Okay, friends, today’s episode is a bit of a heart-to-heart. While we often focus on “how to get organized,” for the past few months, I’ve been thinking about the broader topic of why we want to get organized and how to identify “the best productivity philosophy.”
The reason this matters is because we often get caught up in doing things–a LOT of things–that have immediate payoffs. And while I can definitely help you to get your whole checklist done and have a totally organized life, you won’t actually enjoy that life unless it is centered in what really matters to you.
Today I’m sharing my best ideas–with the hope that you will come to the Comments section at the bottom of this page and share your wisdom with me, as well! I don’t have all the answers right now, but I’m starting the conversation. 🙂
I’ll admit that the title of this episode is kind of long:
“Finding More JOY in the Somewhat-Complicated World of VALUES-CENTERED Productivity.”
I’ll break it down a bit to clarify what I mean.
First, What is Values-Centered Productivity?
I have been working online in the productivity space for more than 15 years, and it’s sometimes been tricky to explain what, exactly, I do. I love to help people to get organized with simple systems in our Steps to Everyday Productivity program, Eric and I enjoy supporting our ARISE community so they can “wake up excited and go to bed content” by focusing on the core areas of a well-architected life, and we offer lots of free bite-sized resources throughout our digital platforms to lift and encourage our community in those same areas.
But sometimes when I’m talking about cleaning the house, creating a Command Central, getting organized, being more productive, etc., I worry that people will think my goal is for all of us to “do more.” That’s actually not my intention at all. What I really want is for all of us to have the energy to do what matters most. We want to be “productive” according to our values.
So if I were to attempt to write an official definition for values-centered productivity, I would say this:
Values-Centered Productivity means we create lives of purpose by acting in alignment with our true values–even if the required effort is not always easy, fun, or instantly rewarding.
Why is this “somewhat-complicated”?
Because most of the advice that I have received and currently receive doesn’t define “success” that way or support that objective I’ve outlined.
For example, here’s what comes up in an A.I. search:
“Values-centered productivity is the idea that aligning your personal values with your work can lead to increased productivity and engagement. This can happen when you find a job or career that matches your values, which can help you feel more motivated, focused, and satisfied.”
I am all for finding a career that matches my values, and, gratefully, I believe I have done that, but what brings motivation, focus, and satisfaction for the many, many, many people out there who are raising children, caring for aging parents, and making sacrifices for people–even when it hinders their professional work and personal time?
Or take this piece of advice I recently received from a well-respected productivity expert I follow: “Don’t do anything you don’t enjoy or that doesn’t make you money.”
Now, perhaps that advice was only intended to reside within a very narrow frame of running a business, and I agree that we have to be extremely wise with how we allot our time, but it’s rare that anyone even talks about how hard it can be when a large part of your life consists of really important things that you don’t necessarily “enjoy” and that certainly won’t make you money. Like disciplining children, mending difficult relationships, managing health care for a loved one, managing finances, being there for someone who is struggling with their mental health, taking out the trash, putting energy into someone or something you believe in–without having a clue if your efforts will payoff long-term, and the thousands of other important needs inherent in families and relationships.
There seems to be this idea that the more intelligent and skilled we become, the more these kinds of activities should be hired out or delegated. Some of them, with careful thought, definitely can be.
But I believe that the most meaningful, precious, personal connections–that are core to the human experience–are often neglected because they are not seen as “productive.”
A quick note on what Values-Centered Productivity is NOT:
- It doesn’t mean we abandon all of our responsibilities and totally disregard the values of being effective or efficient.
- It doesn’t mean we give up everything we love and everything that makes us money.
- It doesn’t mean we let ourselves be tossed by the waves of life–taking on anything that feels important at the time, but procrastinating those things that will bring us a balanced life.
This is a bit nuanced, but stick with me because I think understanding and acting on this principle will make a bigger impact than we might imagine. There is a fine line between “doing what needs to be done” and “doing MORE because it feeds our ego or feels more fun.” I have had to work really hard to temper myself over the years because, if I let myself, I could be a workaholic in a nanosecond.
Our egos love to be fed–mine included. But if I devoted my life to feeding my ego, I would end up with a shallow existence that would never have the power to make me happy.
I once heard someone comment that the loudest voices on the internet belong to people with anxiety disorders who are wired for productivity. That comment hit a little too close to home because I have struggled with anxiety, and I am wired for productivity. But as I serve online, I want to help create a world where we can get off “the treadmill” and create lives we can’t wait to wake up and live–not because every day is necessarily “fun,” but because we are living in alignment with the values we hold most dear.
Why does it matter if we find more joy in values-centered productivity?
I’m not here to “make” someone feel joy if they don’t want it, but I’ve found that values-centered productivity can often lead to feelings of being the martyr, and I’d like to change that.
