Tell us about your productivity secrets?
Over the years I have tried many different techniques and systems. However, productivity is like software that needs constant updating. Maybe if we share our ideas, we can update our own systems 😄. What are your methods and secrets to work more efficiently?
Reduce distractions. I stopped using Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram etc. etc. on my laptop just 1 month ago and my focus has been so noticeably higher. This solution might be different from person to person, but it's really simple.
Let's say you're working on your project, and then you get stuck. Suddenly, you feel the need to check notifications/websites etc. This is the distractions that most people today struggle with. It takes an average of 60 seconds to gain your focus back, even if you're not going through with whatever you were going to check (so basically just thinking about it)
There's a simple solution. You just need to know yourself better. Instead of giving in and losing your focus, identify what you were going to procrastinate with and remove it. For me, Twitter was my goto. I use Chrome Extensions to block websites as a start, and with time (studies says 1 week) you'll get rid of the need to check your surroundings whenever you stumble into something that requires you to think.
Also, track your time spent on websites/games using extensions/apps. This will give you a good understanding of exactly how much time you're wasting, but also keep in mind that every time you switch your focus, you lose your train of thought for another minute. The average person today loses 1 day of the week just shifting focus from one task to another, that's a lot of time wasted for something that isn't benefiting you at all.
Yes, the internet and social media can be a real problem during work. I also turn off all the phone sounds. At first, it seemed as if something was going to be very important and I was going to miss it because the phone was muted but my phone has muted for a year during working and nothing happened. When I take a break, I just look at the notifications on the screen to see if there's anything important. Like social media reducing, it helped me a lot too.
For me, the secret is to have the right goals.
If you have goals that find challenging and stimulating, you will be productive. If you spend a lot of time procrastinating, it probably means that you don't like your goals and where they will bring you.
I can easily tell when my goals are wrong. I don't want to wake up from the bed. When it happens, a few days in a row, I know I need to change something.
When the goals are right, I wake up before the alarm.
This has been my last 2 weeks. I had a ton of client work that I wasn't interested in at all so waking up in the morning became a burden. I finished everything 2 days ago and my mind is FRESH. You'd think I'd be tired by now and won't get much done, but nope. Yesterday was one of my most productive days because my goals were something I find interesting.
It's tough to have goals when your client work is none of your interest and you don't even need them money 😂
You are right. Doing things that you love gives energy, focus, and productivity. Doing things that you don't like drains energy and fuel procrastination.
I have a little problem with setting goals. I always overload myself and never finish all of my goals. So even I do 60%, it is a big success for me! I need to work on that more, I guess. 😄
I don't think there is any secret.
I find it very hard to focus on something I don't like and don't want to work on. Almost all the productivity hints don't help in this kind of situations.
So I try to work on something exciting and something you truly love. However, sometimes it's not possible — routine tasks can always appear, and in this case, I think the most important thing you need to do is to find a reason why working on this specific task is important for you/your product and tell yourself clearly what the potential expected benefit is.
What you're saying is true, I have a similar focus problem too. However, trying to make sense for every annoying or unwanted task can also become a pretty exhausting job. Sometimes I think I could have already done the job in the time that I've spent changing my perspective on the job. I think your method is something that can be very useful in the long run by working on it day by day.
Plan your next day the day before. (this reduce decision making and make you more efective) Create objectives based on actions and not results. (Bad : I gonna lose 5kg in 30 days. Good: I gonna go to gym 3 times a week during 30 days). Remove all distractions from your environment. There are much more.
I wrote a book about productivity (free) it's one hour read. Productivity Bomb
I think this is a great idea. I've done this for a while and stopped doing it somehow. I got to pick it up again :)
I use this Chrome extension!
"Go do some FUCKING work. Stop being an unproductive little shit. Block fucking time-wasting websites. Every time you try to procrastinate, you get told to get straight back to fucking work.
Choose what sites make you fucking fail at working. Pause when you need a fucking break.
It's time to stop being so fucking unproductive. Go fucking work."
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