Productivity is deeply personal, but there are tried and tested ways to boost your productivity, excel at work, and have a life all at once. Below are four principles I’ve discovered in optimizing my work that have helped me find that Goldilocks balance of productivity-not too much, not too little.
Productivity Is Personal
Some people have a strange fetish about the productivity of other people
- There’s nothing wrong with learning new systems of efficiency, but at the end of the day, productivity is a very personal thing
- What works for you probably won’t work for someone else
- The goal is to uncover your own personal psychology around what makes you more productive
Eliminate Distractions While You Work
The modern world is quickly dividing us into two groups: those who control their own attention well and those whose attention is controlled by someone else.
- To put it bluntly, you can’t expect to be productive if you don’t control your own attention
Schedule Time for Work-and Goofing Off
If you schedule your work ahead of time, you gain more control of the attention you are giving to work.
- The same goes for your leisure time. If you are intentional about it, you are maintaining control of your time and limiting how much time you commit to mindless entertainment.
Three Articles on the Psychology of Productivity
Personal Values
- Figure out what exactly you stand for and what you value
- How Motivation Works
- Learn how motivation actually works
- Why You Procrastinate
- You don’t procrastinate because you’re a lazy sack-of-shit person who lacks any sort of fortitude or character
How to Live a Healthy, Productive Life
Creating discipline in your life can seem like a never ending battle-but it doesn’t have to be.
Focus on the Quality of Your Work, Not the Quantity
Studies have shown that just about everyone only has 3-4 hours of truly productive work in them per day.
- Optimize your day around those 3- 4 hours when you’re most creative and productive.
