(3-minute read + bunch of links)

Did you know that your brain (my brain, every brain) is hardwired to keep you unproductive as possible? For thousands of years humans have been avoiding invading armies, predators, elements, and now that we've finally got to a state of civilisation when we can finally relax, now you want to be productive?

You're lucky enough to be reading this on your computer, in your own home, warm and cosy, having a cup of coffee and eating food we didn't have to hunt. Now you want to "grow as a person"? Learn something new? God forbid exercise, or go walking in the woods!? How dare you? HOW. DARE. YOU!? Is what your brain might say because it falls in the trap called Parkinson's Law of Triviality. But fuck it, and its comfort zone shenanigans - we know better!

Productivity & Procrastination

Everything there is to say about Why Procrastinators Procrastinate and How to Beat Procrastination has been beautifully said and explained by Tim Urban, author of Wait but Why blog. If you haven't come across those post, and don't know about instant gratification monkey, panic monster and the dark playground, I urge you to read both articles, and they will solve a lot of your problems. And there's a TED talk from Tim explaining the first article in his unique style.

Once you decide to stop procrastinating and want to be efficient in completing your tasks and achieving your goals, you will need to implement a system, strategy, habits, or however you want to put it to make sure that happens. There's lot's of different approaches you can take, and not everything will work for you, so it will have to be a process of trial and error, mix and match to see what works and propels you forward.

The first system I ever implemented was popular David Allen's GTD - Getting things done, and I also adopted the Pomodoro Technique that was instrumental years ago when I was doing front end development.

Now, over the years, I've amalgamated a lot of different systems and formed daily habits that keep me doing my work. And I want you to know that it doesn't mean that I am 100% productive. Hell no! I still fall into the trap of instant gratification monkey business, but now I snap out of it quicker and get back to what's essential. One book that helped me align some stuff in my head, aside from those Tim Urban blogs was 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Ok, Tom, What do YOU do? I do this:

(not ordered by priority or importance)

1. I don't watch/read news sites. Nothing important happens most of the time.
2. I reply to emails a few times a week at a specific time.
3. I don't answer my phone, only in emergency or specific few people.
4. Get Dressed. Never work in your nightwear.
5. I wear the same clothes daily. It's my "uniform". I work from home, so I eliminated trivial decision on what to wear.
6. Routinised daily diet. Same as cloths, when it's not a special occasion or an "alone time with my spouse", I rotate same 10-ish meals.
7. Eat Healthy. (duh!)
8. Sleep until I wake up rested. No alarm clock. If my energy is running low mid-day, take a power nap.
9. EXERCISE regularly. Strong body = strong mind. No excuses!
10. Practice 80/20 rule regarding what I work on.
11. Prioritise one task per day. Focus on what's important.
12. Set a routine that works and stick to it.
13. When I have an idea, I write it down (I use Trello), and come back to it later.
14. Visualise end product.
15. Start before I feel "ready."
16. Assume I am right. Decisive = productive.
17. Do a bad first draft. It's easier to edit than a blank page.
18. Don't do meetings that can be an email.

That's the bulk of it.

Let me know if any of this helps.

Have a great day.

T.