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Have Less, Do More

Operation Success

By Kayra Williams, Author Of Upcoming Novel ‘Mars’

THE less time you have, the more it seems you are able to achieve. This article represents my thoughts on productivity and its far reaching impact on our day to day living as well as our socio-economic development. Of course productivity must begin on a personal level to have any influence on society whatsoever. To have an impact in the work place, in a country or globally… it has to start somewhere.

I took my thoughts back to my own journey of finding my most productive self-starting in 2014. I had the desire to vivify my passion for writing in a way that illuminated purpose, and imparted complete self-fulfillment. After moving on from a media related post in Saint Lucia I faced a major road block. I was faced with quite the dilemma! I wanted to chase that which ignited my existence, a quest that would lead me to spending most of my time writing books. Though now I was on a path of creative exploration, I needed to make a living. I could not ignore my financial obligations chasing a dream, but I knew I had to make it work somehow. In the space of wanting something more than I have ever wanted anything before in my life, I discovered the truth to productivity, one that is directly linked to creativity, and vulnerability. But I will get to this later.

On the journey to finding out all these things, all the while writing furiously in my two hours of spare time every night, I stumbled upon an interview with Ashton Kutcher. He said something along the lines of “opportunity looks a lot like work.” More accurate words had never been spoken to me. I wondered how many other people could relate to those words. I understood him to be saying that the way to be most productive on an individual or collective level was to accept that hard work pays off. Simply put, the moment where you are expected to be most productive is directly related to one’s next manifestation of favour, good fortune, and success.

I completed my first novel in the space of a year, and the second, in about forty hours. By the time I was onto the second I realized the best version of productivity could only be achieved by time management. Once the blueprint was set in stone, it was less about the little details and more about getting it done, and once it was done, it was all about the little details, crossing t’s, and dotting i’s. After all, productivity embodies ensuring that your time is well spent, and for this maximum effort, you will reap the same or even more of a return, something that is worth your investment in the first place.

Now back to creativity and vulnerability. Where do those fit into productivity in the first place? I had no way of knowing until one afternoon, bored out of my mind with my own company, and four days into a writing marathon, I tuned into a Brene Brown TED Talk. The Qualitative Researcher stated simply: “If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist.” The same words had once been spoken to her by a research professor back when she was a doctoral student getting her Ph.D in Social Work. The shared theory was the spark plug to the inspiration I had been searching for. In a 20 minute presentation she explained that those words had been her life’s mantra as she had fought hard against vulnerability, choosing instead a life marked with controlling and predicting. She explained how she had gone about changing her life through intensive research into the lives of other people, through identifying the things that created barriers related to connection, recognizing the importance of vulnerability, and ultimately the meaning of living wholeheartedly.

I had been searching for some magical aspect that would lead to unbounded innovation, and here was Brene talking about vulnerability being the root of inspiration and creativity, and by extension, productivity. On an individual level, she said vulnerability was the birthplace of creativity and inspiration. Added to that, recognizing the need for human vulnerability was the beginning of understanding life itself, and by extension, connections with others. Connections that are also integral in thriving past the point of individual productivity, into the wider economical plane.

I watched her presentation to the end convinced of the underlying accuracy in the trend of thought that suggested that numbing vulnerability paralyzed creativity, drive and all the things necessary for the realization of true productive power. There was much to be explored with the simple concept of vulnerability in the sense of being more open to change and fresh ideas, accepting not knowing, then finding out, discovering new ways of thinking and doing, and not being afraid to be in that space of transition, all for the greater good. Creativity and productivity can both be found where and when they are least expected, but from there, it is always up to us to maintain and utilize the best measures for success.

(Article submitted by guest contributor Ms. Kayra Williams, author of the upcoming novel, “Mars”. You may connect with the author on Twitter @camikanye. For more information about productivity, visit the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) Secretariat, 2nd floor, Financial Centre Building, Bridge Street, Castries, log on to the NCPC website; www.stluciancpc.org ; www.facebook.com/stluciancpc, call 468-5571/5576 or send an e-mail to [email protected])

Kayra Williams was born on the island of St Lucia on April 6, 1989. From the moment she learned to read, she spent every waking moment with her nose buried in whatever literature she could find, choosing often fiction novels and deciding early on that she wanted to be just like the authors in the pages that mimicked real life.

Her voracity for words led to numerous creative writing awards in primary and secondary school, and thereafter, she accepted a job offer with the Star Newspaper at the age of 17.Read full bio...

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