ProductiviChi

Introduction "24/7", "Fast food", "On the go", "ASAP", "Rush order"… These are all common words and expressions today, and they all remind us of how drastically our lives are changing. We are rushing through life—overwhelmed, swamped, and out of breath. We push ourselves relentlessly, stretching our days to compensate for our perceived lack of time. We make so many sacrifices to keep up the pace, snatching time from our sleep, our time off, or our family time to make ends meet. Why do we do it? To put it simply: we want to get as much done as possible, so that we can lead a happy and healthy life with more quality time with our loved ones. Do you see the irony here? Time is the one thing everyone is starved for. Managing time is our top priority—but should it really be? What many of us do not realize is that productivity is not just a matter of time management. Time is just one of the resources you need to manage in order to be productive. Energy, a much-forgotten resource, is much more important. Picture this idea through the lens of an athlete—it is as if we want to run as fast and as long as possible without taking care of our actual physical fitness. We try to push on, regardless of our weight, our physique, our stamina, or even how much strength, agility, and endurance we have. We do not sleep enough and we do not even stop to have water along the way. Instead of listening to our body's needs, we just start running a non-stop-race in the hope to reach the finish line. You would never run a race like that, right? So why are you living your life that way? Most people want the results that come from being productive. And they focus on the results directly. I, however, believe that setting up the processes that naturally produces these results is much more effective in getting the results you desire. Because the external results you have in life are just a reflection of the things on the inside—how well you have developed your skills, the capacity you have, the beliefs you have, and the character you are. That is what I call having "Inner Game." What do I mean by that? Think of the results you want to achieve as apples on a tree. What should you do if you want to harvest the biggest and the juiciest apples from your tree? Would it make sense to water only the apples or to expose only the apples to sunlight? Or would it make more sense to take care of the tree as a whole, watering the roots, supplying the soil with nutrients, and exposing the entire tree to sunlight? The answer is obvious. When you take care of the tree, good apples will come naturally and inevitably. In this book we focus on the Inner Game of productivity: what makes it possible for you to be productive in the first place, why it works that way, and how can you apply it? The numerous exercises included in the book will help you put what you have learned into action. ProductiviChi consists of three parts. Applying even just one of these three processes will skyrocket your productivity. Incorporating all three will make you as productive as you can possibly be. In this book we will walk through these three stages one by one: The first step is to Charge your power, which means to optimize your energy capacity on all levels. Next, you will need to Focus that power. Focusing your power means getting into the right state of mind to perform something. Finally, when you have charged and focused your power, you need to Unleash that power for full productivity. Finally, before we jump in, a brief word on how this book came about: it was one of my many coaching clients, Michah, who first suggested that I write a book on the techniques I was using in my coaching sessions. Thank you Michah. You and all of my other clients have been pivotal in developing these ideas, and I am grateful for each and every one of you. Now let's get started!