How To Find Your Own Workflow & Stop Comparing It To Others

No one’s hustle looks the same.

Some people work best in the morning. Some people work best at night.

One person may shine when they are alone. And another person may thrive when they are surrounded by constant chaos and noise.

So let’s just state the obvious: Everyone is different.

And what works for you, might not work for the person next to you.

So why do we continue to compare ourselves and our workflow to other people? Especially when most of them we see are just online and not in real life?

These days, it can seem nearly impossible to not compare yourself to those around you.

So how can you find a way to find your own workflow and be proud of it? Without comparing yourself to other people because you already know that you are doing the best you can do?

Today, I want to talk about just that.

FINDING YOUR WORKFLOW

Before you can really establish your workflow, you need to understand when you’re in your flow state.

Ever heard of flow state before? It’s when time seems to slip away and you are your most productive.

Have you ever been so caught up in your work that you didn’t even notice that you were hungry? Or that you had to use the bathroom?

Yeah. That’s your flow state.

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So ask yourself, what time of day does this typically happen? And what are you working on? What typically happens right before? And where are you working?

For me, I’m most productive in the afternoon, about an hour after I eat lunch, working in my office. I’m also extremely productive when I have a little bit of caffeine in me and I’m working at a coffee shop.

And for the most part, I’m the most productive when I’m working on a new product OR creating new content that I absolutely believe in.

If the task is slightly uninteresting to me, then I’m not going to be motivated to work on it.

That’s just the way I work.

So what about you? When are you most productive?

ESTABLISHING A WORK ROUTINE

I used to think that I had to be at my desk at 8 am and stop work at 5 pm.

So even if I wasn’t ready to start the day, still in my pajamas, I would stumble down to my desk to “start working”.

But to be honest, most of the time I just wasted the first few hours of work not really working on anything important.

It wasn’t until I established my workflow routine and set rules for myself that I started to be really productive in my workflow.

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Now, I don’t like starting work before 10 am.

I can’t work if I haven’t worked out in some way or another. And I absolutely need water on my desk at all times! If I don’t have water, I can almost guarantee that I’m going to get a headache or lose focus.

Most days I do the same things to set up my work day to be successful. And days when I don’t follow this routine I notice that I’m not as productive and in the zone.

So once you figure out where your flow state lives, then you can establish a work routine for yourself to make sure that you are productive more days than not!

MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Okay. Honestly, I think the whole work-life balance this is a little bit of BS.

Work and personal life are so directly related that separating them seems silly.

If you have something terrible going on in your personal life, then I highly doubt that you are going to perform your best in your work life.

And if you’ve had a long day at work, then you’re almost guaranteed to bring that stress and negative energy into your home.

There is no on-off switch that we can flip to separate the 2.

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So I think it’s extremely important to create a healthy relationship in both your work life and personal life to make sure you perform your best in both areas.

Your workflow and work routine need to incorporate time for yourself.

Every morning, I take the time to meditate, read, and work out. That’s my me time.

If I’m not in a good state of mine before work, I can guarantee that it’s going to affect my work ethic throughout the day.

So understand that maintaining a good “work-life balance” or self-care ritual is extremely important to not only improve your workflow, but also stop comparison trips from happening.

RELATED: How To Create A Healthy Work-Life Balance

THE YOUTUBE CRISIS

Right now, I feel like there is this crisis happening on YouTube.

It all started with the explosion in the beauty community. And then YouTuber after YouTuber started to share their truth.

YouTubers started to take breaks from sharing videos. 

They’ve completed rebranded their channel.

And most of them (at least the ones I actively follow) are trying to be more raw and real on the platform.

They are sharing their concerns with being a full-time YouTuber. And they are sharing what really goes behind creating their success on the platform.

And to be completely honest, I’ve loved these videos. I like to see a real and raw side of people who make a living by sharing their lives online.

But one thing that keeps coming up in all of these videos is comparison.

There is this pressure to be like other YouTubers. To put out more content. To be happier. To be prettier. And most of them, well the ones that have shared their opinions, say that they feel this pressure to be perfect.

But these days, people don’t want to see perfect on YouTube. They want to see more vlog style videos instead of extremely curated videos. They want to get to know people.

And the shift has been difficult for those who have been on YouTube for 6+ years!

So how do we as a whole transition out of this world of comparison and become true to ourselves and to our followers by sharing what’s real… not what’s easy?

HOW TO STOP COMPARING YOUR HUSTLE TO OTHERS

With social media, it’s important to realize that people share their highlight reel. 

Most people don’t share when they are crying or upset.

You won’t see someone with 2 million followers share when they are really struggling with their body image. And you won’t hear someone complain about being broke on Instagram when they feel like they have an image to maintain.

Instagram and YouTube are highlight reels. 

That’s it.

