Because you only live once…
Efficiency
Chasing Efficiency
Aug 31st
Nothing gets me more excited about working then reviewing my projects list and seeing all of these super awesome projects that I have on it – that is, until I start getting overwhelmed at the number of them. Just by looking at the list it doesn’t seem like that much. I have, say, 10 projects all of which are pretty exciting. I feel like I can just knock some out and move right along. I want to jump to the end and have the awesome finished product. It seems reasonable. They all seem doable. But then time passes and I don’t get them done.
When reviewing my list, I like to imagine myself doing the project. I can see myself working on my new ebook or building my new robot. I imagine myself totally sucked into the project that time is forgotten and I just work, completely focused, until I am finished. This is what gets me all excited. I am in love with the dream of this efficiency. I love the idea of complete focus, going from one project to the next without getting distracted by the latest cat videos on YouTube. I dream of crossing each project off my list and moving on to bigger and better projects.
So back to reality. Here is what really happens when I sit down to work. I may pick my first task and start working on it. Then a thought pops into my mind about some other project and I have to stop and take notes on that project else I forget the awesome idea I just had about it. I might then get back to the original project, but not without some other distraction or stray thought. I rarely reach the level of focus that I have when I visualise myself working. I do occasionally, and I take good notes on how and why those situations arise, but most of the time, my brain is not all the way there. I am chasing efficiency and never ever getting there.
I think a lot of people chase efficiency. This is why the productivity gurus can make so much money. This is the universal struggle that anyone with a project list faces. How do we align the way to actually work to the way that we wished we worked? Can we do more then just chase efficiency?
The Changes We Love
Apr 7th
Have you ever experienced a change that caused your productivity to increase a great deal, but only for a limited time?
Maybe you got a new device or office supply that you really loved using. Maybe youstarted working in a new location. Maybe you started working with someone else on aproject. Your productivity soars, but as soon as you got used to the new toy, space, or person you went right back into old habits.
This is currently happening to me with my new iPad. I just love working on it, so I’m being really productive with tasks that I can do on my iPad. But I know that without lots of discipline, the productivity will not last. I’ll start not checking my iPad task lists. I’ll put off that same tasks that I have always put off. I’m going to try to avoid it, but it will probably happen.
What’s to be done?
But how can we use this to our advantage? Can we use regular systematic changes to keep a high level of productivity? Here is a system that I try to use to regularly give my self a productivity boost through changes:
- Once a month, I treat myself to a new toy. This doesn’t have to be an expensive electronic device. It can be as simple as a new pen that I enjoy writing with or a new journal to write in. Or a new piece of productivity software that looks promising. Something that makes me want to work with it.
- At least once a week, I work in an alternate location. I will either go to a library, a coffee shop or a public space that is conducive to work. Of course the work that I need to do helps choose a location. I can write in the park, but I can’t work on the web. I have found that this helps even on the other days when I’m in the office.
- Once every week or two, I have a work party with a friend. This habit was formed in college when I would go to study groups to do homework. Even if you don’t have anyone to meet up with to work, maybe larger cities has co-working groups that you could join that do just this thing. Some may not work as well in groups like this,but I have found that when I’m surrounded by a bunch of people being productive, I’m more productive. And it never hurts to give it a try.
These are 3 ways that I use regular changes in my life to help myself be more productive.
Do you have a change that you use to help yourself be more productive? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Photo By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kthread/ / CC BY 2.0
