Productivity and Meaning

I had a really awesome conversation today with my life coach about organizing my life to build both meaning and productivity. Check out some of what we discussed:

I want to share some highlights from our conversation, particularly drawing inspiration from the wisdom of Russell M. Nelson, a remarkable individual renowned for his achievements as the President of and an Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Notably, he is also a distinguished heart surgeon and a father of ten children.
Nelson, reflecting on his multifaceted life, once shared a perspective that transcends traditional compartmentalization:

"Some of you have already defined your goals. Some have even developed a system of priorities to give order to your interests and responsibilities. I applaud such discipline and think it’s useful, but I believe that this ordering process may often be a little artificial. Rarely do we fragment the life that we live. It is not possible to influence one facet of our life without that affecting other aspects as well. So, in my own experience, I have preferred not to compartmentalize my interests, but to synergize them."

Nelson also credits his success to focusing on being present where you are. When you are at work, be fully engaged in work, when you are at home be fully engaged with your family. Living in this way will boost productivity, and focusing on synergizing all the work you do to become something more will boost meaning in life. I believe, however, that if you were to ask him directly what attributed to his success he would say that it was God's hand working and guiding him in his life.

Similarly, ancient scripture teaches us important lessons about being where you should be and focusing on what you should be doing according to the place where you are. Whether or not you are religious, the lessons from the Bible apply today to your life. In the beginning of the Old Testament God creates man and woman, and says it is not good for them to be alone, but that they are meant to be together (Genesis 2:18). However, Eve is later found alone and is tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, and Adam later follows.
David, the King of Israel, also fell because he found himself to be in a place where he wasn't supposed to be. Instead of leading his armies at war, he was at home relaxing when he trapped himself in an affair with another man's wife. (2 Samuel 11 & 12). While these are both rather dramatic stories from the Bible, they inspire me to be where I need to be, and really be there in my mind too. When I am at school, or in the library, I really should study. When I am at work, I really should work and put all my energy there. When I am home, I should be building my relationships.

At the very least, this is helpful advice for me and I am excited to implement it in my life. Let me know if you think this counsel and more content like this would be helpful to you!