So when you start to compare yourself to someone you see on these platforms, you need to understand that they have bad times just like you.

They have days when they don’t work and just watch tv for hours. They have days where they are sick and can’t get out of bed. And they have days when something happens in their personal life that they can’t seem to get a handle on.

We all go through bad stuff. But we don’t typically share it online. Because we get to filter our life to make it appear however we want people to view it.

So how do we stop comparing ourselves to those we see online?

1. Understand why you are comparing yourself to them

I read a book a few months ago that said that comparison typically happens because we look up to someone. And instead of being inspired, our attitude turns to the negative option: comparison.

So why you do you keep comparing yourself to others? 

If you have specific people who you continue to compare yourself to, think about each specific person.

For me, I had 2 people that I constantly compared myself to. It always seemed like they were gaining more Instagram followers than me. They were making more money than me. And they were getting more engagement on their blog posts than me.

I continued to compare myself to those people because our businesses were the same. And I wanted to be at the same level as them.

But the truth is that I started my business 2+ years after they started theirs! So the comparison wasn’t even valid.

So try to understand why you are comparing yourself to the people you are comparing yourself to. And then here’s what you can do next…

2. Remove toxic energy from your life

If you notice that there is someone that you follow on social media or someone that you are friends with that is a constant comparison game to you, then try to find a way to rid them from your life.

It can be as easy as unfollowing them on social media. Or maybe it’s someone close to you and you need to find a way to start distancing yourself.

That could mean no longer reaching out to them. Or having an actual conversation with them about how you think the relationship is unhealthy.

Whatever you think is best for you, do it!

Because a life without comparison is better than a life with it.

3. Prove your comparative self wrong

In the first tip, I told you how I disproved my comparative self.

I thought that I should be at the same level as these 2 other women but I felt like I wasn’t. And I had to remind myself that I started my blog/biz 2+ years after them. 

So comparing my work, worth, and success to theirs wasn’t fair to myself.

See what I did there?

If you are a very reasonable person and you need to understand the reasoning of something before you can get behind it, then this is a great strategy for you.

Talk your way through it and find out why the comparison isn’t serving you.

And once you’ve got your reasoning, move to the next tip.

4. Shoot a video of yourself for yourself

Have you ever noticed that you only seem to listen to yourself? Someone could tell you something one week and it doesn’t settle in until you experience it first hand?

I’m THE WORST at this.

I refuse to listen to what other people tell me to do. And I rarely take advice from other people unless they prove to me that they are worthy of listening too.

It’s a little harsh. But true.

So sometimes, you have to be the one to give yourself a pep talk. Even when you’re at your lowest low and you don’t want to listen to anyone.

Today, record a video of yourself on your phone. Saying the things you think you need to hear when you’re caught in a comparison trip.

Then the next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else, watch the video.

You’ll be amazed what good it will do for you!

5. Be confident in yourself and your work

If you really want to stop comparing yourself to other people and their workflow, then you need to be confident in not only yourself but also your work!

One of my favorite YouTubers Sarah’s Day, always says “Act confident and no one will question you”. And to be honest, I tell myself this several times a week.

Especially when I am vlogging in public! That’s really when I need confidence the most.

When you are confident in yourself, it’s like nothing can touch you. ‘Comparison? What comparison? I’m already amazing!’

It’s this mindset that is going to set yourself free.

So be confident in everything that you do. Know that you are already doing the very best that YOU can do. And that’s all that really matters.

If someone can work more hours a day than you, so what? They are just doing them. And you just need to do you.

COMMUNITY OVER COMPETITION MINDSET

Often times when we compare ourselves to others it’s because we think of them as our competition.

But what would happen if you viewed them as members of your community instead of your competition?

Especially us bloggers, YouTubers, and business owners, we really need to stick together.

We are only stronger when we are together. If we beat each other up and don’t help each other grow, then none of us may grow.

We wouldn’t be able to do what we do today if it wasn’t for others ahead of us that paved the road to prove that this is a valid career.

So let’s support each other. Let’s share the love. And let’s build this community to be filled with powerful men and women who are happy and a bit crazy chasing their passions online.

You’ve got this. I’ve got this.

And together, we’ve got this.

Want to join a community of other like-minded people who are living life to the fullest by following their passions here online? 

Check out my membership platform, The TCB Vault. It’s filled with helpful videos and resources you need to succeed here online.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathrin (Cath) creates content that encourages bloggers & online entrepreneurs to be themselves, chase their passion, and create their success online. 1 year after started her blog (TheContentBug.com), Cath left her full-time position working in the digital marketing industry to pursue her dreams of being her own boss. In weekly blog posts, sporadic YouTube videos, and constant talking on Instagram stories, Cath hopes to spread her story and be an inspiration to others who desperately want to change their lives.