Productivity is not about how much you can accomplish, but rather how well you can optimize your energy to achieve your goals. A random search on the internet for ways to increase productivity will bring up at least 240 million results. With such an abundance of information on the topic, you would think we’d all have the secret to productivity all figured out by now. But many of us wind up trying out hacks that worked for somebody else, but not for us.
What if you had a system custom-tailored to how you innately exert energy, make decisions, and take action? What if there was a way for you to understand how and where you work best so that you could improve your productivity consistently?
There is a way, and it’s called Human Design.
What is Human Design?
Human Design is a system based on multiple areas of science including, biochemistry, genetics, quantum physics of neutrinos, and the Chakra system. It helps explain why what works for one person may not work for another. It is also the key to getting what you want; consistent results that have a positive impact on your personal and professional life and relationships.
The best way to implement the use of Human Design is to know your chart which will define your productivity style. Many variables impact productivity such as energy/career type, functions, decision-making strategies, environment, strengths, and individual traits. Some will be discussed here.
That said, Human Design’s purpose is not to fit people into boxes or categories, rather to provide a more expansive view of how complex we really are. There are nearly 2 billion unique Human Design configurations, which means the more we can understand ourselves, and how we operate at our best, the more we can improve our chances of increasing productivity and achieving anything we want.
Human Design Types
Projectors, Manifestors, Reflectors, Generators, and Manifesting Generators are the most commonly used classifications for Human Design energy types. However, according to the Human Design business system and for the sake of understanding productivity, they are classified as Advisor, Innovator, Evaluator, Classic Builder, and Express Builder. These classifications describe the core of a career type and work style.
Each type provides a deeper understanding of your natural state of being or your unique modus operandi. The more we know and understand these types the easier and more efficient our communication and interaction with others becomes. Beyond improving productivity, knowing your energy/career type will lead to reduced friction in relationships, better management of expectations, improved planning, and realistic goal setting, and task assignment. Here’s a quick overview of each type:
Advisors seek efficiency and can naturally see how to get a job done in less time and effort and guide others towards a more efficient workflow. They tend to work best in short bursts of time throughout the day. Their focus is less on workflow and productivity and more on efficiency.
Innovators are the initiators, and their impact lies in generating new ideas and inspiring others. They are often more productive working independently but delegating some tasks to others.
Classic Builders and Express Builders represent about 70% of the world population. They are the engine that keeps it going. As builders and creators, their productivity can stretch for extended periods as long as they are enjoying the task they’re doing and mastering their skill(s).
Evaluators have an innate ability to investigate and observe the conditions of the people and environments around them. They can, therefore, assess and reflect on what needs to change and improve. Their productivity level may vary day-to-day and throughout the day. Like Advisors, their focus is less on workflow and productivity and more on efficiency.
Functions
There are nine different functions in each Human Design chart with unique attributes. These functions are an inspiration, conceptualization, communication, direction, willpower, instinct, energy, emotional intelligence, and drive. These functions shape your productivity patterns, how you work alone and with others, and how you manage stress and work under pressure.
When it comes to productivity, deadlines are the most common stressors that hinder it. A closer examination sometimes reveals that many of the deadlines are presumed and not grounded in a necessity or urgency. When you understand your unique configuration, you not only will be able to determine how you innately respond to stress under pressure, but also how you manage that stress, where the pressure originates, and how it impacts others. This way, you can recalibrate work priorities and set realistic goals and reduce unnecessary stress.
Decision-Making Strategy
Human Design recognizes the body as a domain of intelligence and decision-making that goes well beyond cognitive knowledge. The fact is decision-making leads to consequences not only for you as a decision-maker but for those who will be impacted by your decisions. Knowing your decision-making process will allow you to plan when decisions need to be made and provide you with ample time to achieve clarity. You always want to be clear on the consequences for you and for those your decisions will impact. This is a surefire way to retain synergy in personal and professional relationships.
Nearly 50% of us are meant to rely on our emotional intelligence (one of the seven decision-making strategies in Human Design); meaning they are not meant to make decisions on the spot. These people are meant to wait until moments of emotional clarity before making important decisions because they go through emotional highs and lows due to a chemical process that happens in the body.
Environment
In Human Design, the environment supports your growth and development. To foster the highest and most consistent levels of productivity you need to know which type of space or environment supports you.
For example, if you work best in a ‘cave’ environment this means you are attracted to enclosed spaces that provide a sense of security. When working, you want to position yourself in a way that allows you to observe the people and environment around you. You may choose to tuck yourself into a corner, in a conference room, or sit back against a wall, usually where you can see the entrance.
People who work best in a ‘kitchen’ environment seek spaces that suggest and support creativity, interaction, and collaboration. If you felt more comfortable in this environment it means you are more drawn to people and the dynamics that occur in a space more than its physical attributes. In this environment, connection and community are what leads to productivity.
Structure and Consistency
Contrary to popular belief structure and a consistent routine is not a one-size-fits-all strategy that will work for everyone. For those who work best with structure and routine, addressing one task at a time is ideal. Those of us who need more flexibility tend to work best outside the confines of the typical 9-5 workday.
It is interesting to note that the current health pandemic has allowed many who shifted to working from home the opportunity to curate their unique workflow and work hours which yielded higher productivity.
No matter what you’re attempting to achieve, whether personal or professional it is imperative to understand which structure (or lack of) works best for you and will support the results you want.
Making Human Design Work for You
As you can see our level of productivity can be significantly improved once you understand your body’s intelligence, your natural behavioral tendencies, and preferences for productivity and meeting your goals. If you’re ready to transform the way you use your energy, manage stress, and make decisions, contact us to book your customized Human Design consultation.
This article was written by Reem Mansour.
