The 2 Key Productivity Principles to Maximize Your Time

People love to put success on a pedestal, make it seem daunting and out of reach of simple mortals like us.

The truth is, success is simply doing the right things, over and over again.

You become successful by being productive.

As a writer, martial artist, and small business owner, I am a person wearing many hats. Thus, I am forever looking for ways to get more done with less time — the essence of productivity.

So far, I have found 2 universally effective productivity principles to abide by. These principles require zero money, connections, or intelligence whatsoever to implement.

All they require is action.

Ready to maximize your time? Let’s go!

Consume Less

“Do nothing that is of no use.” — Miyamoto Musashi

In the 21st century, we have a dizzying array of entertainment options at our fingertips. Netflix, video games, the endless scrolling pleasure of Instagram and TikTok, just to name a few.

It’s easy — even encouraged, for one to tumble into the vicious mind-numbing cycle of consumerism.

It becomes even more dangerous when entertainment is dressed up and passed off as information.

Because you feel good about yourself. You’re learning something, improving yourself, for Chrissake!

Don’t get me wrong, reading is important, just as learning is important. But know this: every moment that you spend absorbing information is time that can be spent creating.

I mean, how many times did you log in to Medium intending to write, only to catch yourself reading your 10th article in a row? It happened to me more times than I can count.

Like Nicolas Cole wrote,

“Writers write, and readers read.”

Which one do you want to be?

Create More

“If more information was the answer, we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.” — Derek Sivers

Don’t get me wrong.

If you want to be a professional writer, reading time is essential. Just like how if you want to be a great entrepreneur, it is paramount you study businesses new and old.

That being said,

You should be spending way more time creating than consuming.

If you aspire to be a writer but you spend 80% of your time reading, then you’re in the wrong sport, buddy.

The numbers should be flipped. You should be spending 80% of your time honing your craft, and 20% brushing up on the information regarding it. (Pareto’s Law)

To paraphrase Gary Vee, you can watch all the motivation workout videos you want, but you’re not going to get jacked unless you actually go to the gym and lift the weights!

Remember, learning new information is great, but the true measure of productivity is not how much you have learned, but how much you have done.

Now, go forth and create.