ProductivityChris Bailey

Cliché

Do MoreGet BusyDo Efficiently

Accomplish More sustainably

PRODUCTIVITY

Productivity is maximizing utilization

1. Time 2. Energy 3. Attention

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***Maximize Energy & Attention for good use of time

You are unique !1. Measure your Energy

( subjectively) level in each hour

2. Identify BPT – Biological Prime Time where you have maximum energy and attention naturally

3. Maintain a simple time log : what you did each hour

Do this once for a week and do this every 3 months

Get a purpose of why you want to be productive

1. You will have many tasks – ad hoc, planned, projects etc .

2. They do not vanish if you read this presentation

3. For now , pick up 5 tasks and see if all have same impact if you do them now .

4. They won’t

Pick 3 high impact tasks for the day, week

Try scheduling them when you have max energy

Caution : Start with 3 but don’t end with them unless you want to get fired.

Bigthink.com

Start doing them – simple .Right ?

NO

Here comes Mr.Procastination

High Impact tasks are sometimes 1. Boring2. Frustrating3. Unstructured, ambiguous4. Difficult5. Sometimes lack purpose

So , we choose the inevitable – Procastinate doing the High Impactful Tasks

Flip the tasks to make them opposite of reasons for procrastination – make it low barrier to entry.

( Don’t worry , you will understand it in the next slides)

• Filing Income Tax – Boring Have your auditors do it . ( Delegate)Pair with your friend ( Shrink)

• Exercise – Difficult

Choose to do only 5 minutes for 3 times a day . Start with this ( Low Barrier) Ask your friend to pick you up for the gym ( Social Support)

• Feedback to Team – Difficult, Ambiguous

Get Feedback for yourself first ( opens your mind ) Have it in the Cafeteria or even in a coffee shop ( Makes it interesting ) Split into 3 sessions with themes – lessens cognitive pressure

• Write Blogs – Frustrating

Write it in paper, take picture .( change in context) Write 3 lines a day ( splits tasks )

A refresher • Write down your future self – how he/she would be , as a projection

of current habits .

• Could be scary . Repeat it as and when you become productive

Address the big Elephant – Time Spent in Internet

It kills all productivity measures . It has low barrier, keeps you engaged with no purpose .

Disconnect from it frequently.( have you tried setting a 30 letter password for facebook and remove ‘remember Password’)

ATTENTION PLEASE

“HumanMindIsForThinkingAndNotStoringTasks& Ideas”

Unattended tasks clogs your mind, giving a feeling of not achieving things and depresses you!

Take a cup of coffee, write down all tasks you have in mind. Well, all of them !

Do that always !!

MANAGE ATTENTION

Process the tasks • Can I do it now ? If yes , do it .• Is it actionable ? No – remove it .• What is the next step ?

Organize into Buckets • Can be Delegated ( with less tracking) • Can wait • Schedule it • Break into small steps

Review them often

MANAGE ATTENTION

Read more here

20 second rule – Keep your distraction at least 20 seconds away. Create that difficulty.

DISTRACTION

Habits ( CUE->ACTION->REWARD)• You open Facebook(Action) when you open the chrome in the

morning (Cue) and you are happy( Reward) seeing some notifications.

• Certain Habits have decreasing trend of rewards and you need to do more to get the award. Frustration. Keep seeing Facebook more to get the same happiness. Not sustainable.

• You do slow breathing (Action) when there is a traffic signal(Cue) and feel more relaxed ( reward)

Multi Task • Don’t Multi task – straight .

• Multi task keeps you happy , busy, but less accomplished

• At least , choose less cognitive tasks as candidate for Multi-tasking

• Single task – gives good fulfillment and firepower to accomplish

Observe Breath for 10 minutes a day. Slows down response to impulses

Wespark.org

FOOD • Eat less Processed foods – they release energy soon and we crash after

that.

• Eat 3/4th of your capacity, more energy to Brain than to Digestive system

• More water – 24% better metabolism, can think better

• Coffee – borrows energy from later in the day ( Adenosine receptor).Choose the timing.

• Coffee – U need to drink more to get that same high.

LAST TWO – floor under you•Exercise

•Sleep• Create Night time ritual before sleep• Avoid devices 30 minutes before sleep

Helpers•Large number of small sacrifices required to be productive over time

•Keep the changes small to start with

Final Words• Take Breaks – even from Productivity !

• Happiness Drives Productivity

• Recount things you are grateful – Often !• Scan for positives• Social Support

• Divide and Conquer • Create Happiness and Accomplishments journal

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