Are *these* Making You LESS Productive? | Mini Episode

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Dr Faye Bate (0:15)

But first, we have a section of the podcast called Bye or Bye Bye. So I am gonna show you some products, and I would love to know whether you would buy these products or you would say bye bye to them, meaning goodbye.

Lily Silverton (0:26)

Okay, I can't wait.

Dr Faye Bate (0:28)

And the only rule is we love nuance. You know, on social media, there's way too much short clipped, viral click-baity opinions.

And I think that in this day and age, that is what we're lacking. We're lacking a balanced approach. So with all that being said, first up, vision boards.

Lily Silverton (0:48)

Vision boards.

Vision boards. Vision boards, I guess, is a buy, essentially. I think they are really effective for some people. I think some people work, have a fantastic visual memory. And that having that there for them and being able to create it is really impactful. Being able to create it and then look at it and refer to it and visualize it is really impactful. But I also think that for some people, myself included, they find them a bit cringe.

And then there's another whole group of people who make the vision board, but don't fucking do anything on the board. So you can't have the board if you're not going to put in the effort and you're not going to make it happen. So I think there's some of this, like you spoke about before, you get to January, you make the vision board, but you don't actually think through what are the steps, what are the sacrifices, what are the huge things that I need to do in order to actually make these things happen. And then I think if you're in that category, then vision boards are very demotivating because then you've got this thing you've created that's maybe too many, as you spoke about earlier, I think before we were recording, you've got too many things on there that you're probably not going to be able to envision, bring them into life. And so it can be really demotivating. So I think if you love vision boards and you find that they work for you, buy them, stick with them. If you don't, don't feel that you need to do that.

Dr Faye Bate (2:17)

Yeah, I'm going to sound like a massive hypocrite now, but one of my issues with vision boards is exactly like what you've said. Focusing on the results and not the process. And also I think it takes us away from enjoying the process as well, when we're so focused on the end product.

But also I think there's this tendency for vision boards to be so aesthetic. It's almost the green juicification of wellness.

Lily Silverton (2:43)

One hundred percent. And I also think about, do you remember when you were, there's a little bit of an age gap between us, but when I was younger and I did any vision stuff, it was always about cutting out bits from magazines, but it wasn't polished. You weren't going for like this perfect polished identikit, as you say, like the matcher drink and then the beach shot in a bikini and whatever it is. It was more diverse and interesting than that, I think.

And obviously we have become quite limited in our thought process of what we should be visioning, and what good visioning looks like, and what aesthetic visioning looks like for sure.

Dr Faye Bate (3:21)

And everyone has the same aesthetic.

It's not varied. And the reason I say I'm being a hypocrite is because a lot of our thumbnails, we use quite a vision board-y, but because they do really well and they epitomize a concept quite well. People recognize the images. You're right. If you go through a magazine, what you pick out is going to be so different to the exact same images that everyone else has picked out on Pinterest. Do you make vision boards yourself? And if so, what is your process?

Lily Silverton (3:45)

No. No.

Dr Faye Bate (3:46)

Okay.

Lily Silverton (3:46)

I just don't see how I would make something that would inspire me like that. But I'm also, I can't visualize.

So I have aphantasia.

Dr Faye Bate (3:57)

I mean, my boyfriend, we literally watched an entire YouTube video all about this. Can you explain what it is to people?

Lily Silverton (4:03)

Yeah, absolutely. So I only found this out two years ago, I think, or maybe less than that. And obviously the interesting thing is that I've been teaching visualization for 10 years.