Are You a Robot?
I’m not talking about whether a program thinks you’re a bot for failing to recognize stoplights.
I’m asking how much of your life is on automatic pilot?
How often do you go from bed to emails to “social” feeds to work to emails to working out to “social” feeds to emails to bed?
How often are you actually living your life, and how often are you just going from task to task? How often do you think about your tasks (and how necessary they really are), and how often do you just plow through whatever’s in front of you to be done?
How often do you feel the thrill of pride in being busy, and how often do you actually enjoy the activities that keep you busy?
How often do other people give you things to do because you’re so efficient, and how often do those things you’ve been given move you, your business, and/or your career forward?
I’m asking these questions not to be judgemental. American culture puts a higher value on “doing” than it does on either “thinking" or just “being”, so it’s natural in this environment to just do stuff.
Rather, I want to invite you to reflect on what your life this year looked like, and whether it was enjoyable. Whether the things you did made a big difference for you either personally or professionally. How much time you spent on scrolling, through “social” media or your emails. How much of your activity moved you closer to the person you want to be.
How much of your life looks no different from a robot’s “life”?
If your year was spent mostly intentionally, on the projects and with the people that mean the most to you, that is awesome. Congratulations! Keep on keepin’ on.
If not, then consider 2025 a learning experience. 2026 is a new year, and you don’t have to carry these experiences forward.
Rituals vs. mindlessness for productivity improvement
Having a routine and structure doesn’t automatically make you a robot. For certain activities, they can actually help you get more done. That’s because every time you make a decision, you lose a little brain energy. Make lots of decisions during the day, and you end up drained at the end of the day.
So, your routine of regularly booking out focus time on your calendar and writing down the three most necessary tasks the night before help you get more done is helpful. Similarly, you might choose to wear a “uniform” instead of figuring out your outfit each morning.
It’s easier to make one decision and stick to it instead of making the same decisions over and over day in and day out. As an example, you might choose to wake up every day when the alarm clock goes off (and setting it for a realistic time that actually works for your biology) instead of deciding each morning whether you’re going to snooze it or not. You might pack the same lunch, or pick from a small selection of lunches that you like.
Many business owners benefit from a nighttime ritual that helps them go to sleep and stay asleep: turning off all screens that emit blue light an hour before bed, reading a book, journaling all their thoughts and emotions and to-dos so their brain doesn’t wake them up panicking about something that hasn’t been finished.
These rituals and routines are done with intention: you want a certain outcome (sleep, better decision-making ability during the day, less stress, etc.) and you have made some decisions to get you to those outcomes.
This is different from:
Mindlessly scrolling through emails/”social” media because you’re bored
Mindlessly scrolling through emails/”social” media because you’re procrastinating
Mindlessly scrolling through emails/”social” media because you just finished a big problem, or got to a good stopping place, and you feel like your brain needs a break (it does, but scrolling doesn’t help that)
Mindlessly scrolling through emails/”social” media because you’re in line waiting for something
Tackling every task on your plate just because it’s there
Do you feel like there’s more to life beyond what yours looks like? That’s because there probably is. And it’s probably not work that needs more attention, since most of us end up prioritizing work over life.
Improving productivity gives you more time for a fulfilling life
Sometimes people tell me they love their work, so there’s no reason to think about the other things in life. Really?
You don’t want to spend more time with loved ones? You literally have nothing else in your life that you enjoy (hobbies, physical activities) other than making a profit, either for you or someone else?
And even if that’s true, what will you do when you are no longer able to work all those hours? Notice I said when, not if. Lots of people think they’re going to work until they die, and lots of people are wrong (unless they die young, which I’m guessing you don’t want to do.)
There is a point at which you will no longer be mentally or physically able to work even 40 hours a week, never mind the 50 or 60 (or even 80) you might currently be putting in. It’s true that knowledge workers don’t have to worry about the physical body as much as others might, but there are changes in the brain with age as well.
Imagine having to cut back on your work hours, at some point probably completely. What are you going to do then? Will you feel like you’ve lost your identity, because it was all wound up in your work?
Now imagine that during your working years you did some other enjoyable things besides your work. You built some friendships outside your business, so you don’t lose them when you retire. By the way, having worked with a lot of retired people in a previous life, I can tell you that losing your work friends once you retire is incredibly common.
You have other activities you enjoy. They could be hobbies, like playing a musical instrument or woodworking or crafting. But they could also be related to your purpose, whatever that might be. Maybe you tutor at-risk kids, or teach adult learners ESL, or join the board of a nonprofit whose mission closely aligns with yours.
Then you retire. You don’t lose your identity because you’re not completely wrapped up in your work. You simply close that door and enter your next chapter with head held high. Retirement doesn’t feel scary or at least, not as scary even though you’re no longer earning an income.
Obviously, you can’t work 80 hour weeks and sleep and exercise and enjoy all these non-work activities. Guess what has to go!
The secret is that you don’t need to work 80 hour weeks to be successful. You have to know how to get the important tasks done and let go of the other stuff. (Not sure how to do this? I can help – book a free call with me).
Intention is the key to a fulfilling life and better productivity
First, you have to know what for yourself is a fulfilling life. That’s not always easy – if you own a service-based business, the week between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays might be a good time to go inward and ask yourself what you really want your life to look like.
No one’s perfect in the age of the smartphone, but doing smart things like keeping your phone out of your bedroom, turning off notifications when you’re trying to focus, and having a few items that feed your spirit and replenish you that you can do instead of mindless scrolling is, well, smart.
Living with intention can not only bring you a more fulfilling life, but could potentially help with cognitive functioning later in life.
What’s your intention for 2026?
Recap (tl;dr):
Being more intentional about daily activities can help you have a fulfilling life as well as help protect against some kinds of age-related decline.
Need help running your business with intention? Schedule your free consultation call with me to be more effective in your business.
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash.