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The Only 3 Ways to be More Productive
Working Harder isn’t the Answer
We do it because it's the most visible form of productivity.
It is a way to prove to others that you are doing stuff and checking things off the list.
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The Dose-Response Theory
Hard work is necessary in order to be productive, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
At some point, you start to be negatively productive.
Prioritize Tasks by Energy Level
It means scheduling your time according to your natural rhythms:
- Do your most important work at the beginning of the day if you are a morning person.
- Don't feel bad about sleeping in because you stayed up late at night to work if you are a night owl.
Learn New Skills
Acquire new skills that will help you get more things done in less time.
- Consume information and learn about other people from your field, about their mistakes and methods.
- Apply what you learn.
Use Popular Productivity Hacks
- Find an Accountability Buddy
- Create a morning ritual for the first hour of your morning
- Use the Pomodoro Technique to break your work into chunks
- Make a “Not-To-Do List” with the things that waste your time
- Use freelancing platform to outsource tasks
- Batching similar tasks into one chunk.
- Practice systems like David Allen’s Getting Things Done for task management.
Courage And Working Smarter
One reason we work too hard is that we are using that hard work to make up for a lack of courage.
Example: Instead of firing the team member who is dragging down the project, we work harder to make up for them. Firing them takes courage.
Apply Courage to Your Work
- Courage is in choosing to work less because we are confident in our own productivity time, even if that means having a 5-hour workday.
- It is having a difficult conversation with someone at work.
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Measure Output, Not Input
Systems are the best way to progress since they reward effort and we control all the variables. However, we need to have a sense of direction in those efforts, to know what we are trying to...
Use the 80/20 Rule
... to constantly question yourself if your focus, time or money is on the things that generate the majority of the results.
The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle states: 80% of the output or results will come from 20% of the input or action. The little things are the ones that account for the majority of the results.
Reserve Mornings for Deep Work
Our working memory, alertness, and concentration gradually improve a couple of hours after waking up, peaking at about mid-morning - our brain’s natural peak productivity period.
Take advantage of this state, by scheduling your most important work for this period. Focus on performing Deep Work, meaning you get to work free of distraction for a long period of time.
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Effectiveness
Peter Drucker's Strategy
... to become more effective:
- Know your time: if you want to manage your time better, you have to know where it goes first.
- Identify the non-productive work: activities that have ZERO return, with no importance if you stopped doing them.
- Eliminate the trivial, time-wasting tasks.
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Meaningful productivity
The best work happens in short intensive deep work spurts (1–3 hours, no distractions).
Your best thinking will actually happen while you’re away from your work, “recovering.” B...
The first 3 hours of the day
...are your most precious for maximized productivity.
Your brain is most attuned first thing in the morning, and so are your energy levels. Consequently, the best time to do your best work is during this time.
The “90–90–1” rule
Spend the first 90 minutes of your workday on your #1 priority, nothing else.
Zero distractions. Just get that work done.
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