Cease the Practice of Productivity Paradox
Productivity is often linked with focus of a man. The amount of time a man can focus and get done with task at hand without distractions is termed as productivity. But often times it seems hard for people to concentrate for longer duration of time, in the recent study by Microsoft suggest that the average human beings attention has taken a sharp decrease to just 8 seconds where it used to be 12 seconds in the year 2020.
We humans always complain about not having enough time, but tell me truthfully was time ever an issue. We tend to get distracted with other unimportant things that the main task at hand is put to rest.
Technology has been a very powerful influence over a man’s attention and ability to focus. Chris Bailey a Canadian writer and productivity consultant, and the author of The Productivity Project (2016) and Hyperfocus (2018), mentioned at TEDxManchester we think that our brains are distracted but our brains are over stimulated and instead we overlook the fact that human brains itself craves distraction.
He mentioned that our mind has a mechanism that releases pleasure chemicals which makes us feel rewarded for finding distractions in the first place. When we eat pizza or make love we get the same stimulation when we check Facebook. We just don’t crave distraction but our mind rewards us for selecting distraction.
So what do you do to avoid being distracted so that you have a productive day?
Well to answer this I have mentioned few simple steps that can help:
Remember before you read any further don’t just read make these tips a habit. As Tony Robbins says, “You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.”
1 On every Monday morning pull your planner out and make a plan for the complete week. You don’t have to fill every single detail, but have a basic idea of what needs to be done for every day for the rest of the week. (You can always add more things as and when you like).
2. As you complete making your weekly plan, start your day with the task which needs to be done urgently, know your priorities. At the end of the day tick off things that you accomplished (trust me the feeling of ticking off things from your To-do list is the most satisfying).
3. If some of the tasks remain, don’t worry try to complete them the very next day.
4. You can follow the Pomodoro Technique, if you don’t know how it works let me tell you-
Choose a task
Set a timer for 25 minutes
Once the timer goes off stop with the task immediately
Reward yourself with 5–10 minutes of break.
This technique instills a sense of urgency and you might get done with the task more efficiently and without any interruption, and that’s what our goal is.
5. Keep your cellphone away for the time you are working on a task.
6. Put you phone on silent mode to avoid the sound of notifications.
7. Make realistic and achievable To-Do list.
8. Break task into smaller pieces, it’s always better to work on smaller chunks for 25 minutes with full concentration rather than working for hours filled with loads of distractions.
9. Don’t forget to reward yourself for every accomplished task.
10. Don’t overwork, take breaks to relax your muscles.
So these were some tips to make sure that you have a productive day and get your task done without any distractions.
As Tim Ferriss says, “Focus on being productive instead of busy.”
