I know you are reading this headline and saying “hey, my life is pretty good”. I am sure you are a Type A individual who just bunkers down and do the things that need to get done. You are responsible, you are reliable and most likely you wish there were just a few more moments in your day.

What you might not recognize is there are many things that are having a negative impact on your productivity and weighing you down. Why? Because you “just get things done”. These are things we are all so use too, we don’t even recognize any more what a drain on time and energy.

Here are a few of these “things” and what you can do about them.

1) Email, Texts, Social Media and more Email.

How many times have you tried to enjoy dinner with friends but had to keep your phone on the table? If you are like most people, you are super connected and what studies have found is that the idea of having an unread email or text can make it difficult to concentrate on your present moment. It is stealing time and important opportunities for you to disengage.

The first step to sanity is STOP checking your email, Facebook wall and every Instagram picture every 10 seconds. Close your email while working on a project that requires your concentration and turn off the email pop up in Outlook that tells you every time you are cc’d on an email. Turn off alerts on your social media and identify critical times in your schedule that you will look at these things, in bulk. – Yes, the secret is to read in bulk and only allow yourself distraction on your time under your rules.

2) Being Disorganized

I find that most people like schedules, like to follow systems and like to have structured environments. Even the messiest of people like some type of order in their lives. It is very easy to fall into a state of overwhelm especially if you are disorganized and cannot find the things you are looking for. How much time do you waste hunting for items you misplaced or didn’t file correctly? How frustrated did you get?

You can eliminate that feeling by simply adding organization and systems into your life. It will make a huge positive impact on your daily life. Try planning out your day, organizing your clutter and cleaning up your workspace. You would be amazed at how quickly your brain goes from distracted to focus by simply organizing your space.

3) Not Having Passion or Purpose

Being productive and being busy isn’t the same as having purpose. You can be excellent at your job and do it very well, but if you don’t wake up every day singing the sunshine song on your way into work, you don’t have any passion. Our passion is what makes us unique and what makes us attractive. It is a special energy that we each give off when we are in our zones. Having passion and a sense of purpose – Meaning what is the bigger picture for you and what is your legacy provides you the best sense of focus ever. When we lack these two things, we are distracted at every turn in search of something new.

To overcome this, find your passion. What excites you each day? What tasks do you perform that you lose track of time? What topics do you find yourself talking about? These are the things you should be filling your time with.