Helpful & Effective Tips on How to be More Productive In Your Life

It has to be said that the term productive, within this dominantly bourgeoisie societal framework, has a subjective foundation.  Within this reality, being "productive" can mean everything from successfully causing as much drama and confusion in everyone's life around you to being great at just taking up space with everything you do.  So, to clarify, when we are using the word productive, we mean being able to contribute more to the planet than you receive from it.  Not breaking even and certainly not being toxic, but giving more than you receive.  More credits than debits.  That's our definition for productive here.

And, we also have to say that within this bourgeoisie capitalist reality where profits are much more important than human beings, a consequence of such dysfunction is an overabundance of mental illness as people try their best to reconcile this insane situation we find ourselves in.  For those suffering from mental illness on a level that unfortunately prevents them from being able to control important elements of their lives, this analysis is not intended for them.  Our hope is to continue to fight for a better reality where those folks can have the resources they need to heal.  

For everyone else, this is a statement about how to step up your game in life.  Despite the allegations thrown at us by unwitting and willing accomplices and agents for imperialism, we harbor no visions of restrictions in anyone's abilities and sincerity about making this world better based solely on what they look like.  On the contrary, we believe everyone on earth has the potential to be a productive and valuable member of this world.  The question is how we will determine how to do that?  How we will make positive more dominant than negative?  Those values are the basis of this writing piece.

I certainly don't need any reminders about my shortcomings.  In fact, people are always  magnificent in pointing out any potential issues that any of us may have.  We all know this.  So, my comments right now are not being made in a bragging manner, but to illustrate how this simple ghetto child, who virtually no one had much confidence would ever amount to anything at all, has been able to work through overwhelming adversity to be a person today, who unquestionably has positively influenced countless people's lives.  I've been able to develop some very strong and stable organizing skills.  I'm a strong presenter, writer, and facilitator.  I am frequently sought after by experienced organizers to help them figure out how to take work to a higher level.  I not only regularly engage in "courageous conversations", and difficult collective capacity building work, but provide training on how to carry out those skills.  I've engaged in organizing work in several countries and I can say humbly, yet confidently, that I've been able to provide significant inspiration to others on how to stay on the positive and correct path when being faced with unspeakable trauma and pressure.  As of yesterday - with my release of my third novel; the 500+ page "The Paradox Principles (through Amazon Publishing - see my BOOK tab for more information)", I've now written and published four full length books in ten years.  I'm working on my fifth and sixth books currently while writing two or three articles per week on this blog and contributing additional articles to other sources on a regular basis.  Meanwhile, I continue to engage in regular and effective on the ground organizing to build our Pan-African work within the All African People's Revolutionary Party, and I work full-time as a senior organizer within the labor movement.  I exercise daily and although my diet isn't perfect, I haven't eaten a single dessert in over a year and I'm down to only eating seafood as my sole meat consumption.  

Again, not bragging about anything.  Clearly, if self promotion was my objective I would approach every aspect of everything I mentioned above in a much different fashion than I do.  You know that because you see people do that everyday.  Nothing I'm doing is centered around me as an individual.  I didn't even have my name on this blog until the last year when people I trust pointed it out to me.  This is true to an absolute fault.  I've actually pledged to myself to do a much better job promoting this latest book because I really did absolutely no promotion on my previous books.  So, to the multitude of enemies out here, don't even try that one.  My points here are to demonstrate to people that I get a lot done.  I make that point because I want to share with you how you can do the same if you struggle with procrastination, lack of personal self confidence, and you find it hard to believe you can move to the next level.

Kwame Ture said it all the time.  "Organization decides everything!"  I can't think of any statement that's any truer and that statement is the perfect way to start these tips.  I can guarantee you if you are struggling to be productive, lack of organization is the key reason why.  By organization, we mean the ability to control your days.  I do this very effectively by having trained myself to plan out my days in advance.  If you don't do this, and you live in an environment where things constantly distract you from completing what you start, this is definitely the area where you need focus.  You can start on a Sunday night before your work week starts (or whatever night before your work week - whatever type of work - starts).  Take out a pad and pen and write down what you have to do the next day and estimate how long it will take you to accomplish all of those tasks.  This step may include you prioritizing your tasks at your slave (job) if you have one also.  Then, once you complete that task, take your list and let it guide you throughout that next day.  Focus on sticking to the schedule you made for yourself.  Being able to do this will require you being realistic in setting the times for each task.  Even if you don't make every time goal, you will still find that you are getting much more done.  For example, for me, my Sunday night would consist of the following organization:
1.  Get up at 6:00am and workout until 8:00am
2.  Get dressed and be on my way to the office by 8:30am
3.  Complete a presentation and talk to the following people, attend these meetings by - - 
4.  Leave work by 5:00pm and make it to the coffee shop by 5:30pm.  
5.  Write a blog article and post it by 7:00pm
6.  Eat dinner while writing more in my manuscript until 8:00pm
7.  Organize my clothes for the next work day and set up my gym bag
8.  Go to bed by 10:00pm for at least 8 hours to 6:00am

If you repeat this exercise everyday you will teach yourself several things.  You will institutionalize how to respect your time and organization which will help you learn how to teach other people to do the same.  When this starts to happen you will learn that you have so much more time than you actually realized because much of your time is spent with being distracted and going back and forth over the same thing.  Or, as the capitalists say - "having the same hands touch the same thing over and over again."  For the capitalists this level of operation is extremely inefficient and unprofitable since they are always focused on getting products out as quickly and cheaply as possible.  For completely different reasons, we agree on this point.  Our focus is the more you organize your time and make your efforts more efficient, the more you realize your potential to get things done.  The more you will learn to respect what you can do and the more your attitude and how you carry yourself will reflect that.  

If you practice this sincerely and consistently for a few weeks you will start to institutionalize this level of organization in your life to the point where you will start to organize your day automatically, in your head, before you do anything.  For me, this has developed to the level where anything I'm doing, going on a trip, completing a project, etc., I'm automatically going through this process.  It has helped me in so many ways.  I rarely forget anything because my process is institutionalized.  I'm never late (which would stress me out if I was).  And, my body and mind have developed their own internal clocks which keep me on task.  Its like I have an assistant inside me helping me all the time.  Consequently, my stress levels are less.  My blood pressure, according to the doctors, is that of a 25 year old (now I just need to work on reducing stress from insane people).

These pieces I'll write in segments, but if you commit to seriously and consistently trying the method expressed here, you will see results.  It does work.  And, I'm not charging you anything to learn it.  In fact, I'm even publicly committing to help anyone anywhere learn these practices if you need support walking through how to implement them.  The only requirement is that you be doing so to enable you to contribute towards being productive.  Not just on a personal level for capitalist gains, but for the reasons and definitions indicated above.