deepstash
Beta
What is productivity, really?
Look to others
To help you calculate productivity and increase it, find some models of what productivity means and doesn't mean to you personally.
If you desire to increase your productivity at work, model your work after a colleague known for their productivity. Ask them if they're using any tools and how they designed their structure.
911 SAVES
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
5
Key Ideas
Find purpose
Think about what you want from your life. Your true goal is more profound than buying a nice car. What objective brings you a sense of joy, fun, and freedom? It could be providing for your family or being the best in your field.
Once you know what you really want, you start making progress towards it.
Visualize the outcome
You're not failing to reach your goals because you are incapable - you're failing because you're trying to focus on too many things at the same time.
Instead of focusing on what you need to do to reach your goal, visualize the outcome. If you think of the outcome instead of the steps to get there, you're more likely to pursue your goal. Then the steps will become a couple of manageable tasks.
Utilize N.E.T. time
N.E.T. stands for “No Extra Time,” and it’s based on the concept that you always have time during your day that you can fill with learning.
An important step in achieving any goal is to continue learning at every opportunity. Feed your mind during downtime. It could mean listening to a podcast while commuting.
2
Key Ideas
Free time is not wasted time
As long as you interpret time management as a tool to connect your desired outcomes and the time available to you, free time may turn out to be much, much more productive than what you were doing before.
Time management thinking improves your other skills
- You learn to take your time and make calm, measured decisions rather than last minute, panicked choices.
- You also learn assertiveness as you delegate and say no to commitments, and patience as you manage your goals.
7
Key Ideas
Willpower is Limited
Though companies like Nike try to ignite our willpower with their slogans, ultimately willpower cannot squash our subconscious and unconscious behavior.
Repetition of action and thought can make the required change seep into us, turning it into a machine-like, habitual behavior.
Knowledge is not Enough When It Comes To Bad Habits
Just merely knowing something is good or bad for you is not going to give you any benefit, unless the implementation is done. Conscious knowledge cannot change your behavior, one has to make necessary changes to successfully act in self-control.
If you know that you will eat junk food because your refrigerator is filled with it, remove all the junk food.
Adding Friction To Bad Habits
Just as removing friction aids in doing the activity more often, adding friction can aid to remove the bad habit, by making it difficult or cumbersome to do so.
Example: Cigarette smoking declined due to adding taxes, banning in public places and removing from vending machines.