The Psychology of Getting Things Done
How top 1% think + plan & execute
Productivity and getting more done doesn’t mean sitting at your work desk for 16 hours every day - Rather that is the definition of unproductivity!
Forcing yourself to get more done is exactly not how you do not get more done.
Productivity is flowing in coherence with your body and taking care of it the right way so it helps you focus on the right things.
I have tried everything you could imagine in the last 3 years as a Freelance Entrepreneur to increase my productivity:
Pomodoro techniques
Journaling
To-do list
Clutter-Free environment
BUT…
Nothing worked for more than a day!
I realized there was no easy fix to the productivity problem so I took a deep dive to understand the core reasons and how to fix the roots to become more productive as an Entrepreneur.
Let me give you everything for absolutely FREE!
Keep reading
1. Fix your sleep cycle
If you are reading this - there is a 99% chance that your sleep cycle is completely messed up.
Sleep is like charging a phone and if you are not getting appropriate sleep every night forget about productivity - Fix your goddamn sleep first.
Sleeping is how the cells in our body get the energy that is required to keep ourselves focused.
Imagine being able to sleep like you used to sleep as a child - One of the best feelings in life!
BUT…
Unfortunately, majority of the adults don’t sleep well - they take it for granted.
You need at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night, especially in a world where our brain is constantly stimulated and fried.
Here is how you fix your sleep starting today:
Rule 1 - Sleep and wake up at the same time every day
Rule 2 - Soak sunlight for 5-10 minutes first thing in the morning
Rule 3 - Don’t snooze your alarm (This is a silent focus killer)
Rule 4 - No overhead white light in your room after sunset (Use red light bulbs)
Rule 5 - Apply white light filters in your devices after sunset
Rule 6 - No Coffee after 12 PM
This will fix your body’s circadian rhythm. The 6 rules mentioned are proven to release melatonin (the hormone responsible for deep sleep) at the right time.
Follow this and sleep like a baby!
2. Workout and Diet
Physical activity and diet contribute more than you think to have a productive day.
You can’t eat McDonald's 2 times a day and expect to focus for 5 hours without getting distracted or feeling sleepy.
Treat your body like a temple - Don’t put the garbage in your stomach.
Be aware of what you eat and how it is going to react in your body.
I like to keep things simple and follow the basics - Because I don’t want to become a fitness expert.
Here are some rules I follow:
Fasting until lunch (This keeps me awake and focused)
Low-carb lunch - If I eat 5 chapatis and 1 plate of rice, my energy is going to spike before I fall flat on my bed.
Avoid processed sugar and alcohol
Working out 3-4 times a week
Supplementation for essential vitamins (consult your doctor)
Last meal at 8 PM
1.2-1.5 gm protein per kg of body weight
More fiber in dinner to keep my gut clean
Tracking everything I put in my body - I use MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone
Might sound like a Fitness Newsletter but taking care of the body is 80% of the missing piece of the productivity/Focus Puzzle.
3. Clarity
“Sitting on your desk and working on random things doesn’t make you productive - It just makes you busy for no reason.”
Productivity is working on the right things with focus so you get the desired output.
You cannot work on anything with focus if you don’t know what you are working towards.
If you don’t know what you want - you need to first sit down with yourself and define the goal you are going for - CLEARLY.
Once you know exactly what you want you will know what’s the next step to focus on and your productivity will skyrocket as a result of it.
Take my example!
I am productive as I write this newsletter!
Why am I writing this Newsletter?
Because I want to improve my writing skills
Because I want to grow my Newsletter
Because I want to own my audience and give them value without using social media platforms
Because I want to give solutions to the problems I solved for myself to my community
Without this clarity - I would have never been able to convince my brain to sit down and write this long newsletter.
Clear?
4. Block Distractions and stimulation
If you are distracted, you can’t focus, and if you can’t focus on the right things you can’t be productive.
Your smartphone has the potential to make your living life hell if you are passively using it without conscious thought.
It’s 24/7 stimulation and dopamine release!
It will completely ruin how your brain is wired if you keep getting distracted and scrolling it whenever you get the urge.
Keep that phone of yours away - when you are working.
Here are some of the rules I like to follow to block distractions in my life
Rule 1 - No phone until lunchtime (I keep it outside of my workspace).
Rule 2 - Blank YouTube home feed (I use unhook Chrome extension for this).
Rule 3 - I block all colors on my iPhone screen (No colors on screen, no stimulation).
Rule 4 - All notifications on laptop and iPhone are off.
5. Deep work
If you take care of the last 4 points we discussed, you will be able to get into the state of deep work!
In this state - you shock yourself with the focus you have. It almost feels like denying the laws of nature and time.
You get disproportionate results of your time because of the laser focus you acquire - you forget about the time.
You are deep in the trenches working, creating, moving forward, learning, and getting better. - You feel like a man on a mission.
You get in a state of flow - there is no stopping you here!
If you can get in this state for 5 hours a day you will get all the work you were supposed to do.
You don’t have to stick to your screen for 15 hours a day
It’s hard to enter this state at the start so track your deep work bandwidth and slowly push it!
Here is how to do it:
Track your deep work - Start the timer when you sit to work, and pause it when you get distracted. Take 15-20-minute breaks before you start the timer again.
Find your bandwidth!
Gradually try to push this bandwidth - Add 15-20 minutes every day to one time sitting and see how far you can push it.
Do this for 6 months and see how your productivity peaks!
6. Eliminate context switching
One of the biggest productivity killers is Context-switching
Your focus is delicate and limited - If you jump from one project to another every 15 minutes - forget about focus and productivity you will get overwhelmed and anxious.
You need to pick one project and think, act, and strategize for just that one project for the blocked time.
As a creator and coach, I am always switching between different things:
Business growth
Client strategy
Newsletter
Twitter
Linkedin
Coaching optimization
Writing client results
New business I want to start
On the days I think about multiple things at once - I fry my brain and get nothing done.
So I block my time based on the projects I am working on and I only focus on a specific project at any given blocked time.
This helps me protect my focus and get more done in less time.
Don’t jump from one project to another like a monkey!
7. 1% better everyday
It is easy to look at someone else and compare your day 1 with their day 1000!
Comparison is a big productivity killer because looking at other people's achievements makes you feel like the work you are supposed to do is insignificant - so you feel bad about yourself and procrastinate!
You feel worthless and try to distract yourself from that feeling.
What you need to do is focus on yourself and focus on getting 1% better every day at what you do.
1% is the key figure!
1% better are learning
1% better at eating right
1% better at fitness
1% better at business
1% better at whatever you want to get better at
Just focus on getting 1% better, do it for 6 months and you won’t recognize your older self!
If you can keep these 7 things in mind - I promise you will get more done than 99% of the people and you will get ahead fast!
All the best!
Z.
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This was very helpful. I too am juggling a list while working full-time. Keeping it all forward moving has been challenging. I'm good at distractions, the steps you list will be helpful. Thanks!
Very helpful. I knew some of this, but needed a refresher. Thanks!