I Spent 1500 Hours Learning How To Be Productive
Over the past two years, I have spent over 1500 hours compiling notes from books, YouTube videos, podcasts, articles, and speeches on productivity.
Testing these techniques and ideas, I’ve distilled my list down and included some of my top finding below.
Be Lazy
I know, not the first thing you think you would see in an article about productivity, right?
Well, I’m here to say that laziness, not as an action, but as a mindset can be used for your benefit.
When you think in the mindset of being lazy, you separate tasks by their importance. For example, important and urgent tasks that must get done are filtered out from the rest. In this way, when lazy, you get rid of tasks that are not needed.
Then, while being lazy, you have to find the most efficient way to get tasks done. This means, you must find a way to complete the task with the least effort and time invested possible.
By being lazy, you incorporate multiple productivity rules by just having the mindset (80/20 rule, the Eisenhower Matrix, etc.) Just don’t take it too far.
Choose High-Quality Leisure
Many, in their free time, default to scrolling through TikTok, Googling every thing that comes to their mind, or simply sleeping.
However, this only leads to short-term bouts of thinking. All the greatest creations and thoughts from mankind have come from long-term projects or thought processes. The current state of the world, with the prevalence of short-term content, is trying to prevent you from engaging in just that.
Instead of the activities listed above, when you find a gap in your schedule, have a list of things you can do that will help you further yourself. This may mean reading a book, playing a sport with friends, or working on designing your perfect home.
Engaging in creative and healthy leisure activities will not only help you advance whatever you want to with those tasks, but will also allow you to cultivate a mindset for yourself that values deep thinking.
Spend Time Alone
Collaborative work has become a widely-used concept in today’s modern workspaces.
It is thought that to get the most done, we need to be constantly connected, in order to generate ideas through those around us, almost forming a hive mind.
However, this is not conducive for deep work, where it is important for us to delve in the importance of one topic and complete things without interruption.
To combat this, set expectations with others for when you will be free. Set times to take long walks where you will be alone with your own thoughts.
The key to getting ahead is not constantly being connected, but rather being disconnected.
Airplane Mode
When you have focus on task, set a rule for yourself. Until the task is over, your phone will be in airplane mode.
This ensures you will not be constantly be alerted with notifications seeking your attention, keeping you away from the task at hand. Our devices are engineered to break up our attention, but we can combat this by being proactive.
So, even if you are not in an airplane, keep your phone in airplane mode while working, and watch the benefits.
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If you would like a Part 2, let me know in the comments. I appreciate the support.
