So what is
“productive”? Things that
either increase my well-
being: my feeling of growth or competence in a field
I love (for instance, writing), my relationships with
others, and my sense of freedom (which could (but
not always) involve money).
Using that filter you can easily decide what is
productive and what is not. For instance, do you
respond to that negative comment on the
Internet? No. Never. That person is dealing with his
issues. Maybe he or she needs help from people who
love him. But you don’t have to give that help. That
would be unproductive.
Freedom can also come from needing less, so then
you need less money. As an extreme example, if I
don’t need to own my own private jet then that’s
$100,000,000 less I need to feel comfortable with
what I have.
Important to note that these three items of well-
being are not goals. I will never be “competent.” And
my relationships are never finished. And freedom is
about my choices right now, not my choices in the
past or the future.
A day is productive if I grow in competence. If I
grow in my relationships. If I grow in my feeling of
“choosing myself” – my freedom to make my own
decisions in life instead of catering to the decisions
and tastes of others.
My six things (please help me and add to my list):


READING
Reading is maybe the most productive thing you can
ever do. Here’s what happens: when you die at the
age of 100, you’ve just lived one 100-year life.
But when I read a book in a few days time, I just
absorbed an entire life, curated, of someone I
admire or respect. It’s like every book I read is a
mentor. How many mentors do I have? 1000s.



SLEEPING
I used to admire people who say, “I only need three
hours of sleep a day.”
Only later do I find out that most of these people
are borderline mentally ill. Think about the people in
your life who say they only need three hours of
sleep. Be honest. Maybe they are a little… (fill in the
blank).
Why is sleeping productive? There’s brain science
about rejuvenating neurons, etc. I read that
somewhere. There are all sorts of studies that
people who sleep more get sick less, have more
willpower, are less at risk for cancer, etc.

I know that if I do the activity I love most when my
brain and body have the most energy then that will
create the most value, create the most
opportunities for me, improve my competence and
improve my freedom (because of the opportunities
generated).


EAT AT HOME
I don’t like to eat out. It takes so long. And then
you have to wait for the bill. And I always feel
bloated and I hate salads in restaurants.
So we make simple meals and we are done in about 10
minutes, two meals a day. I probably save an hour or
two by not eating out or not eating junk that will
bloat me and make me less productive.


THROW STUFF OUT
A few months ago, my wife and I threw out almost
everything we owned. What do we really need? I like
reading on the Kindle. How many sheets do we need?
We never have guests. How many clothes do I need?
I was storing clothes I hadn’t worn in forever. Our
house was totally empty. It was really nice. I felt
like a breath of fresh air was going through my
head.
Einstein says (as an insult), “if a cluttered desk
means a cluttered mind, then what does an empty
desk mean?” I’m okay with that, Albert! I don’t mind
having an empty mind.

It makes room for new things, new connections
between my memories, new things for me to enjoy.
Fewer things to obsess over. Cleaning the outside
and cleaning the inside reduce stress. Every day I
try to throw things out. It makes me feel good.
It also makes me feel like I need less. Throwing
things out tells my brain, “you don’t need this
anymore,” so my brain stops wanting things.



NO MEETINGS
I never went to a meeting where someone gave me a
check at the end. I’ve never traveled to a meeting
where it resulted in me making money or being
happier. Most meetings can be summarized in a two-
line email.
I’ll go to a meeting if it’s with my friends. That’s
fun and improves my relationships. But I never go to
any other meetings.
What if you are an employee and you have to go to a
meeting? Try to get out of it. Or go for part of it.
Or insist you only go if there are no chairs at the
meeting (meetings will be faster then). Or find a job
where there are fewer meetings. Or show your boss
there’s evidence that company’s with fewer
meetings make more money.



NO PHONES
I talk on the phone maybe once every other day.
Again, the two-line email thing works in most cases.



NO EMAILS
I don’t email for an hour. My emails are mostly to
readers with quick questions or to people I am
inviting onto my podcast. I don’t email anyone else. I
do use texts, though, because they’re faster. And
I can text answers to people’s questions in my
spare time while riding a cab or waiting for my kids
or whatever.

Again, if you’re an employee somewhere you might
be in the habit of responding quickly to email from,
say, a boss. But try to cut it down to end-of-day
when your brain is moving a bit slower and you don’t
need it as much. Only do the thing you love most
during your peak productive hours.

Hmmm, I just realized I gave eight ways to increase
productivity. Since I’ve broken the rules (nothing
wrong with that) I’ll add a ninth.



EXPERIENCES
We’re the sum of our experiences and not our
material things. Experiences stay with us forever
and build us into who we become. They add to our
well-being. Material things get lost or thrown out or
lose their usefulness.
A good experience for me is: where I meet friends,
where I learn something new, where I learn
something new that can increase my freedom.
When I do something I know will be unproductive my
gut reaction is saying “Ugh, I can’t believe I have
to…”.
Here’s my trick: if I always change “I have to…” to
the words “I get to..” then I can usually turn the
experience into something productive.

source

cc lalalasticlala

ishilove

I like the throwing away of things part. It has some kind of relief I don't don't even understand, but it feels good.

Walai, meself go make am by God's grace

I will give it a try... I pray it yields results..

Dats very nice.i am still a youngster tho.....cannot try some these things