How To Be More Productive In 2022

This is what a workstation looks like for most people

That’s right folks , 2022 is here. We are all hoping for something more from life this year. Whatever that ‘something’ may be, I believe being more productive in our work is essential in achieving it. Because when you think about it, when your output to time efficiency increases, not only do you excel at your profession but also have more time to do things outside of work.

Here are my 2 cents on how one can increase the efficiency of our internal engines and make 2022, an year of achievement and enjoyment.

Deep Work

deep work is the way to go

Note : I have borrowed my ideas about deep work (and the name itself) from Cal Newport’s amazing book, also titled ‘Deep Work’ .

This is the central concept to increasing productivity. Every other tip/advice I give is supposed to aid in your ability to do deep work.

But what is deep work anyway ?

A deep work session is when you are completely immersed on the job at hand. No distractions and no multi-tasking. Also, a deep work session is longer than convention. For the novice, a session would be 90 mins in length. But once you are proficient at it, you should be clocking in 4 hour sessions with ease.

Deep work requires to be truly focused on the task in front of you. That means no social media. No annoying notifications. No mobile calls. Not even email. Yes, you are supposed to ignore all emails you get while you are in deep work mode. Schedule all these ‘shallow work’ tasks from some other time during the day. But right now, you need zen focus.

Why deep work ?

Once you incorporate deep work into your life, you will notice that you seem to be getting a lot more done in lot less time. This could mean a number of things for you :

1. Excelling at your job
2. Getting to spend more quality time with your family
3. Getting to spend more time in your hobbies
4. Doing new interesting things on the side

Incorporating deep work into your life

My advice for incorporating the deep work method is to schedule 2 hour slots in your day for this purpose. The length of these slots can be increased to 4 hours as you get better at it.

But you must realize that getting into the right state of mind for this method can be difficult. You won’t be able to switch your focus on and off. It might take as long as 30 mins to gradually ease into the state.

Also, focusing that hard requires will power. Since your will power is at its peak in the morning, I suggest scheduling your most important tasks in the morning. As the day goes on, you will notice that committing to deep work will become more and more difficult.

You should also consider giving yourself a treat after successfully completing a deep work session. A small chocolate bar or a little ice cream should do the trick. If however you are more health conscious, you might have to think of something different.

It is also important to replenish your mind. Focus is very demanding for your brain. So please schedule in some pleasure seeking activities during the day. Listening to music is one of my favorites. Remember, these activities should not require high cognitive ability. Playing chess might be fun for you. But it requires your brain to work hard. You need something very easy for your brain during this time.

How to boost your deep work

Just thinking you will focus hard and partake in deep work is not enough. You will have to come up with methods to boost your ability to do so. The best way is obviously deep work sessions. But in my opinion you should not neglect these accessories which can greatly improve your ability

Meditation

You need to try meditation in 2022

Folks, if you want to increase your concentration and reduce stress, anxiety at the same time, meditation is by far one of the best things you can do. There are of course, many ways to meditate.

Transcendental Meditation has become very famous nowadays in the west where you chant a mantra several times. I however follow a much simpler routine of focusing on my breath. Sometimes I will focus on the feeling the air creates in my nostrils as I breathe. Sometimes I will focus on the way my stomach moves. Counting the breath is also very useful if you find it difficult to concentrate.

You may choose whichever meditation technique you like. But be sure to learn it properly and commit at least 15 mins a day to meditation. You may choose to start with 5 mins a day if you have never done this before.

Scheduling

Our world is filled with chaos. If you want to be more productive, you MUST schedule your day. In fact, schedule every minute of it. Have an agenda for every hour block of your day. This will help you know exactly what you are supposed to do next and get you into the flow state.

Also, do not punish yourself with your schedule. As already discussed, you need to schedule your breaks and leisure activities. Do not be shy of using large blocks of your time for this purpose. When you are doing multiple deep work sessions, your brain has to replenish.

Have clear slots for shallow work (answering texts, emails, robotic work) and deep work. DO NOT mix the two.

Reel in your social media madness

social media madness

You already knew this was coming, didn’t you ? Just like alcoholics and drug addicts, social media addicts (basically 90 % of us) are perfectly aware of our problem but find ourselves incapable of stopping.

Recent research has shown social media to be a prime reason for anxiety and stress in children as well as adults.

So, if social media does not help your work, consider going cold turkey and just completely stopping social media usage. I understand there are still circumstances where social media is helpful, like marketing. In that case, you need to be very careful that you use this tool for work only and do not get distracted and start scrolling through random posts , stories or reels.

However, social media (just like alcohol) in microscopic doses can be quite enjoyable. I for example, have many online friends and I like talking to them. So here are some ways to drastically reduce social media usage and still keep it in your life :

1. Schedule your social media time into your day. Use up an hour or even 2 if you wish. But stick to the damn schedule
2. Consider using social media only through your desktop
3. If you are an active user, consider spending time on your social media only when you post. This method is used by the famous pod-caster Lex Fridman and he claims it helps him enjoy social media while not getting addicted to it.

That is it folks, that is all I have for you. We all want to be more productive in 2022. And deep inside, we all know that we are not nearly focused enough. We get distracted all the time. We are only human. But if you incorporate deep work into your life, I am pretty sure you will find yourself getting a lot more done. And at the same time, having more time for the other things.