Hey my friends! I’m Hayley Hobson and I’m so glad you’re here! Welcome to the Whole You Podcast where I share tips to help women like you implement healthy hacks and habits so you can eat smarter, rest better, and get it ALL done.
Today I wanna talk about something a lot of us struggle with: PRODUCTIVITY.
It’s literally one of my fav topics.
And lately I’ve realized something… and it’s a little controversial…
What I’ve noticed is that one of the main obstacles to productivity is... a lack of self-confidence.
Yup. I just said it.
But let me explain a little bit more… and it might make more sense.
Sometimes we aren’t as productive as we could be because of self doubt.
Like, you pump the breaks too much and too often -- even when you’re just starting on something.
We’ve all been there.
Things creep into your brain like…
- “Is this the right way to do it?”
- “Am I going on the right path?”
- “Was this decision the best one?”
Overthinking is pretty much our national pastime LOL.
But, I think in this day and age there’s more awareness about a little thing called: Impostor Syndrome.
I have it, Michelle Obama has it, most women have it, right? At least at one time or another.
And none of us are great at coping with it.
Especially not alone.
You know what’s definitely NOT great for success or productivity?
Heading into your life (and your biz) from a place of “Who am I to be doing this... talking about this... writing about this?”
Or whatever you’re working on.
But it happens a lot… even without really knowing it consciously, right?
So today I’m going to share some super useful hacks about how to tap into your higher power -- the power of badassery -- and use it to become more productive.
YAY! We love productivity, right? LOL
And if you dig the tips you hear today, you’d totally be into my Habit Hackers membership community.
You´ll get even more hacks from me… plus awesome guest experts every month who bring their expertise, tips, and tricks to improve your rest, nutrition, AND productivity.
All. the. things.
I’ll throw the link in the show notes too for ya.
So let’s begin with this first hack… which is a mindset hack…
Stop thinking and just do.
AKA: quit the overthinking game and put in the work.
We’re gonna get your power back!
So before we dig into HOW we do that… I wanna explore what power really means.
The dictionary defines power as “the ability to act or produce an effect”.
Meaning DIRECT INFLUENCE over OUTCOME.
It’s that simple!
“Power” might seem like something reserved for people in public office… celebs… big time CEOs… and definitely your mom LOL…
...but honestly we’ve all got it.
Power to be and do whatever we want.
It’s really just about execution. AND, I’d say, for sure mindset.
So let’s rethink how we use and apply the word “power” when it comes to ourselves… and how we live it on the daily.
And I’m gonna get a little woo woo on ya here… but it’s important to know… and it’s something I tell my 11-year-old daughter all the time.
Everything you want -- everything you truly desire -- it’s in you already.
It’s not, like, this elusive thing you have to go out and get.
It’s reaching INSIDE to find it… and THEN you make it happen.
Maybe I’ve been reading too much Deepak Chopra lately (LOL) but this has been really resonating with me this week.
So I really want you to own this fact.
Memorize it.
Internalize it.
Embody it.
Maybe even tattoo it on your body, like one of my friends did… LOL!
Because here’s the deal…
We all have that inner fire that helps us push through life to accomplish our goals.
ALLLLLL of us, ok?
How successful and productive you are… well, it depends on how you FEED the fire.
What I’ve found is that for some of us -- actually quite a few of us -- finding our power can be a very, very hard journey.
So today, I’m gonna give you 7 hacks to tap into that inner knowing AND… that fire of power and productivity inside of you...
...so you can show up with your badass self… step into your power… be productive AF… and OWN whatever it is you wanna do in your life.
Sound good? Ok let’s do it!
So that first hack was to stop overthinking…
And the second is: listen to your body.
It’s literally MADE to communicate. And it knows some shiz. LOL
We usually think we think in our heads. (Wait, did I just say ‘think we think?’ Wha?? LOL you know what I mean...)
The truth is, we’ve been taught to ignore what our bodies tell us.
And it’s completely screwed us up.
So much so that we literally don’t know HOW to listen anymore.
What I’ll tell ya is that you actually CAN reconnect… it just takes practice.
That’s what meditation is great for… but I also like to use exercise for tuning in.
Being PRESENT with your body and LISTENING.
You know that whole “gut instinct” thing? That’s your body talking to you.
And little known fact… you can ask your body questions and get answers. I’m gonna show ya how in just a second here.
But just know that when you DO ask questions, you gotta really listen and feel what your body wants and needs.
FEELING is the language of the body.
So have a conversation with it.
With yourself really.
Make your body your buddy. LOL
Because guess what… your body is with ya from day 1 until your final breath.
Unless that Netflix show Altered Carbon is actually a documentary. LOL
Did you watch that show? Season 1 was so good. I actually haven’t watched TV in a while so I’m surprised I actually remembered the name of it. Anyway… LOL
So here’s how to tune into your body.
Get calm. Get quiet. Get still.
Close your eyes and bring your awareness inward.
If you’ve ever read Glennon Doyle’s book Untamed, she talks about doing this process by hiding in a dark closet LOL.
You can ask any question… and then open up your senses for a response.
One of my fav things to do is ask my body what’s bothering me when I feel anxious or overwhelmed… and my agitated brain can’t tell me why.
My BODY can.
So, I sit in my closet like Glennon… get quiet and still… tune in… and then run through the things going on.
Like consciously ask things like:
“Is it what so-and-so said to you today?”
Then pay attention to any subtle response.
Most people report feeling a sensation in their gut… their chest… their heart area.
For me, when nothing pings in my body, I move on to something else that could be causing my anxiety.
Like, “Are you feeling overwhelmed with work?” or “Do you feel guilty that you couldn’t spend time with Madeline and her friends this afternoon?” or whatever my mind throws out at me.
I ask a simple specific question… tune in… listen… usually I get a response.
And once I know… it’s actually a relief! Because I can take ACTION on it.
Again, this takes practice.
I mean, sometimes the signals are super strong… like when you think about something cringey you said and your stomach instantly churns or you start sweating LOL.
Total face-palm moments.
Most of the time body communication is more subtle, so you really gotta pay attention.
Here’s what I know…
When you feel something deep inside… at a literal gut level…
Making decisions -- by standing in your POWER -- well, it makes decisions a whole lot easier.
Bye bye indecision. So long imposter syndrome.
When you know deep down what to do… when you’re being guided from WITHIN…
...you get real productive, real fast.
Now, the next hack to stand in your power, own your badassery, and leverage it to be more productive… is to find your voice.
It kinda goes along with connecting with your body, but often this one’s a little harder to get clear on.
So, why is that?
Because over the years, we’ve accumulated a bazillion different voices that don’t belong to us.
From before we were even BORN into the world.
Sometimes it can feel like you’ve got all these different voices -- or maybe just call them influences -- inside your brain all talking at the same time... to a point that it just becomes inaudible.
And it can totally kick in that fight, flight, or freeze mode. Which is NOT productive.
Well don’t worry because I’m here to tell you that those voices, those characters… they’re not your TRUE voice.
Ok so, what do I mean when I say you have different voices in your head?
Well, think about this.
How many times has someone said to you things that stick… even though you don’t want them to.
Here’s a list of common ones:
- You should be this way, you should be that way.
- Or “Be more like so-and-so…” maybe a sister or brother.
- The ones that really get me fired up are about being female. Like “Moms don’t dress like that.” or “What kind of woman does that? Maybe tone yourself down or be more approachable.”
That shiz is REAL… and it’s LOUD..
Know who gets this? Christina Aguilera. LOL
Didn’t expect that one, huh?
I recently rediscovered her song “The Voice Within”.
It’s literally poetry… I call it Pump Up Poetry. LOL
Here’s my fav part of the lyrics:
When there's no one else, look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend, just trust the voice within
Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way
You'll learn to begin to trust the voice within
Yes, girl. She KNOWS.
I mean, I bet we ALL get that, right?
SO here’s the hard part… how to distinguish your TRUE voice from all the rest?
Well… again, it takes practice.
Have you ever heard a very quiet voice in the back of your head -- or maybe just a knowing or a truth -- that comes up almost immediately when you need to make a decision?
Or you say something from such a deep, true place that you actually kinda surprise yourself?
Because you were NOT expecting such brilliance to pop outta your own mouth? LOL.
That’s your true voice. When you say something… you FEEL it… that it resonates.
Your voice may not be a literal voice.
Your voice may show up in your body, which is why listening to your body is clutch too.
Because deep inside… you always know what you need to do. You just gotta cut out the clutter and pay actual attention.
Once you learn how to regularly hear your inner voice, you’ll start making wiser choices from the get go. Which, yep, you guessed it… makes ya way more productive.
Less time messing around with shiz that doesn’t matter or isn’t right for you.
Now, the fourth hack is something I heard wayyyy back early in my career. When I REALLY had imposter syndrome going on.
And that advice is: Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.
Yeah, yeah, I know you saw that on Pinterest… or maybe some wooden sign at Home Goods LOL.
But it’s still good advice.
You can, of course, admire others… or want to have a little of their shine.
But the key is to notice what it is you gravitate toward… and make it yours.
Like put your flavor or spin on it… or if it’s a quality you admire… figure out how to bring it into your life YOUR WAY.
There’s another quote I like…
Comparison is the thief of joy.
And you know where this happens a lot?
Social media.
All ya gotta do is look at things like Tik Tok trends or these social media challenges all the kids are into… and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
And even though we alllll know that there’s what gets SHOWN on social media -- and what REALITY is… it still messes with our heads.
Can I just say I am SO glad social media didn’t exist when I was growing up?
Because looking back there’s some trends I was into that… wow. Just wow.
I feel like I’m a pretty strong person but the glamour of social media may have led me to even MORE questionable choices. LOL
Fun fact for ya… in college, I was a total Deadhead.
The long hair. The traveling to shows. The boho lifestyle… not even boho chic… like LEGIT boho. The… “natural” pits. LOL
I was all about it.
Then I went to law school and decided it was time to button up.
Out came the conservative clothes… the scissors…. and yep, the razor. LOL
There have definitely been roles I felt I was SUPPOSED to play.
And while I do feel that I was myself most of the time… certain roles I just outgrew.
Particularly the lawyer role.
Now I’ve ditched my power suits for power yoga pants. That’s a thing right?
I think it is. LOL
But many of us feel AFRAID to shed roles that no longer fit us.
And when we do, we often feel like a failure.
So we spend tons of time and energy trying to stay squished into a role… a title… a job… that no longer serves us.
Which means we’re not being truly productive.
I hate to say it but I have several friends who got divorced and that’s the biggest thing they say…
That they stayed in their role of wife, husband, partner, whatever for too long… because they felt they were supposed to. And it was killing them inside.
They wasted literal years of their lives not standing in their truth or their power.
They decided to stay trapped in who they thought they were SUPPOSED to be… instead of being themselves.
Wow, ok, well I just went off on a tangent, but here’s the point I wanna make.
Not being yourself wastes time. Which is your most precious resource.
Productivity has several definitions, but this one is my fav…
Yielding or devoted to the satisfaction of wants or the creation of utilities.
“The satisfaction of wants” part is what caught my attention.
When you’re busy being somebody else… are you working toward the satisfaction of wants? Of YOUR wants? The real ones you have deep inside?
Probably not. Or at least, not authentically.
And since we’re on the topic of social media here… the next hack to harness your power for supreme productivity is: protect your mental space.
This could go a lot of ways, so I’ll focus on two specific parts here.
ONE -- Social media can be totally distracting if you aren’t mindful about it… which means your daily productivity can get shot… and
TWO -- That whole comparison aspect of social media can get into your head if you aren’t diligent about your mental housekeeping.
Think about it this way… you don’t let just anyone into your house, do you?
Same thing with our minds.
Don’t let just any old thing get inside your head.
Your mind is part of your body and your body is your home.
That’s why I call it mental housekeeping.
Social media is a lot of input.
If you aren’t mindful about it, you can be inviting more voices into your head, which is Bad News Bears.
The voices can sneak in through a little activity known as social scrolling.
I bet you can scroll and scroll and scroll for hours without even paying attention to what you’re looking at.
But here’s the thing... your subconscious pays attention.
It pays A LOT of attention.
Ever dream about something random you saw on TV or online?
That’s your subconscious telling you -- hey, remember that true crime show you were half watching while scrolling through all those Tik Tok videos?
No? Well I do. Please enjoy this dream about a murderer chasing you and that random girl who knows how to contour makeup LOL.
All that to say… useless information can start camping in your mind.
So you gotta be diligent about keeping your mental space clean and tidy.
I’m not saying ditch social entirely.
For some of us -- like me -- it’s a big part of your biz.
But there are things you CAN do to sweep up in your headspace.
Like meditating… giving yourself a digital detox, like no phone time two hours before bed… not picking up your phone the instant you wake up…
And since I’m huge on time management… I have a little technique you might wanna try if you find yourself being consumed by social media -- or really anything that makes you feel unproductive.
Document your activities for one full day.
Yep. Every little task…
This isn’t navel gazing...
It’s to help you become aware of the tiny little pockets of time -- or let’s be real… the big old chunks of time -- you spend doing unproductive things.
Again, I’m not saying cut it all out entirely.
It’s more of a reorganization process.
Once you KNOW how you spend your time, you can reorganize it. Like having social media time blocked on your calendar.
So you get your fix but it's not all freaking day. Know what I mean?
And, you’ll feel like you’re in CONTROL of your time more.
Which means you’ll be focused when and where you need to be.
Which, if ya ask me… is super powerful AND it moves the needle not just in your biz but in how you feel at the end of each day.
And my last hack for ya today is about mental reframing.
Recently I read a book called “Peak Performances” by Brad Tulberg and Steve Magnes.
It’s all about how when you define a purpose or map out concrete objectives every time to head into a working session… your productivity skyrockets.
For example…
Instead of attacking your to-do list with a mindset of “I have to do this”...
...you’d change it up to be more like “I want to do this because…” or even better yet, “I GET to do this…”
The words, tone, and quality of voice in your own head MATTER.
Here’s how I see it...
The word “have” feels like an obligation -- I HAVE to do this. Doesn’t feel good, right?
The word “want” is intention. So it’s packed with productivity… I WANT to do this… Love that option.
And the word “get” implies excitement and enthusiasm. I GET to do this… I think that’s my fav.
See what I mean?
So by stating an objective for a task… even if it’s small… with a “I want to” or “I get to” mindset instead of a “I have to” or “I need to” frame of mine, you’re gonna be more productive.
For me, it’s made my work way more enjoyable because I feel like I’m doing it for myself, because I WANT to do it. Or even I GET to do it.
And I know I just said that was my last hack, but I just thought of one that’s been a hot topic inside Habit Hackers.
And that’s MULTITASKING.
Women of the world, I know you feel me on this one! LOL
The thing is...
We have a limited amount of energy.
Our brains are literally hardwired for single-tasking and yet, we insist on doing more than one thing at a time.
Like TikToking and watching murder shows at night LOL.
C’mon, you know who you are…
Know who loves multitasking? Overachievers.
Know what else overachievers love?
Talking about how busy they are. How STRESSED they are. LOL
If you feel seen right now, it’s because it’s super common -- and it’s making you exhausted. For reals.
So when you find yourself feeling scattered… or like shiz just isn’t getting done anymore… or imposter syndrome is kicking back in…
...and you’re multitasking like a mad woman…
You're literally giving away your power.
And THAT is a downward spiral we really wanna avoid.
If multi-tasking hasn’t worked for you, try doing one thing at a time
Try focusing on just ONE task at a time.
It’s a big time game changer… and that’s why I talk so consistently about time blocking.
That’s focused time on a similar set of tasks.
My motto is” Knock it out, do it well, move on.
You gotta set boundaries -- even with yourself. LOL
This month in Habit Hackers we’re focused on productivity.
It’s seriously one of my fav topics so if you like geeking out over hacks like this, I’d love to have you inside the community.
We’re welcoming new members right now, so come on in!
Not only do we have a supportive community of people from literally all over the world, but we take a deep dive on a different topic each month.
This month, like I said, is productivity, so there are TONS of amazing convos going on inside the group right now.
You’ll also get a fresh new digital magazine every month filled with articles, quick tips, recipes, inspiration, and habit hacking resources curated specifically for super busy people with full, amazing lives.
There’s tons of creative, professionals, and entrepreneurs in there -- so if that’s who you like to hang with, you’ll find your bliss inside Habit Hackers.
So, my friends, thanks so much for being here this week.
I’m so happy I GET to share this fun stuff with you. LOL
I’ll put it in the show notes for you to click through to easily.
Have a great week and I’ll see ya online.