Success Advice

3 Tips To Becoming More Productive Instantly

Published

9 years ago

May 19, 2015

3 Tips To Becoming More Productive Instantly

Have you ever felt guilty for delaying on a project? Maybe it’s putting together a slide deck for that presentation you need to make. Maybe it’s making phone calls to new clients. Maybe, to the millions of students out there, perhaps it’s waiting until 2am to start that paper that’s due tomorrow.

Well, if you’ve ever felt guilty, today we’re going to turn procrastination on its head. Today I’m going to show you why procrastinating will make you more productive and more successful – given that you use it to your advantage.

In our constantly moving culture, we villainize delay. Anyone who delays in any task is:

Lazy
Unmotivated
Not “up to par”

But this begets the question: why do we procrastinate? The answer lies in biology.

Biologically, there are two main “nervous systems” in your body that dictate your mood and actions.

Sympathetic Nervous System. Your sympathetic nervous system is responsible for your “flight or fight” response. It gets you amped up, pumps you full of adrenaline and cortisol, and makes you ready to face danger at a moment’s notice

Parasympathetic Nervous System. Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for relaxation. It calms you down after a fight-or-flight response and brings you back to a state of normalcy with large releases of serotonin.

Why is this important? Well, biologically, our bodies try to avoid using energy as much as possible. Why? Because if you’re expending all of your energy jogging and doing yard work, how will you have enough left over to run away from a bear (or so your body asks)?

At the end of the day, that’s how we are designed. In fact, that’s how all animals are designed. We conserve our energy until dangerous situations, then either run or fight in a high-pressure state, and then return to a state of relaxation and grazing again.

Do you see a lion hunting at all hours of the day and night? Absolutely not. They spend a lot of their time relaxing by a lake, playing, and sleeping. Then when they need to hunt or defend themselves, they go into an intense – temporary – predator mode.

So if we want to do good work, we have to understand this essential nature of ourselves.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

1. Procrastinate well

“When doing powerful work, the work is least important of our success.”

So how do you “procrastinate well?”

Well, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by the late Steven Covey. Do you remember what Habit 7 is? That’s right: Sharpen the Saw.

One of my old high school teachers used to say: “Sometimes, just think about the project or paper you’re working on. Some people don’t think that that’s work. But in my opinion, that’s the hardest work you can possibly do.”

The whole idea of sharpening the saw is making sure that you’re mentally and physically prepared to do a burst of powerful work. This can take many forms:

Sleeping
Eating Nutritiously
Meditating
Brainstorming/Story boarding
Going for a walk
Eating a meal with a loved one
Setting up materials
Planning
Thinking

“Procrastination is your body telling you that you need to back off a bit and think more about what you are doing.” – James Altucher

2. No time constraints? No results

Have you ever given yourself all-day to do a task? You probably thought: “Wow, look at all of this time I have.” And then at the end of the day, you probably thought: “Where did this day go?”

Why? You didn’t give yourself any structure. Time constraints actually allow us to get things done. When we see an impending deadline, we know that we have no choice but to deliver. But if there is no deadline, we’ll just find excuses to check Facebook, watch House of Cards, and waste time. Time wasting is poor procrastination.

Sharpening the saw allows you to do all of the preparation around your work, so that the work won’t take you very long.

Let’s look at to hypothetical scenarios in which you had 3 hours of work to do after a full shift of your job. Which of these would be more effective:

Working late at 7pm after a 10-hour day, telling yourself you’ll just “push through it,” while you feel exhausted, hungry and burnt out.
Going home at 7pm, eating a healthy meal, listening to your favorite podcast, calling an old friend, and then getting up 2 hours earlier than normal in the morning, refreshed and alert, to address the extra work.

I think the answer is pretty clear. So why don’t we do this more often?

The answer? GUILT.

Don’t feel guilty for sharpening the saw

I used to feel extremely guilty for taking time to storyboard out a project, or walk away from my computer to take a restorative nap.

Once I let go of this negative self-talk, I realized just how powerful this method is. I think there’s a reason why Dr. Covey left this habit for last: it’s the hardest one to internalize, but it’s also the most important factor for your success.

3. How do you do great work when it’s time?

So how do you do your great work when it’s time? Here’s how:

Know Your Rhythm. Some people can’t do their best work at traditional hours. I myself am a night owl so I know I’m most productive after midnight. Don’t try to hide it or conform to other people’s standards. Own your rhythm

Find the Best Environment. Whatever this means for you, you have to find the best environment to be your most focused self. Maybe it’s your desk, your conference room, or a library. Maybe it could be a coffee shop or your home office. Find what is best for you.

Give Yourself Less Time. Think a task will take 1 hour? Give yourself 45 minutes. The added pressure will force you to focus and work at maximum efficiency. We can always work far more efficiently than we believe.

Add Risk & Reward. Maybe you’ll have a nice dinner with your spouse if you get your work done, or maybe you’ll have to pay your friend $100 if you don’t complete your project by your decided deadline. Whatever the system, adding accountability will allow you to be effective and properly invested while you work.

As human beings, we spend too much time trying to fight our biology. But we can’t fight our natural tendencies. So why not use them to our advantage instead?

So the next time you’re feeling guilty for procrastinating, just remember: as long as you properly prepare, that procrastination is likely the key to your success.

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Brenton Weyi

Brenton Weyi is a writer and social entrepreneur with an expertise in creating social movements through business and encouraging inspiration through writing. His company, Groupe Weyi, works with villagers in Central Africa to create lasting change through fair trade of resources. He also has a website for personal development and storytelling called Orastories. Follow him on twitter @bweyi.

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There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.