I’d normally have reserved this kind of piece for The Productivityist Weekly, but I decided to send this out for all of the Productivityist audience to see because it just feels right to do so. My weekly email is now called ATTN: and I’d love to send it your way. Just click here to make that happen now or sign up using the form at the end of this piece. Thanks!
I’ve been in the midst of a lot of deep work lately. Because of this, I’ve not been as active on social media and I’ve definitely let some of my blog writing slip (hence all of the content that was initially run first in The Productivityist Weekly landing on the blog as of late). At first, I felt bad about this. Now…not so much.
That’s because I have some really big things planned and I have been making measured progress on those things.
NOWvember was initially conceived to be a month where I delivered a ton of content for the audience here at Productivityist. The first iteration of this program didn’t go the way I’d planned. Instead of delivering the content, I’ve been creating it. I’ve been setting up the future of Productivityist in NOWvember rather than displaying the beginnings of that future. At first, I felt bad about this. Now…not so much.
That’s because I am setting myself up for what’s next, instead of putting myself out there in a way that isn’t congruent with where I want to go.
Derek Sivers recently unveiled what he dubbed his “/now page.” I love this idea. While we haven’t created one at Productivityist yet (because Productivityist isn’t just about me now – it’s much bigger than that) I did create one for myself right here. This /now page shares what I’m working on and also tells me what I’m supposed to be working on. It creates accountability and also ensures that my actions are in alignment with my goals. And it creates it now.
Now is such an interesting term. Now can be this very second or take up a much larger capacity, depending on perspective. Yet now doesn’t stick around…forever. It goes as quickly as it comes. It isn’t even really a state of time; it’s a state of being.
Right now I’m writing the first blog post I have written in a long time. In fact, it’s the first bit of personal writing I’ve done (outside of my daily journal) that I’ve done in over three weeks. At first, I felt bad about this. Now…not so much.
Why?
It’s because I’ve laid the groundwork in NOWvember for a better future for myself. A future of deeper work that can help even more people with their productivity problems and pitfalls. A future where I am more present than ever before – both at home and at work. A future where I am even more aligned with my values and vision of where I want to go and who I want to be.
And that future starts now.
I’m challenging all of you to start your own Now Movement. Start small, but start now. Whether it’s by the simple act of journaling for 5 minutes every day or by pairing your intentions with your attention even deeper. You can start doing one thing now that can lead to an even better now tomorrow – and it doesn’t take a herculean effort to do so. You already have the way. It just takes the will.
I want to hear your story. I want to help you make your Now Movement the best it can be. Email me at now@mikevardy.com and share with me what you plan to do to make things better now.
