It is easy to fill our time with tasks, to do's, worries, thoughts, and mindless social media scrolling sessions.

Like a gas in an enclosed container, "stuff" will always take up as much space in our life as we let it.

And then it becomes wishful thinking to assume we will ever live a life that is not busy as all busy really means is that we are consumed by these aspects of thoughts, feelings and behaviors and do not know how to move past, separate from or work more effectively within them.

From here, the idea of productivity was born.

Being able to manage our time and energy more effectively to progress towards our goals and complete our tasks at hand more efficiently and with greater ease. This was an excellent first step in the process to treating the disease of busyness. It forced people to use systems of delegation, automation, deleting and prioritization.

But productivity often misses some key concepts that can only be mastered when we transition to the 3rd shift of existence...Intentionality.

When we are intentional, we can assume the skills and tools of a more productive lifestyle while connecting to a deeper purpose, root and/or value.

We shift to thinking more about the "why" behind our choices and see our time and energy as more critical investments. It is not just about being more efficient but doing something that fuels and feeds us — mind, body and soul.

It is about being productive and flexible to respond to what we have on our plates while honoring the state of ourselves and knowing that our worth and value are not connected to what we do but how we show up to our life as a whole.

What stage do you find yourself at? Busy, productive or intentional? What is one way you can help make the shift to the next stage or create greater depth in your intentioanlity? As always, let me know how I can support you on this journey and feel free to comment below to help maintain that sense of accountability.