I recently listened to a podcast on productivity.
https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-cal-newport-how-to-enhance-focus-and-improve-productivity
I’ve had people tell me more than once that I must have a doppelganger or a clone in order to do all the things that I do, to be as productive as I am.
It wasn’t until I listened to this podcast that I realized why.
I already do almost all of the things that this productivity expert listed.
So I figured I’d talk about some of the things that I do, to be as productive as I am. I didn’t realize that anything I did was special. I thought everyone already knew about these things. Evidently not.
First of all, I have one computer for writing, while I use the second one for everything else. While I’m writing, I never connect the writing computer to the internet. If I need to look something up, I’ll look it up on my phone. Which I find annoying, so I don’t get caught going down the research hole. If I really need a big detail, I’ll just put it in brackets and will go back later.
Next of all, I understand that there’s a difference between flow and concentration. Flow is for writing. Concentration is for all the other work that I do. Evidently, some people want to use “flow” for all the work they do. That isn’t how flow state works. Flow state absolutely has a place in my process. But it isn’t everything. I also need to concentrate.
One of the things that the experts talked about was boredom tolerance, basically, the ability to tolerate the slower times and not seek other external stimuli when the process isn’t immediate.
I’ve learned that there are times when the words don’t come quickly. During those times, I don’t play games on my phone. I let the process work and stay in writing mode. Generally, if I stick with the writing, and stay focused, though the first hour is slow and painful, the second hour goes quickly. I need to be able to tolerate the slow times, to understand the process, so that I can get to the better times. Some people will switch out or off when the art doesn’t arrive in a timely manner.
One of the things that I learned early is something that I phrase like this: When my body is moving, the words are flowing. So taking walks is an essential part of my process. In addition, while walking (or cleaning, or showering, or driving, or any of those other full-body tasks) I allow my back brain to keep working. I’m not seeking other stimulation. I’m physically moving, keeping active, so the brain can do its thing.
This means I occasionally walk away from the page when I have a serious writing problem to solve. I give myself the time and space to solve the issue. I do the same when I have life problems to solve as well. I use this method for writing more often because I’m privileged and I don’t have that many life problems that I need to worry about.
One of the other things the experts talked about was multi-scale planning. I fell into this system a couple years ago. For me, I have three “calendars” as it were.
First is the small list of 2-4 things that either need to be finished or that I need to make progress on or finish. These are big items, not small steps.
I have a whiteboard where I list the things that I need to do that week. Mostly those are small steps that I need to finish. Sometimes it’s an item that I need to make progress on. The things I finish I get to cross off. The things I just work on, I get to make checkmarks afterward every day that I work on it.
Then I have the monthly calendar, where I mark down daily items that need to be done, for daily planning.
This might sound like a lot, but calling it multi-scale planning makes it easier to grasp. I get to track things on three levels: monthly, weekly, and daily. This way, I make sure it all gets done.
Another thing that the experts say is that you should do time-blocking so that you only do X during a particular block of time. I’ve done that since 1997 when I first started working from home. Now, it’s second nature for me. I have what I call “sacred time”—I only do a particular thing during that time block, and nothing else.
I write in the mornings. Do production work in the afternoons. Read in the evenings. Then, at night, I take time for myself.
One of the things that the experts talked about that I need to formalize more is what they call, “the shutdown ritual.” This way, when they finish work, they are FINISHED with work. I’m pretty good about that. I have an alarm that goes off at 8 PM and I stop working at that time. After that time, it’s my time. No more work. But I think I can be better about that, get something more formal and codified so I’ll stop working more completely.
So that’s what I have to say about productivity, and how I’m productive.
What helps you and your productivity?
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