Three Insightful Methods From Three Famous People That Made Me More Productive
These simple concepts can boost productivity and help you accomplish your goals.
Over the years, I wandered from one creative project to the next. I’d jump from a half-completed music track to a partially written story without completing either. I’d developed a terrible pattern of starting new and exciting projects, only to leave my existing ones to collect digital dust deep in the folders of former creations.
I enjoyed my creative sessions regardless of the outcome, but the inability to maintain steady progress was admittedly frustrating. While I clearly had the drive to create, it was apparent that my focus would detach part-way through my work. Eventually, I managed to change this bad habit. “How,” you might ask? By developing better ones.
The following are three simple methods that help keep forward momentum and drastically boost productivity. If you can master them, you’ll likely find yourself on a roll.
BRUCE LEE.
On pursuing goals.
Bruce Lee was a brilliant martial artist, vibrant performer, and passionate filmmaker. He was notorious for pushing himself beyond limits, achieving incredible feats, and encouraged others to do the same.
During his career, Lee sustained a disabling back injury that doctors feared he would never recover from. Despite facing a long and uncertain road to recovery, Bruce Lee believed staying focused on his work was essential. Despite being physically restricted, he spent time every day doing what he could: Reading, learning, and writing about healing practices.
Eventually, Bruce’s body recovered to a point where he could continue with his normal activities, including sharing his philosophies with the rest of the world.
Having been a fan of Bruce Lee’s from childhood, I often reflected on his teachings and ideals. The book “Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee’s Wisdom For Daily Living” offers unique perspectives and a wealth of profound quotes. I once stumbled upon two of these quotes, hybridized in a motivational post; They read as follows:
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.”
My takeaway from this is that no matter how busy the day is, there’s usually a moment I can take a step toward progress. It can be a baby step or a giant leap, but as the old saying goes, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
In Bruce Lee’s case, I think he exampled this while recovering from his injury. He could have let time get away from him while waiting for his body to heal; After all, he was an athlete and performer — If he couldn’t use his body, what else was he going to do? Instead, he refocused his attention on what he could do and made terrific personal progress.
Sometimes, it doesn’t help to worry about how or how much. Sometimes you simply need to make one productive move in the right direction. Besides, tomorrow is a new opportunity to make an even bigger one. At least you’re maintaining forward momentum.
ELON MUSK.
On scheduling his workweek.
Regardless of one’s feelings about Elon Musk, there’s no denying he’s a productive guy. He founded SpaceX and co-founded Tesla, revolutionizing the space and auto industries.
It goes without saying that managing two of the most significant companies in the world probably requires serious focus and organization. So how does he do it? According to several reports, it goes something like this:
Monday: Works at SpaceX.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: Works at Tesla.
Saturday and Sunday: Flexible (Spent between travel, family, and/or either of the two companies).
It’s surprisingly simple and perhaps underwhelming — But it makes sense. We often over-complicate things by trying to find the perfect way to optimize our time, when in actuality, it’s as basic as just dedicating a whole day to a single project (or another area of focus).
Personally, I tend to juggle a handful of different projects at one time, so this easy concept was one that resonated with me. Instead of splitting my day up and changing gears repeatedly in between, I now focus my attention on one area. This way, I can take better advantage of the flow I’ve developed without interrupting it to move to something else.
ERNEST HEMMINGWAY.
On daily writing and motivation.
Ernest Hemmingway, the famous writer, once laid out his writing routine during an interview with the Paris Review.
The routine was to get up early each morning and read what he’d previously written, up to the place in which he’d last left off. He would then continue writing. Once he reached a point where he’d made progress and had more he wanted to write, he would stop — Even if it was only noon.
The idea was that if he wrote until he was either exhausted or unsure of the next part of the story, he would lose the motivation to keep going. However, if he stopped while ready and wanting to write more, then he’d be driven to continue the next day.
I found this useful because I’ve had projects where I worked until I had nothing left in me to contribute. By the time another opportunity came to work on the project, I had little if any desire to do so. Of course, when I stopped working before I was ready, like Hemmingway, I felt the urge to return was stronger.
IN SUMMARY.
A brief recap.
- Don’t think for too long about the next step.
- Make one definite move toward your goal each day (no matter how small).
- Don’t be afraid to focus on one project per day. Dividing your time between too many projects on the same day might hold you back.
- Work on your project, but find a point to stop while you’re still ready and motivated to do more. Pick up again when you’ve had enough time to recharge.
I hope these methods helped you as much as they helped me. If you have a good experience applying them to your own life, please feel free to comment and share your story. I’d love to hear about your success.
Good luck!