Control, Letting Go, and Productivity

Dear Real Academics,

In the recent months I've been thinking quite a lot about the idea of control: How I try to control situations, things, or others; how people try to control situations, things, or others; how control ultimately kills the individual soul and creativity.

The type of control I'm thinking of here is not positive. There is arguably a place for positive control such as "controlling" things like bad habits or  time, for example. Though here I would argue people cannot really control things like habits or time but rather can only manage or regulate them. I would also argue that control is almost always 100% related to fear.

With that said, my productivity does not thrive when I become controlling. When I'm controlling I tend to do the following: Worry, stress, micromanage, become pessimistic. When a place becomes controlling I see the following unfold: Worry, stress, micromanagement, pessimism. Yes, the same. All negative. All not conducive to productivity.

So, let's get to the positive. 

My productivity thrives when I let go. By letting go, I am not becoming disorganized or undisciplined. Rather, I'm acknowledging the things I cannot control (e.g., negative reactions from others; systems that are broken). In doing so, I make space for the things I can positively regulate (e.g., my reactions; my systems of productivity).

And when I let go, I am literally able to refocus and gain a much broader perspective of what I need to do to make positive progress. I like the picture below because it inspires feelings of freedom and inspiration for me. Let go.

Is there something holding you back due to a negative control issue, Real Academic? Take some time to reflect, acknowledge, and make a plan for letting it go. Then, re-focus on what you can/should do and put your energy into. In this way, you are allowing your creativity, soul, and productivity to flourish.

As always, we LOVE hearing from you! Please share any thoughts or reactions to this post or anything else. You can reach us anytime at inforealacademics@gmail.com.

Until next time, happy writing and/or productivity!

Maggie

www.therealacademics.com

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