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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Career / The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day (793 Views)
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The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day by swhiss: 11:59pm On Jul 11, 2015 |
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 3 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day by Nobody: 12:02am On Jul 12, 2015 |
Re: The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day by braine(m): 12:07am On Jul 12, 2015 |
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. 1 Like |
Re: The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day by MTHBOSS(m): 12:22am On Jul 12, 2015 |
Walai, meself go make am by God's grace |
Re: The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day by Nobody: 12:40am On Jul 12, 2015 |
I will give it a try... I pray it yields results.. |
Re: The Six Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day by Khd95(m): 5:58am On Jul 12, 2015 |
Dats very nice.i am still a youngster tho.....cannot try some these things |
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