Striking off all items from your to-do list is a source of joy. The accompanying ‘high’ is powered by a sense of accomplishment which is addictive. However, like all addictions chasing the ‘high’ can be harmful. A productive person can finish multiple tasks consecutively or parallely in a finite amount of time. I wanted to be that person, a hyper productive person. Naturally, I started with the basic stuff — maintaining to-do lists. So just before starting work, I would make entries in a special notebook.
At first, the lists were manageable. Then I got ahead of myself.
I started adding more items to the list. I started stretching the limits of the working day.
The result? Actions kept spilling over and the lists started becoming longer. Striking off items became difficult and I was in a fix.
I then turned to the literature and listicles on productivity and started implementing the recommendations – bullet journalling, time blocking, measuring rate of completion of tasks and so on. These helped to achieve some early success but then I was not content. I was sleeping poorly too.
I hit pause. An honest assessment followed and I figured the following two things:
- Being productive is good but being hyper-productive can cause burnout and stress
- Doing multiple things doesn’t yield big outcomes
Keeping these things in mind, I ditched the listicles and picked up a few good books (list at the end) and adapted four principles to chase Optimal Productivity.
- Focus Work Mode – Distracted Free Working: Take up one complex task which requires your total focus. Cut out all distractions, put on some music, activate airplane mode and begin. Additionally, telling people in advance that you will not be available helps to avoid interruptions.
Result: I could complex tasks completed in due time with fewer errors, working in a state of flow brings more contentment.
- Time Estimate & Time Blocking: Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allocated for it. So allot a 70-90 % of the actual time taken for completion of the task. You will find ways to optimise every minute, if you are disciplined enough to not allow tasks to spill over.
Result: Thus led to discovery of new & faster ways of doing things – Excel Macros for reports, Auto Classification & Tagging of emails, dashboards for easier analysis
- To Do list → Priority Lists: Replace your standard To-Do list with priority lists, follow the rules of Essentialism and separate the most important activities from the routine. Keep your eyes on the big picture and the plan ahead.
Result: Thrust areas became clearer and energy division became simpler
- Breathe: This may seem unusual. But practicing mindfulness by focusing on the present helps reduce anxiety. The simple act of breathing with focus helps you calm down. Though I was never the one to ‘slow-down’, this advise has helped me greatly.
Result: I am able to recharge faster. Breaks are more enjoyable – even sharing a hot ginger chai with a friend can be rejuvenating.
In summary, devising your own productivity hacks is perhaps the only way to achieve optimal productivity. Let me know what are some of the hacks that you use?
Books I referred:
