It must be millions of productivity articles in the land of the internet. This article is dedicated to those who are fed up with them and haven’t given up on trying to find something useful. I have been practicing the following concepts to enhance my performance. I hope that you will steal and configure them to your own needs and wishes.
Avoid the standard morning routine
The benefits of morning routine are immense but not for everyone. For some people like myself doing the same thing over and over can be incredibly dull. On the other hand, embracing adversity in your mornings can have a severe impact on your productivity. Simply have a list of tasks and pick which one of them the night before or first thing in the morning. Also, don’t forget to embed on the list the task “do nothing”. We can be so fixated on what we have to do that sometimes if we fail to complete a task, we are consistently beating ourselves down for the rest of the day. Sometimes you are supposed to brush your teeth, put on some clothes and go to work. Leave meditation, reading and exercise for the upcoming days; there is nothing wrong with that.
Keep in mind that the stress that you experience by not following the exact steps of your morning routine lower your productivity throughout the day.
Use writing to clear your mind
Your mind processes 50000 to 70000 thoughts per day. That’s approximately 2000 to 3000 thoughts per hour. In other words, a tsunami of thoughts is coming to you daily. What to do with these tidal waves when they stand between you and productivity?
Well, there are several methods like sitting meditation, driving meditation, but my recent favorite in just writing. I usually write in a notebook, when I wake up or come home from work. Writing the thoughts that you hold (and drag with you through the day) will clear your head like no other meditation practice. For unfathomable reasons, when you express your emotional state in writing, you clear your head form the things that trouble you. Υou king of minimize your problems and making them more manageable.
Please note that this practice work with pen and paper and not a keyboard.
The myth that multitasking enhances productivity
The book “The One Thing” presents an interesting study about multitasking and it’s correlation to productivity. The average employ disrupts his or her work every 11 minutes by trying to make several simultaneously. In order to recover from the disruption and gain focus, the employer will spend the 1/3 of the day. So we try to accomplish more by multitasking and end up damaging our productivity so bad that we lose a reasonable amount of time.
Doing one thing at a time can significantly boost your performance. The only way I found this to be applicable it’s when I get rid of all distractions. I wouldn’t bother recommending you any browser barrier plugin to prohibit you entering the web because you might as well install it and then find a way to surpass it. The only way to stop fooling around the internet and do the work is to feel that you don’t have enough time and energy. It’s a harsh (but true) point, which I remind my self every day. It is paramount to protect your time and energy.
Speaking of energy, the last point could be beneficial for you…
Avoid petty arguments
What’s the messiest and most mind-consuming factor that all of us engage every-day and we don’t even notice?
Human relationships
For better or for worse when we invest time in our work and try to be productive (whether it’s our job or a project) people, entangled within emotional situations and misunderstandings, are slowing us down.
Robert Green is his book Mastery expresses the idea that we must suffer fools gladly. To take every behavior seriously is to diminish our energy, thus making us worse at our job. We trap our selves into numerous disputes with colleagues, friends and family, hurting our quality of work and lessening our mental health.
If we give it much thought, every one of us can be a fool sometimes. Why be judgemental and criticize others for their behaviors when we can be just as foolish as them?
Instead of getting consumed by quarrels with people you don’t like, honor the ones you love. Having people in your life that care for you (based on actions, not words) can rejuvenate you. Surround your self with positive, hard-working personalities, and you will be surprised by the way your life will change for the better.
Summarize important points regarding productivity
- Don’t stress about having a perfect routine; you are not a robot
- Be more productive by writing your thoughts in a notebook
- Be aware of disputes in your work and personal life and the way they affect your productivity.
- Embrace the ones you love.
The life-lessons above are easier said than done. They require a considerable amount of focus and practice through trial and error.
It’s not a sprint but a marathon.
