The couch, with chocolate, chips and a movie feels pretty good on most days, especially in 2020. Here’s what my highly productive friends taught me by giving up everyday traps. Some of these thoughts will help you find time you didn’t know you had and win back extra time.
Give up
If you’re not sure about a request of your time, start with no.
- Every request you say yes to is time you rob from your future self. It’s okay to hoard your time and guard it. You have the right to decide when to give up.
Give up Taking Calls While Sitting Down
While on the phone, jump on a trampoline or walk if you don’t own one
Give up Focusing on Outcomes
A process beats focusing on an outcome.
Give up Luck
Productive people don’t get lucky – they get intentionally lucky by doing the tasks that matter each day
Give up Overworking Yourself to Death
Inspiration comes from rest. The work you do when you’re tired and pissed off from working too hard and aiming for productivity perfection will be terrible. Overworking isn’t productivity.
- Your work gets better when you take time off. During your time off your brain resets and your brain organizes all your thoughts and helps you reflect.
Give up Having Too Many Goals
If you feel like you’re achieving nothing in your life, experiment with having less goals
Give up Working Without a Deadline
Deadlines make you superhuman
- Use deadlines to give yourself a sense of urgency
- Without a deadline, you’ll dream about your productive future and do the task you’ve been putting off until “tomorrow”
- Tony Robbins says it best: “When would now be a good time?”
Give up Making Lots of Decisions Each Day
Decisions are energy leaks
Give up Bad Productivity Apps
Trello is a Kanban-style app that does more with Kanban than the old school Kanban boards productivity people like Jim Rohn used pre-computers.
- Roam Research is another way to structure your thinking and have it be your second brain.
Give up Being an Asshole
It takes time to be rude, selfish, and play games with people’s lives. Delete the drama from your life, and you’ll have more time to do cool shit.
- Being productive towards a goal you care about helps you find a meaning for your life.
Give up Preachers of Chaos
They can find a problem with everything and take up your time because they haven’t dealt with their negative thoughts.
- Enough chaos without having more of it sabotage your desire to do your work. Containing chaos is anti-motivation.
Give up a Calendar Without Blank Space
The goal isn’t to have a full calendar, but a calendar that lets you read, learn, and speak to new people when you want
- Warren Buffet spends a lot of his day reading, and a blank calendar allows him that privilege
Give up Chasing Grandiose Moments
Chase small moments.
