I started this post this morning, 5 minutes a go, and it’s already going badly. Actually, I started another post but started on this one to document the troubles I’m having with all of it. Last night, I had planned my day today. A very productive day where I could get a lot done. I was very pleased with the plan I had come up with.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve managed to work about two hours a day on my blog and I had gotten a lot done. So I thought I could get more done if I put more time into it.

The two hours per day were easy but this morning I can’t seem to get started. Or I get started but I can’t stay focused.

I Can’t Enjoy My Break

My mind is racing. I have set this new goal and I don’t know if I can do it. I have doubled the time I’m going to put into it which meant I needed to get started as soon as I woke up. Now I feel under pressure.

There’s nothing wrong with setting a goal or working hard. But if it’s too ambitious we can feel overwhelmed and we can’t think about anything but can we do it.

I was going to try to put in a certain amount of time in the first part of the morning, take a break then get started again. I did the first part of the time and I was actually ahead. So I was ready to take a break. But then I got to worrying about starting the second part of the morning. What if I don’t get ahead and I can’t take a break or what if I get behind? Now I can’t enjoy my break.  I was so excited last night, but I’m not now.

I was getting more done two hours a day than I am now. And after thinking about it, I got more than two hours done. It seemed so doable that I didn’t feel pressure. Often I would do more. I felt in control. I worked in a relaxed manner and when I took a break I wasn’t worried about how I was doing. Now I’m feeling too much pressure.

My goal has to be what’s right for me. Not what I hear about other people doing. These other people, some of them may feel as overwhelmed as I do.

There’s a perfect balance you need to get things done. The goal can be challenging and the challenge can make you feel like you’ve really accomplished something. But if it’s too much you feel overwhelmed.

Sometimes I get more done when I just don’t care how much I get done. I don’t have a goal and it’s pressure free. And then I enjoy the work. I don’t want to be like that all the time, though. I do want to set a goal and work toward it. That’s what works most of the time.

It helps when I stop and ask myself what is wrong. And I can admit to myself that I feel overwhelmed. So I did that this morning and it really helped. In fact, I think I’m back on track to accomplish my new goal. I stopped working to think about what was bothering me which should have put me behind but it worked. I’m back on track and doing fine.

Now I’m back to my new goal. And it’s going fine. Same goal as an hour ago but what’s different is my attitude. At first I didn’t think I could do it then I saw that I could. I just needed a different way to look at it. I have my focus back and I’m being productive without a lot of anxiety.

Tie Everything Together – Quality Not Quantity

So what really made the difference? I can go from 2 hours to 4 hours. I do have the time to work that much if I schedule things well. What bothered me was could I keep up a high level of productivity for 4 hours. That bothered me because I worry about keeping up a high level of productivity for just 2 hours. But can anyone keep up a high level of productivity for even 2 hours let alone 4?

Now I’m back to enjoying my new four-hour goal. Want to know why? Because I’m putting in four hours and happy with the results. That’s the goal. Not being worried about the outcome. It doesn’t have to be four hours of a typing flurry. As far as quantity, sometimes I don’t see a lot. But sometimes I can think about it for a half hour, no typing, just thinking, and then I can add one sentence or change just one sentence and that can tie the whole paragraph together or sometimes tie the whole post together. And that’s quality.