31 Ways to Increase Your Productivity (Without Turning Your World Upside Down)

September 28, 2011 By

Face it: we’d all like to get more done.

If given the choice not to sleep, most people would take it. If there was a button that would add more hours to the 24 hour-long day, most of us would push it.

But we have to sleep, and there are never going to be more than 24 hours in a day. So our goal should be to be as productive as possible within the time limits we’re given.

There are a lot of tips out there claiming to boost productivity, and in my quest to be superhuman I’ve given most of them a try over the years. Here are my favorites:

1. Work to your natural rhythms. All humans have Circadian rhythms that lead to points of high and low energy throughout the day. For most people, this means they are alert in the morning, get drowsy sometime in the afternoon, and get a second wind in the evening. Find yours and work accordingly.

2. Think back to previous successes. Remember a time in the past where you felt ‘in flow’. Emulate those circumstances.

3. Work in spurts. Legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz worked in spurts of 33.33 minutes. I like to do a slightly more reasonable 30 minutes — others prefer a longer 45 or 60 minutes. Find out what works for you and stick to it. The key is to give yourself a break of 5 to 10 minutes in between outbursts and do something completely unrelated to your task.

4. Set reasonable goals. You’re not going to finish an entire book in a day. Set small, accomplishable goals that will keep you going forward but won’t overwhelm or exhaust you.

5. Carry a notebook (iPhone, iPad, recorder, etc.). Always have a way to write down your ideas when you’re not at your computer. It’s at these times when a Eureka moment is most likely to hit you, and you’ll want to have a way to remember it. Trust me, this will save you a lot of agonizing time later when you’re back at your computer trying to remember your brilliant idea.

6. Smile a lot. Studies show you’re more creative when you’re happy. And creativity leads to higher productivity. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creativity, Habits

Create the Life You’ve Always Dreamed of in Four Simple Steps

September 22, 2011 By

Are you living the life you’ve always wanted to live?

If your answer is yes, that’s great. You can go read something else.

But for the 99% of you who will answer no to this question, read on.

Because there’s a simple trick I want to tell you about that will help you reach all of your goals…

And best of all, you can start today. There’s only four steps to it.

So what is it?

It’s something you’ve heard before. Something you know you should do, yet find it daunting because you don’t know how to go about it.

You have to figure out what you want.

Huh?

Let me explain…

Step 1: Creating your ideal scene

It’s true: the biggest reason most people don’t end up with the life they want is that they don’t clearly define their goals in the first place.

This really hit me a couple of years ago when I read The Type-Z Guide to Success: A Lazy Person’s Manifesto to Wealth and Fulfillment. In the book, author Marc Allen explains that in order for us to realize our dreams, we have to clearly define them and work toward them every single day.

He suggests that you make your “ideal scene” — what you want your life to be five years into the future, including everything from your career aspirations, how much weight you want to lose (or gain), what you want your living situation to be like, vacations you want to take, marathons you want to run… you get the idea.

This exercise can be strangely powerful if you really dig deep and figure out what’s important to you (yes, this is often easier said than done). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal growth, Self doubt

Why Do You Write?

September 15, 2011 By

Editor’s note: This post is written for writers because I am a writer. Substitute your own creative discipline as you wish.

As a writer, you know the life you’ve chosen isn’t easy.

In the best of times, you’ll have fame and fortune… traveling and book signings… four-hour workweeks and a dedicated following.

But more often than not, you’ll get desolation and solitude, Ramen noodles and rejection letters.

Strangers pity you. Assume you’re one of those writers who is forever stuck in a cloud of self-despair and writer’s block. Quietly thank themselves that they never had the urge to become a writer.

And there’s no question about it: writing is hard.

It takes time. Dedication. Focus.

The blank screen is intimidating. Menacing, even. And you’re the one who must craft words to fill the page, words you hope will be clear, meaningful even, and maybe, one day, actually be read by someone other than your mom.

So, I ask you: why do you write?

Here are some of the reasons why I write:

Because I can’t not write. Writing is part of who I am. It defines me. There have been many times in my life when I tried not to write, and as a result I was miserable. I’ve tried out many different careers but always come back to writing. It may be a curse, but it’s who I am. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Writing

The World is Changing… Are You?

September 8, 2011 By

It’s a changing world out there.

You feel it. I feel it. And today’s generation of 20 somethings — a generation I’m included in — feels it more than ever.

Much of this change has happened under our watch. We were the generation that grew up thinking we could do whatever we wanted, but at the same time were told that if we followed the rules we would be successful in life.

Yet we’ve also watched jobs that we may have aspired to as kids disappear.

Jobs like travel agents…

Typists…

Factory workers…

And many more non-tradable jobs — gone. Or at least going quickly, soon to be gone. Replaced by computers and cheap labor.

(Heck, we can’t even be astronauts anymore. And who didn’t want to be an astronaut as a kid?)

These jobs and others like them are no longer an option for us.

Seth Godin has been talking about this change — what he calls the post-industrial revolution — for years. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Twenty somethings, Work

Are You Addicted to Your Stuff?

September 2, 2011 By

Do you let the stuff you own define your life?

This question hits a sore spot for most people…

Because as much as you don’t want to say yes, you know it’s true.

You love your things. Your clothes. Your special chair. The chef’s knives you got for your wedding years ago.

But there comes a point when you cross a line from appreciating something — and start needing it.

And when you let your stuff rule your life, you’re depriving yourself of a life of freedom.

My story: moving across the country

I realized that I had gotten a point where my stuff had taken over in my most recent move across the country from New York City to San Francisco.

I had moved many times before, moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and back, lived in foreign countries, etc. — but there was something about this move that especially got to me.

Maybe it was because I am originally from the West Coast, and moving back felt like going home. Finally. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balance