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What really got me hooked on Medium was not just the awesome posts I read daily but it was the amount of value I received after I took the time to go back to January of 2014 and read as many posts as I could from then until now. This has inspired me to share the Top 10 Posts across my favourite topics so the rest of the Medium Community can get the same value I have received and take ACTION.
- I have personally gathered, read and dissected tons of articles that were created after January 2014 about Productivity
- Gave each post a badge based on the type of value it provides (example Most Motivational, Most Actionable, Most Valuable etc.).
- I then List the 3 Consistent Lessons across the Top 10 posts for Productivity so readers can take ACTION.
Why this Top 10 List is Different
- It is not just the number of recommendations that makes a Medium post great it’s the relevancy to that specific reader, if the reader takes REAL VALUE from it and most importantly does it teach them HOW to take ACTION.
- By consolidating the posts and then pulling out their similar lessons it makes it that much easier for Readers to TAKE ACTION.
- Instead of being just a cool list I intend to create these Top 10's frequently so it’s easier for Medium Readers to search and find the best articles about their favourite topics.
PSA:
This list is 100% independent of anyone’s opinions outside of my own. This includes Medium and it’s staff. CLICK THE PICTURE TO READ THE ARTICLE.
This post for me was one that resonated the most. Chris provides VERY ACTIONABLE advice on how to be more productive that anyone can start implementing tomorrow. By focusing on the Pomodoro Technique it allows you to be more productive throughout the entire week, focus on what you deem to be important and eliminate many of the interruptions that blind us everyday.
Mitchell hits it right on the head by focusing on how to build a foundation through goal setting to be ultra productive but not just around your business. Instead he talks about taking a hard look across all areas of your life (health, relationships, financial, professonal etc.) setting both long term and short term goals in each of those areas, picking an area to focus on and measuring it to hold yourself accountable.
Robin provides a very useful formula for increasing productivity that he has developed through helping some of the most successful people in the world execute. He focuses on the morning routine, building a genius network, starting your work with the most important tasks and using blocked groups of time daily to crush work and take breaks.
CamMi Pham does a great job not just listing the different things people can do to be productive but instead supports it with science. She talks about the importantance of not being a perfectionist, not being a lone wolf, managing your time and much more.
Benjamin as per usual provides tons of value in this post and supports his teachings with specific examples of people changing their life that we can relate to. The post is broken down into digestible phases that make it easier for you reading this to see the progression and understand where you are right now.
One of the most recommended posts on Medium of All Time is there for a reason. Benjamins 8 things are no doubt critical to living a better and productive life but a little overwhelming for anyone looking to start. This should be where you want to get to and start with one of the 8 and stack on new challenges as you master the previous ones.
Andrew nails it on the head in this post by focusing on the importance of health and fitness in driving an overall more productive life. He provides examples of uber successful people like Richard Branson and Michelle Obama and what their morning routines have in common (health and fitness).
What makes this post awesome is that Belle is a normal person like anyone else that has a desire to live a better life and be more productive. Instead of trying to do 1000 things at once she explains how focusing on 1 very small habit and doing that every day can/will turn into a bunch of awesome habits in your life.
Matthew shares the impact writing has had on his overall productivity. What makes this article special is that it was not a huge change that put him on a different path. As part of his already existing routine, taking the train to work, he decides to institute a different habit that then has a rippling effect on his productivity.
Benjamin has 3 posts on this list which says something. He takes it back to fundamentals on this one focusing on the importance of understanding who you are and what is one’s purpose. Investing time in understanding these 2 things will ensure an ultra productive and successful life.
https://powered.by.rabbut.com/3ae5f3ac-993e-4617-8488-af99331e0552?c=25
So many of the writers talked about the importance of starting small, if it was learn 1 word a day of a new language, write 1 page, read 1 page, floss 1 tooth etc. This is by far the most effective way to build SUSTAINABLE habits and increase productivity. You start with a very small challenge, I won’t eat junk food for 1 week, then once you crush that goal you say Ok let’s do no junk food for 2 weeks. Eventually you will build great sustainable habits around your nutrition and accomplish your bigger, harrier goals .
One thing I want to mention here as well is the importance of not trying to tackle a variety of challenges across multiple areas of your life at once. The likelihood of getting overwhelmed and giving up is very high. If you are focused on the physical aspect, just focus there, if you are focsued on the professional side of your life, just focus on that challenge.
Eventually the same way you stack on new challenges in a specfic area (no junk food for 2 weeks now) you can start stacking on new challenges in other parts of your life to tackle. Okay, I have a consistent nutrition routine, lets keep that going and put some goals around making some strides in my professional life.
One of the most consistent messages across all of the Top 10 posts is the importance of building a morning routine. The ability to make huge strides around what you deem to be of the upmost importance before 9am truly sets people up for accomplishing more and feeling a lot better about their productivity.
The top rituals to do in the morning were
Working Out Meditating
Journalling Reading
Spending time with Family Reflection/Reviewing your goals
Planning out the day ahead I can speak for myself and say developing productive morning routines have been the single most impactful change in my life over the last 5 years. At this moment my morning looks like:
5am Wake up 5min Journal Entry
20min Meditation (Headspace) Read 30–45mins
Take a pre-workout shake and walk to the gym Listen to a podcast
1 Hour workout Cold Shower
Write 2 most important things I get done Eat
9am Start Working This list started with wake up at 5am 3x a week over 4 years ago. Slowly but surely it has grown to what you see above. START SMALL AND THINK BIG.
This was in almost every single post. You have probably heard a million times why exercise is soooooooo important for the body and mind. Well it is. Sooner or later an exercise routine needs to be introduced into your life and when it does you will see amazing enhancements in productivity for all the areas of your life.
What most people in the posts don’t talk about is how does someone that has little to no exercise routine can actually start building this magical productivity tool.
For that answer you need to refer to the last lesson. START SMALL AND STACK ON NEW CHALLENGES. This is the only way anyone can build a sustainable exercise routine. Start with a small goal, do a physical activity 1x per week in the am, and keep challenging yourself only once you have had a solid streak of accomplishing that goal.
Another mistake most make is they think exercise means going to the gym. Listen I am blessed that I love lifting heavy ass weights, that’s what I love, not running or swimming etc. So that’s why it’s easy for me to have a 7x week workout routine and not feel like it’s too difficult. For you, pick a physical activity that you really like doing, bikeriding, basketball, tennis etc. and make your 1x a week goal that activity to start. From there you can continue to try new activities to see which one you fall in love with.
Conclusion
Hopefully these Medium Top 10 posts on productivity provide as much value to you as they have for me. If you want to increase your productivity you now have the tools to TAKE ACTION. IT’S ON YOU!
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