Here at LearnDoBecome, we serve an amazing community of compassionate, thoughtful, conscientious individuals (Becomers!) who lovingly keep their families and communities running, but they often don’t see how incredible they are and therefore don’t believe in themselves as I wish they would.
I believe that finding joy in values-centered productivity is critical for the overall well-being of this group of Becomers–and for anyone in the world. I also believe that when we find that joy, it will be so much easier to get out of the overwhelm–because we’ll see our lives through a clearer lens.
Ready to dive into some ways find more joy?
IDEA #1: Create Alignment
We need to understand our identity–WHO we truly are, and we need to understand WHAT we actually believe is the purpose of life. For me, this involves connecting with my Higher Power and developing confidence as I make choices each day that feel “right.” If I don’t have this kind of an anchor or alignment in my life, it is way too easy to get down on myself. If I don’t know who I am, what I believe, and why I am making choices the way I am, when I see a friend or a peer doing something fancy or fabulous, I compare myself. It might sound like, “Here I am doing this mundane work while everyone else is out there doing amazing things.” When I’m in alignment, however, I can cheer on my friends for the good they are doing, while feeling completely content with the good I am doing. There’s no need to compare.
IDEA #2: Use Discernment
In an attempt to serve, love, and lift, we can exhaust ourselves. You’ve been there, right? Discernment is essential because we can’t be all things to all people, but we can be wise as we decide how to spend our time, energy, and resources. Today, for example, a person in my life clearly needed love–way more than I had the capacity to give. My heart sank, wondering if I should drop everything in an attempt to fill that need, but after talking with Eric about it and checking in with that alignment I am trying to maintain, I decided a few minutes of love would be appropriate, and then I can follow up in the future, if it makes sense to do so.
IDEA #3: Understand that It is NORMAL and COURAGEOUS to Do Non-Appealing Work for the Sake of the Future.
The older I get and the more I actually see what’s going on behind the scenes–especially in the media–the more I have to remind myself that we rarely see the whole picture, and everything we DO see is portrayed in a way that satisfies the motivations of the person portraying it. Steady, mundane, frustrating, repetitive work doesn’t make headlines. But a key characteristic of a well-architected life is that we go forward with faith in worthwhile endeavors. One day I wrote in my journal how “blah” my life was feeling. Most of my activities weren’t anywhere close to fun. I was helping my child study for a big test, listening to a worried friend process some hard things, helping with a fundraiser for a local organization, and hosting an event for a group I didn’t even know. All of these activities were in alignment with my values. I made the decisions carefully, and I knew those activities were going to require a lot of energy, but when I sat down and journaled through my emotions, I realized the problem wasn’t that I had made poor choices. The problem was that I forgot how normal and courageous it is to do non-appealing work–without immediate payoffs–for the sake of the future.
IDEA #4: See “The List” as a Flexible Guide
I love to talk about “Creating Our Day,” and I think it’s fun to map out my appointments, routines, project time, etc. so my day has a general structure I can follow. This works well most days, and we have more resources I’ll link below, if you’re interested! However, what happens when we make a list and set appointments, and then we’re interrupted by a person/value that matters more? I have spent many, many hours feeling sorry for myself and/or resenting “people” for ruining my plans, but I generally don’t do that anymore because I see the list as a guide. If all goes as anticipated, that’s great! But if a higher-value need arises, we simply adjust the lists. No big deal. And if you’re thinking, “I can’t just leave my job every time a person needs me,” you’re right–but let’s go back to the definition of a “value that matters more.” Sometimes doing your job or getting a task done IS the most important thing, so we need to make that assessment. The problem for me doesn’t come in situations like that. The problem comes when I see my list as my boss–and people as interruptions. The more I’ve shifted from that perspective, the happier and more connected to others I have become. For example – I was working on a project I was excited about that truly needed to get done. One of my children had something hard happen and it opened a lot of conversations that took quite a bit of time. “Achiever” April would have thought, “Now I’m behind because I took time for my family.” “Becomer” April, focused on a values-centered approach, thought, “There’s some wiggle room here, and shifting my attention to my child is in line with my values right now.”
IDEA #5: Build Buffer into Our Lives as Much as Possible
We get to choose if we pack our schedules or not, and to be honest, I used to pack my schedule because it felt good to always be moving, progressing, engaging, serving, and checking things off. I didn’t just go through my days, I conquered my days. However, when my schedule is tight, relationships, spontaneity, and the ability to follow impressions from my Higher Power fall by the wayside. Now I focus on creating a life that is as asynchronous as possible, with plenty of margin scattered throughout the week. By protecting my calendar and having plenty of white space, I’m more able to respond to the needs that arise. I still get my work done, but I use the flexibility to truly live according to my values.
