scale. Be okay with downsizing what you're doing. If you used to exercise for 45 minutes a day, be okay with exercising for 10 minutes or 15 minutes or five minutes. Be okay with taking things that you used to do and instead of getting rid of them completely, doing them on a smaller.

[00:05:36] all too often we try to look at the world as an all or none pattern. We either follow our routines or we don't. When in reality, you could shift your routine to be a smaller segment of what's important to you, and that's the second thing you need to focus in on what really is the most important things to you take stock of your [00:06:00] situation.

[00:06:01] And use this as a time to clean out some clutter, to clean out some things that aren't as important so that you can focus on the things that are actually important and try to focus on the things that give you gratitude and give you joy, not the things that make you feel angry and negative. This is a really good time to start a gratitude journal and find the things that you can say.

[00:06:28] Despite everything, this is one little thing that I can find some happiness and some joy in, or at least a feeling of gratitude and contentment. Focus in on the things that are important, but also focus in on the things that are actually in your control, except that there are things that have happened that are outside of your control that you're not going to be able to do anything.

[00:06:56] and focus on those things that you actually have some sense of [00:07:00] control about. This is a chance too, especially in major traumatic events, to get some help from someone else, to have a conversation with a professional or with a friend, to sit with them, to let them listen, to be able to trust someone, to hear what you're going through and to walk with.

[00:07:24] Recognize that this isn't about doing everything that you used to do. This isn't about being the best in every way. This is about progress, not perfection. If you simply are doing a little bit each and every day, sometimes that's enough. That's all that we can do, and there's nothing wrong with that. Being all that we can do, have some grace for yourself.

[00:07:54] And recognize that this too will pass and you will get to another [00:08:00] point, another new place in your life. Cuz the one thing we can count on is life always changes. Thanks for listening.

[00:08:10] Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your. If you like this episode on the Stewardship of Time, be sure to sign up for our stewardship of Time tips series by going to inspired stewardship.com/time or texting 4 4 2 22 time tips, and that'll get you our best tips on stewarding your time.

[00:08:52] Until next time, invest your. Your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence [00:09:00] and impact the world.