Productivity: Tips, Tools, & Tricks
Introduction
As a graduate student who works and also has several hobbies that I try to keep up with, productivity is a huge subject that I’m passionate about, especially since I am an avid procrastinator. I mean, I would have absolutely no problem wasting away at home accomplishing nothing but staring at the wall and occasionally playing games on my phone. A truly Zen lifestyle, but not at all in line with what I want to do in life. Any who, a lot of time that I spend not being productive, I usually spend studying productivity, and so, over some time I have compiled all the tips and tools that I use to keep my obstinate and lazy self on track. Results may vary.
General Rules
- Keep your workspace clean, both physically and virtually (don’t keep lots of tabs open). A clean environment is a clean mind. And don’t let your workspace be the same as the space where you do any leisure activities, too many distractions.
- Do your bed as soon as possible. Start your day and don’t lay back down until it’s time to sleep (or for a 30 minute nap).
- Plan explicit time for being unproductive, whether it’s five minutes to browse social media (Pomodoro) or one day a week to play video games.
- Eliminate as many choices throughout the day on non-important things (breakfast [I just have smoothies], outfit, etc.) to spare yourself from decision fatigue (Tim Ferriss).
- Note the three most anxiety inducing items on your To-Do list at the beginning of the day, choose one to focus on for that day (Tim Ferriss).
- Notice patterns of behavior that lead to being unproductive and start curbing those (I used to go straight to the couch when I got home and spent an hour on social media, so now, I get home, drop my bag, and immediately begin cooking my dinner) [My friend, Eric Chan].
- Do not put off any basic needs you have, as having them on your mind will distract you from any greater task you want to accomplish. If you’re hungry, make food. If you’re tired, take a nap or go for a walk. Make these things less daunting with meal prepping, having quick recipes, and having a path you usually walk to refresh your energy.
- Want it more. The goals you have mean nothing if you don’t want it more than you want to relax or watch some Netflix or hang out with friends, so reframe what it is that you want to achieve and make sure you want it more than any alternative. After all, the when it comes to those who make it and those who don’t, a lot of the times, it was simply a matter of who wanted it more (A conversation with my brother outside a Starbucks).
Podcasts & Media
Tim Ferriss
- 9 Habits to Stop Now
- Not-To-Do List & Other Productivity Tricks
- Learn by Deconstructing
- Let Bad Things Happen
Thomas Frank
Others
- Neil Gaiman - Inspiration
- In a podcast episode with Tim Ferriss, he mentions a rule he has for himself where he will only allow himself to do nothing if he wants to stop writing (within the time allotted for writing of course). So you can work at the task at hand or you can do nothing, but you can’t do anything else. Once you get bored of nothing, back to work it is.
