Cognitive restructuring
'Cognition' is a word used to denote a thought or belief, and 'restructuring' involves challenging a cognition by looking at the evidence for or against it. The basic idea behind cognitive restructuring is that thoughts themselves are not facts; you need to consider whether the thoughts you are having are true and to consider whether there are any other ways to thinking about a particular situation. At first this can be a real challenge: we often believe what we think and don't question our own thoughts. However, often our thinking is biased, and with perfectionism it can be biased towards thinking too negatively and harshly about yourself.
So, how do you improve productivity? The answer might be simpler than imagined. Here's a metaphor to help explain it.
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Imagine you're out for a drive when you car starts having trouble and eventually cuts out. You decide to pull over and take a look under the bonnet. You check the timing belt, coolant, spark plugs, battery, air filter, and every other part of the engine you can think of. Without any luck, you call roadside assist and get them to take a look at what's wrong with your car.
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Roadside assist arrives to assess your vehicle and discovers...your fuel tank is empty.
Wellbeing is made up of multiple parts, all of which are important in how well your engine runs. Nevertheless, if you forgot to put in fuel, no matter how good your engine is, you can't expect to be performing to your best. An empty fuel tank is one which hasn't been replenished, or you're expecting will refuel itself without putting in the necessary stops.