Why I Think I Was So Productive Yesterday
Yesterday I was super productive and got LOADS done. I’ve been thinking about why I think this is, so thought it was worth sharing.
When I got to the office yesterday morning I was totally fired up and raring to go. This continued throughout the day. I ended up working from about 7am until 7pm but it didn’t feel like a 12 hour workday at all. As I knew I was getting so much done and was “in flow”, I made the most of it and continued to work until I felt satisfied.
So why did I get so much done yesterday?
Downtime
I think the biggest reason is that the day before was my birthday and I took the whole day off and relaxed. I didn’t do what I’d usually do and fill that time with other (fun) ways of being busy. I actually rested and relaxed, both physically, and mentally. People tend to think that the more hours you work, the better it is, and the more you get done. This isn’t always the case and downtime is really important. Yes, sometimes you need to do this, but it’s not sustainable. I’ve found I’m far more productive, efficient, and make better decisions, if I have downtime rather than trying to work every hour there is.
Mushroom coffee
Yes, really! I gave up normal coffee a few years ago now and do pretty much avoid all caffeine. While looking for ways to improve productivity and focus I came across mushroom coffee (via the Tim Ferriss podcast). Occasionally I’ll have one of these at the start of the day and it really does work for me. The one I drink is from Four Sigmatic and is with lions mane and chaga. It has less than half the caffeine of normal coffee too.
Music and decent headphones
I find that my focus is massively improved while listening to music through headphones. I’m guess I’m easily distracted with other things going on around me and other conversations. Listening to music eliminates these distractions for me. A few months ago I did some research into in-ear bluetooth earphones that were good for getting rid of background noise. I didn’t want to go to the expense of active noise cancelling, or the bulk of big over ear headphones (I’ve previously tried Bose Quietcomfort 25 headphones and they’re amazing, though at £250 they should be!) so bought some Anker SoundBuds Slim+ earphones. I’m blown away with how good these are, especially for the price (around £16) so highly recommend them.
Water and Movement
I drank a lot more water than I usually do yesterday. This always makes me feel more alert and drinking more water is a habit I need to get into. Also, making sure I got up and moved about (even if only walking to get a drink) regularly, and also working while standing (using the DuoDesk I developed last year) helps too. I find that doing this between tasks helps me refocus as it splits the time up, and you approach the next task with renewed focus.
So how about you?
I’d love to hear how you keep yourself productive, so please do leave a comment. Also, if you try any of the above, I’d also like to know how it worked out for you?
Thanks
Richard
