Productivity Paradox

Earlier this week, we talked about being protective of your time, and I want to expand on that with Parkinson’s Law. This is the idea that work expands to fill the time you’ve allotted for completion. If you give yourself a week to complete a two hour task…  psychologically, you’ll be sure it fills up that week. In reality, it’s stress and tension that fills up our time, so I’ll share a mental trick you can do to make this law work for your advantage.

Time is best spent on the things that are important to you and your goals. Today, I’m discussing the importance of protecting your time and how you can track where you spend yours. After today’s episode, you’ll have the tips and tools needed to go from multitasking and feeling distracted to monotasking, understanding your peak productivity blocks and owning your time. What’s In This Episode: Activity + Rest: The difference and importance of your circadian rhythm and ultradian rhythm. Why we need to stop taking pride in our multitasking, and how to start monotasking instead. What ‘attention residue’ is, and how to eliminate it distracting you from beginning a new, focused task. Learn how to easily track your time throughout the week with tips, examples and a free download.   Sign up for the Productivity Paradox newsletter at inkwellpress.com/podcastemail to get free downloads and new episodes sent to your inbox.

In this week’s mini episode, I want to share a story about the person in my life who always embodied his core values - my Grandpa. He taught me that you don’t have to shout what you believe from the rooftops when you live your life exemplifying it. After listening to this story, a great question for us to ask is, “Am I living a life where my priorities and values are clear, or do I get caught up in the day-to-day?”

Your core values are an important part of investing in yourself as it helps you define the actions and behaviors you want to hold central to your life. In today’s episode  I’ll give you my easy 3-step process in getting to the heart of your values in your personal life and in your work. I’ll walk you through how you can define, modify and use your core values on a daily basis. After today’s episode, you’ll have the tools you need to be able to clearly state your core values and consistently live your life with them steering you. What’s In This Episode: What really are core values and why you need to definitively state or write them out. Examples of big and small choices you can make that will align with your core values. The easy 3-step process for defining your core values and a free download to help you get started. The 2 types of core values you may need to define to allow yourself feel fulfilled & satisfied. Using breadcrumbs, or patterns, to understand and cultivate your core values.   To join Ton

Do you use the word ‘busy’ as an excuse for not going after your goals or as badge of pride in your daily life? It’s important to intentionally reflect on your ‘busy’ life and schedule in a whitespace retreat. In today’s mini episode, I’ll share how I plan mine, and how you can enjoy a quick whitespace retreat right now, allowing you to feel a bit more recharged (and ready to plan a full-length one).

Knowing your personality type can help you to understand yourself better and improve how you interact with others. Today, I’m focusing on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and how that introspective questionnaire will help you to set goals, eliminate procrastination, grow your creativity and work more effectively. I’ll share my own personality type and how it’s helped me to appreciate others, and how you too can work with everyone’s strengths as a team at home, work or in personal life. What’s In This Episode: • 5 ways knowing your personality can help you understand yourself and others better. • How to appreciate different personality types and work with others’ strengths instead of having conflicts. • Using your personality type to find your career and passions. • About the MBTI test and how it can help you set goals, stop your procrastination, understand how you interact with others and more. To join Tonya's free group go to inkwellpress.com/group

We’ve been talking all about investing in you this season, so in this week’s mini episode, I’m sharing my simple truths with you. These are little, personal things I’ve noticed about myself throughout my life that I wanted to be mindful of and write down. Over time, I’ve found that they center me and remind me of who I am at my core. I hope after listening today, you’ll be inspired to start a note of your own simple truths and use them to know yourself a little better.

Learn how your actions today will affect your future self in today’s Ask Tonya Q&A episode. I’m answering listener’s questions about how to stop your patterns of procrastination and analysis paralysis so that your ideas and goals are in reach. We’ll focus on intentionally taking action and working with our families to create routines now and maintaining harmony going forward. What’s In This Episode: My best advice on how to stop your pattern of procrastination, allowing you to put important tasks at the top of your priority list instead of immediate or urgent items. A 5-minute rule and more tips on how to banish analysis paralysis, organize your lifestyle and go after your ideas or passions. How to instill productivity and mindful living into your kids… and that includes allowing them to understand their options and deal with ‘failure.’ Intentionally transitioning between your roles at work and at home by creating harmony and focusing on each To join my free group, go to inkwellpress.com/group

Earlier this week in episode 055, I discussed following our breadcrumbs to find our true passions. So today, I’m sharing my story of how my breadcrumbs led me to “accidentally” become an entrepreneur. Sometimes it takes a surprising conversation with a friend about your past experiences to recognize the pattern that’s been in front of you all along. Listen to my story, and then I encourage you to look at your breadcrumbs and see what path you’re on and where it may be leading you.  

We all have stories that we tell ourselves about our life that leads us into patterns of behavior and beliefs. The key here is which patterns or cycles you feed. Today’s episode is focused around understanding your breadcrumbs so you can breakthrough and discover your passions. I know it’s not as easy as that, so I’ll share the best ways you can start getting motivated, along with tips on using your Fridays to work on your long-term goals. What’s In This Episode: How to recognize your patterns and reflect on those cycles in the three areas of your life. Taking patterns of stress and negativity and turning them into positive routines instead… even if you’ve been doing it subconsciously. An activity to help you connect the four main categories of patterns to their sources, like familial cycles. Ways you can actively carve out time so that you’re investing in yourself on a weekly basis. A free Reflection Worksheet download to help you assess which patterns you can keep, and which you should transform into posit

We all have things in our lives that make us feel comfortable… sometimes too comfortable. When we don’t get out of our comfort zone we begin to stop pushing ourselves to live our best lives. In this week’s mini episode, I’m going to share a quick story about how we all get used to the things in our world that are “okay.” And, while it’s good to be comfortable, we want to make sure that’s it’s not holding us back from the fulfilling life we want.

This season is all about investing in yourself, and that includes making sure you’re not stuck in the comfort zone. I’ll share signs to look for so you’ll know if you’re getting too comfortable, why we let ourselves feel stuck, and solutions to each of the issues you may be experiencing. After listening, you’ll have the tips and advice to be more prepared and inspired to take the plunge out of your comfort zone. What’s In This Episode: How it feels to be in your comfort zone and why it’s not the best place for us to live long term. Signs you should look out for to see if you’re stuck in the comfort zone. The main reasons why it’s so hard to get out of our comfort zone, and solutions to each issue you may be having. How to make yourself take the plunge by sculpting uncomfortable situations to make them a bit more comfortable.   What optimal controlled anxiety is, and how it pushes us in the direction of the life we want to live. To join my free group go to inkwellpress.com/group

What would you say to the future you? I have a little exercise to go along with episode 053 from earlier this week where we talked about becoming your future self and defining what that means. This activity will set in motion plans, good habits, and small wins in order for you to become who you want to be a year from now and beyond.

My goal for season 5 is for you to invest in YOU. Today’s episode is focused on why it’s so important to devote our time and energy on actively working towards bettering ourselves for the future. I’ll share how our brain perceives ourselves differently in the present versus the future and give you advice on how you can take real steps to implement change through small actions that lead to who you want to be. What’s In This Episode: • Why it’s so important to invest in yourself and examples of what it means. • Research on how we perceive our futures selves as someone we don’t actually know. • How we place higher value on immediate rewards, rather than future ones. • Actionable steps you can take to implement change for your future self. Join our FREE community at inkwellpress.com/group

Recently, I saw Dr. Christine Darden, a woman who began her 40-year career as a NASA engineer in the 1960s, speak at a Woman Up event. Dr. Darden broke through barriers one afternoon when she decided to take a risk and speak up… even if it felt uncomfortable and scary. By asking her superior a single question, she propelled herself forward to where she wanted to be. See what lessons we can learn from Dr. Darden about asking the right questions, breaking through social constraints for women and why we shouldn’t give up on dreams.

I want to challenge you to make some choices as we end season 4. Rethink what it means to be ‘busy’ and how you may be allowing insignificant tasks to run your time. I’m sharing how you can start making choices to live life how you want, from little wins and small habits to changing your mindset and maintaining routines. After this episode, you’ll be more prepared to take control and own your time, at work, home and in your personal life. What’s In This Episode: How to rethink busy: ways you can own your day, not the other way around,   Why it’s important to take charge of your time and tasks. My favorite tips for how you can focus in on one task and your top priorities. Take the thinking out of it: how to think about routines and habits in a new way and why they’re important to create & maintain. Examples of little tasks you can do to give yourself little wins throughout your day

After recently reading a short article by Carl Richards in the New York Times, I wanted to share it with you because of how powerful it was for me. It’s more than an article, it’s also a quick exercise that will change your perspective and mindset about failure. I’ve talked about failure a lot this season, and this activity will push you to move forward in a positive and optimistic way when you feel like you’ve failed.

Getting started on your passion project and staying motivated can feel difficult. Today, I’m discussing how our mindset plays a big role in how we work, and ways you can shift your thinking so that actionable steps are taken towards your passion project. I’ll give you examples of how you can better prioritize what’s important so you consistently feel motivated, your deadlines are met, and goals are achieved. What’s In This Episode: • Three key reasons why you’re procrastinating getting started on your big goals. • Why we need to eliminate the word “lazy” from our vocabulary. • Actionable tips for creating and maintaining a motivational mindset that will change the way you think about your work. • How to create a motivation plan for yourself so you can tackle your passion project. • Examples of how you can set up penalties and hold yourself accountable so that you can make deadlines work for you.

Today, I want to share a powerful poem with you by Sadhguru, an Indian mystic and humanitarian. I listen to this poem at least once per month during my meditations, and at this time of year, I think everyone could benefit from reading or hearing it as well. The poem asks several questions throughout that will make you think and reflect on how you spend your time. At the end, I have a little challenge for you to think about as you head into a new year.

Overcoming naysayers and pushing herself to do her best work, world famous chef, Niki Nakayama, opened up her own highly acclaimed restaurant, n/naka. Niki discusses how she broke through personal and cultural expectations to go after her big dream. Learn about an inspiring woman who is pursuing her goals in spite of limitations, rules and criticism. After today’s episode, you’ll be motivated to take action on your own big dreams and goals. What’s In This Episode: • What we can learn from the Japanese term, kuyashii, and how Niki overcame the expectation that she was to be a supporting character to the men in her life. • How Niki broke through personal and social barriers in her different environments. • The process of how Niki let go of her old dream and idea and started a new creative endeavor. • How limitations or rules can actually allow more creativity, instead of containing you. • How Niki chooses to represent herself in her kaiseki restaurant and in a male dominated industry • Using criticism to motiva