IDEA #6: Adjust with Wisdom and Creativity
I don’t get everything right the first time. I don’t get most things right the first time. But each Sunday as I create my week, I reflect on the prior week and identify ways I can improve things moving forward. Sometimes I realize I need more library time because my household has felt too busy. Sometimes I need to block out time to spend with my family because we’ve been running parallel to one another. Sometimes I need to delegate, simplify, restructure, or eliminate, etc. Creativity is key here. For example, I usually take our dog to her vet appointments, but on one unpredictably busy day, I realized our 17-year-old could do this just as well as I could, so he did! And he got her a puppacino (cup of whipped cream) at Starbucks on the way home… That enabled me to preserve my energy so I could pour it back into him later.
IDEA #7: Prioritize Self-Care in the Midst
This could be an entirely separate podcast, but I think you get the point. When we take care of our own needs for sleep, nutrition, exercise, spiritual nurturing, fun, social time, down time, etc., and when we make time to clean our homes, do laundry, pay attention to our finances, and manage all the “stuff” of our lives, we feel energized and able to give back.
IDEA #8: Live an Autotelic Life
I love the word “autotelic.” It essentially means it has a purpose in and not apart from itself. If exercise, for example, is autotelic, it means I enjoy the process, even if I don’t get the big muscles I was hoping for. If prayer is autotelic, I enjoy the peace I feel during prayer–even if the answers don’t come as I expected. If parenting is autotelic, it means I love the closeness and interactions, even if my children decide to live differently than I would recommend. When we do this, there is less pressure on the outcomes and more joy in the journey. No time is a waste because it was joyful and purposeful along the way.
In Closing…
As we are moving forward with “getting organized” and being “productive” here at LearnDoBecome, I genuinely hope that we will approach these goals with our values at the center. That is what will get us to the point where we wake up excited and go to bed content. It isn’t about the checkboxes. It’s about the relationships and the becoming.
We’ve all been the recipients of grace and love.
Neighbors watched our children at a moment’s notice when I started to miscarry.
My mom woke up and talked with me well after midnight when I came home from my work at Disneyland, crying hard because a co-worker was unkind to me.
My dad spent many Saturday nights during my teen years driving me and my friends to church dances–often just waiting in the car until we were finished since we were so far from home.
My siblings answer my phone calls and take time to “just talk” when I’m out walking Sunny.
My children and husband pause what they are doing to come snuggle with me or help me with random needs around the house.
And one frustrating morning when I wasn’t feeling well, Eric spent several hours helping me work through my challenges. I said, “I’m sorry to be taking your whole day.”
His response surprised and touched me–and has stayed with me for months. He said, “You’re my wife. You ARE my day.”
When our lives come to a close, it’s unlikely that anyone will care about our physical appearances, income, or social/political power. But what they WILL remember is that we cared about them,
I hope we can build lives that are full of compassion and connection. I hope we can identify our values and make the tough decisions to live in alignment with them. Some parts of our lives will feel fantastic and social-media worthy. Most of our moments will be offline, private, and too personal to share. But when we truly focus on values-centered productivity, there will be so much joy.
Here are the testimonials that I shared throughout this podcast:
Kathleen wrote, “#STEPwin All those boxes and bags of old mail I went through last week? I just cashed in over $200 in Costco rewards checks dated from 2020 and 2021!”

This next message comes from Stacey:

This next message comes from “Gramma”:

The final testimonial and message comes from Janan:

Related Links:
[PODCAST 174]: Create Your Day
Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!
Create Your Day – Podcast with Download
The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.
Wow. This concept of values-based productivity and how you explain it could be a book, April. There has to be more people out there who want to dream big and work toward goals without losing our souls in the process.
Point #3 regarding doing unappealing and mundane tasks speaks volumes to me as most of my life is built on routines as a mom and wife and helping on the farm. I never wanted to be a routine person. I wanted to be spontaneous and free! But I have found so much joy in these life roles after being a part of this community and realizing that building a legacy and architecting a life of excellence occurs in all the daily and non-flashy tasks of life.
Supposed to be I go…. (-:
I wish I could FRAME this comment! I love that you are finding joy in the non-flashy parts of life. 🙂 Of course it isn’t an “either-or,” but you are focusing on what truly matters. Love it!! Thanks for all you bring to the LearnDoBecome community, Maria!
My grandfather always said….. the hurrier Ibgo…. the behinder I get…. (-: ty April!! Don
Thank you very much for this inspirational message. I appreciate and am reminded that it is our values that we need to live and not our “to-do” list. Thanks!
Just to say God bless you and I agree so much. I wrote the article:)🙂 thank you
April,
I have listened to this on repeat. Point 3 resonates very strongly with me and to be validated made me weep. I made the decision to be a deliberate mother after reading the power of moms book years ago and I realise this has been returned and more as I watch my daughter blossom into a young woman, she is me and so much more!
Thankyou for all that you do,
Teresa
Teresa, this means SO much to hear from you! I am so proud of you and the family you have created! It’s sweet to see the beautiful relationships that result from all the effort. Thank you!!