Personal Productivity: 10 Things You Might Not Know About Me – TPW345

Who I am and what I've experienced have a big impact on my productivity. The same is true for you!   Personal productivity - and what you might not know about me Productivity is a very personal thing. Everything about us--our background, our relationships, our physical and mental condition, our mindset--affects our productivity, both our ability to do the things that are important to us and our ability to make a life that matters--partly because all these things affect how we define a life that matters.  What has influenced my approach to productivity--and how it helps me make a life that matters This episode is being published a few days before my birthday. I thought it was a good time to share a few things you might not know about me and how they affect my productivity. I invite you to do an inventory of the personal factors that affect your productivity.  1. I was born with congenital hip dysplasia. This means I have physical limitations that affect how I do things. For example, I cannot squat or tailor sit, so doing certain tasks, such as cleaning low areas like baseboards or putting things away in bottom cabinets, requires me to bend over or get on my hands and knees. I also walk a bit differently due to one leg being shorter than the other, which is something I've always been self-conscious about. Over time, this hip dysplasia led to degenerative arthritis and eventually much-needed hip replacement surgery, which was life-changing. I was finally pain-free after so many years. 2. I'm the oldest of 6 children. A lot of birth-order science supports the idea that I was born to be a productivity nerd. “According to the stereotype, firstborns tend to be serious, structured, goal-driven, high-achieving, well-organized and logical thinkers.” [from Can Birth Order Determine Success or Failure? Science Says Maybe So]  Large families pretty much require organization. Being the oldest in a large family I was inclined toward organization--lists and charts and organizing games and clubs.  3. I was born and raised in Washington state, but we moved a lot. My dad was a log truck driver, and a bit of a wanderer, so we moved often. I went to 3 different schools for 6th grade alone. I hated moving because I was and am an introvert who found it hard to make friends when I was young. I was often the "new kid" in class and that made me self-conscious. It took me many years (and some favorite activities) to learn ways to fit in to new situations and feel comfortable speaking up. This experience of moving around a lot and constantly being in new situations has had an impact on my productivity and making a life that matters. I've never really had a hometown and the impact of that has caused me to gravitate towards making a home wherever I am (which is wherever Mike is) and making it feel homey. 4. When I was younger, I wanted to be a country singer. In junior and senior high school, music was my life. All my friends were met through the various choirs I sang in. I met Mike in one of those groups. Participating in choirs and vocal ensembles taught me things about teamwork, about the importance of practicing and developing your craft. I learned to be comfortable in front of an audience, both singing as part of the choir and as a soloist and also speaking, introducing myself or our group, introducing songs, and more. I learned to be flexible when my dreams changed. To me, that’s a big part of productivity.  5. I married at 18 and had our first child at 20. I was set to go to college as a vocal performance major when I graduated from high school. Life intervened over the summer after graduation when I connected w...