Three Productivity Lessons I’m Harnessing at 39 that I Never Bothered at 29
It’s amazing how much we can achieve when we straighten our thinking
What do you think about when the word Productivity comes to mind?
I bet it’s one of the following.
- Deep work
- Distraction-free
- An insane volume of output
- Early morning routines
- Technological tools
They are all correct. But I think we are missing the point, as I did when I was 29.
I thought it was all about output. No.
It’s about our environment and psychology.
1. What Gives You Energy?
Have you thought about this question?
You should. Here’s why.
We are at our best when we are ourselves. We become confident. Momentum at work builds, and time flies.
The opposite is true. Doing something that defies our persona and that day falls apart.
I get energy as an individual. Solo work comes naturally to me.
- When I have issues, I try to work them out first. Seeking help is a distant stage 2.
- I start my day with quiet mornings, so I visualize how that day will unfold.
- I prioritize what is important to me, not work critical to others.
Me-Time is naturally built into my day because I am I-centric.
I am at my most productive self when I am in my groove.
What about you?
Do you give yourself energy? Or do you need others to pass life energy to you?
Figure that one out first. The rest will fall in place pretty naturally.
2. Getting into Deep Work, Not Deep Work Per Se, Is the Key.
I’m not sure if I am the only one noticing this.
It’s easy to talk about Deep Work. It’s easy to say that 4 hours of intense productivity beats 8 hours of grinding with pockets of distractions in between.
I know that. You know that.
The point is to get into that zone of unbelievable productivity levels. To me, the answer is our environment. We can create an environment that allows us to slide into our beast mode.
That brings me back to Point 1.
Productivity is highly individual. Know yourself, and your best self appears.
For me, I get strength from within. Therefore, I create an environment that best supports the extraction of thoughts from my mind.
This environment is a simple one.
A laptop, a Post-it notepad, a pen, a clean table, and a power socket are all I need to start the day.
It allows me to,
- Prioritize, discard, and adjourn work matters.
- Dump all my thoughts on a Post-it note.
- Generate a string of ideas for working.
- Work on highly complex thoughts.
- Simplify elaborated ideas.
- Start work with focus.
This is the micro-environment.
The macro-environment involves shutting myself into a meeting room for 3 hours. People distract me. Therefore, I prevent that from happening.
And oh… I flip my phone the other way. The flashing screen kisses the tabletop.
No flashes. No beeps.
3. Be Stingy with Time
This is the best productivity mantra I’ve ever learned from my mentor in the consulting space.
Then, as an analyst, I was often buried under a boatload of work. I never got to finish one task before working on the next. I was here and there and everywhere.
Brian witnessed my scatterbrained working style. He decided to help me focus my energy.
He told me this.
“Imagine that you are only left with 20 minutes before a client presentation. What would you do?”
Brian wants me to think about it. He does not need my answer.
It took me a long while to figure out the following.
We get into the zone of intense focus when we are short of time. We waste time when there is plenty.
Don’t focus on time. Instead, focus on a lack of time.
You work better and way faster.
4. Avoid Your Natural Enemies
No, no. I am not referring to your adversaries at the debate club or political opposites in the workplace.
Instead, I am referring to people who are your natural opposites.
Our productivity level is not an individual affair. It has to do with our environment. And our environment has people in it.
Think about it this way.
- I do not appreciate people who think out loud because I work in my head. It disrupts my flow of thinking.
- I avoid talkers at work. I want to work. Noise is a distraction.
- I hate meetings because nothing gets done.
Therefore, I avoid loud thinkers, talkers, and people who believe in showing presence.
They steal my energy.
What about you? Who are your natural enemies?
Are you wasting precious time fighting with them?
Or are you avoiding them daily?
Parting Keynotes
Psychology and personality drive our productivity levels.
Yes, there are many productivity techniques and tools. How do we know that they work?
We experiment. By experimenting with ourselves, we know what to take in and reject. I learned this at 39. At 29, I was distracted by the latest tricks to help me get by.
Today, I know that,
- Focusing on my energy matters.
- Getting into Deep Work matters more than Deep Work, per se.
- Being stingy with time is about being generous with myself.
- Avoiding my natural enemies boosts my productivity levels.
Once I understand what turns my crank, I know how to become more productive.
Because, at the end of the day, it is about me.
It applies to you, too.
As a content contributor, I write my daily life observations and business exposure. Our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.