Tozak Filming

In my experience, sustainable and consistent productivity emerges from an ability to remain present throughout the day.

Think about some of the behaviors that distract you from being productive – maybe it’s consuming content, playing video games, scrolling, watching something, or social media surfing. A lot of these activities actually take us out of the present moment. It’s an impulsive behavior. 

This is because being productive on something that takes effort, but is well worth our time, is embracing the present moment of where we’re at.

So because of this, I want to explore a perspective you can take towards looking at your own productivity. It’s not a matter of piecing together the perfect plan and routine, but instead simply cultivating our own presence, and allowing our productivity to flourish out of that. 

And this presence doesn’t necessarily mean productivity all the time. It’s just the presence of the life around you which results in taking more conscious decisions.

These conscious decisions will align with more fulfilling actions, joyful activities, and productive work.

If you watched my recent podcast episode I talked about a bunch of methods and strategies you can implement into your creative routine in order to become a more productive artist. I share many principles that I have learned over the years and implemented into my own work, like time blocks, deep work, scheduling; however, I prefaced these principles with something very important which is that there is always something deeper. If you are not productive with your creative work and you feel it’s draining your soul, then there is something under the surface. The quick fix of a “productivity hack” is not necessarily the thing that your soul needs from you at the moment. That’s also why I mentioned the practice of journaling and how that tool can help you access the answers you need.

Working with this deeper thing can go hand in hand with your journey of being more present and aware – which is the foundation for what I believe to be the most consistent kind of productivity. 

So, along the lines of presence not just being about “work, work, work”, the other day I was around my studio desk and I sat down on my floor, criss cross applesauce. I had gotten some nice work done throughout the day but I still wanted to get a video edited before nighttime. I sat there on the floor and just started playing with the ring on my finger. I put the ring on a nail clipper and started flinging the ring across the rug. I played a game with myself to see if I could keep beating my distance of how far the ring would fly.

I was having fun. I felt like the kid I really am. I wasn’t “productive” in the eyes of productivity just being about the work you do throughout the day. You could say I was being spiritually productive. 

But you know what I definitely was? 

I was present.

And I knew in that moment that there was nothing else I’d rather be doing. And this was the best thing that I could be doing. 

I actually started hearing Minecraft music in my head as I was playing the ring game. It was so peaceful. I felt like I was in Minecraft – which, this world around us is basically Minecraft in real life. Minecraft is just based on earth.

And in this presence, there is a slowing down. It’s an arising of consciousness, and again this is the foundation for more conscious choices and productive living. It brings more fulfillment. 

I put on a playlist of minecraft music afterwards and sure enough, the first song on the playlist was the one I was humming in my head. The title of the playlist was – “all of a sudden, everything becomes alright”.

Believe me, I know the anxiety and interior struggle that can come with living days upon days without taking action towards the things you know you should be doing. I have been there. And I still struggle with the reason why we don’t take action – fear.

But I promise you that if you can try to be more present, not indulge in activities that you know are not good for you, and instead just put some more time towards the projects that really matter to you.. Then you, my friend, will experience the opposite of those anxious emotions. You can taste the other side of the spectrum.

This is so important because we only live one life. And you deserve to feel love, experience joy, experience the joy bringing joy to others, and seeing yourself bring your visions to life. It’s a grand feeling that can only be felt through actually experiencing it. 

This life is our minecraft server. We got this one server to play in, so let’s start building, one block at a time. 

In the practical side of things, it can the smallest shift that kickstarts some momentum. In the morning, instead of grabbing your phone or hopping on a device, do something consciously.

Go outside for a moment, write some things down on paper, meditate, or take a walk. When I take a walk in the morning, like I did today, I can’t help but make more conscious decisions when I get back home. It’s like my body’s still moving and I just want to do things. I am present and in tune with my senses. From there, I just stay present and do what I feel called to do.

And listen, your best actions will look unique to you. But just make sure that they’re your best actions. Take what resonates from me and leave the rest.

The reason why I’m so passionate about the idea of balance and intuition is because I truly believe it applies to every area of life. I don’t feel called to tell you that “this is exactly the time you should start working” and “you need to do this in order to get progress on your work”. I can share experiences, principles, and ideas that have worked for me and encourage you to try some rendition based on how it resonates, but the individual path will always emerge from you.

The way will start with you as you’ve internalized the things you’ve learned. The information and pieces of content are mirrors and triggers for your intuition. Take each piece of advice and phrase based on how it resonates, even the title of this blog. 

When there’s a moment of resonance, that is truth recognizing truth. And that’s beautiful, recognize it and see what it’s telling you. 

It doesn’t matter how long you ignore it for, it will never leave your side. You will always have access to your intuition and towards your higher calling.

And I feel called to tell you now to listen to it. 

Thanks for reading this blog. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

Go make some good decisions. Do it for yourself. Remain present and live in a fulfilling way, if just for today.