Nikitha
If you google for productivity tips, there are hundreds of articles to tell you what to do and what not to do. But even after following them, you will not see any results. You will still be frustrated and search for more. You will always be in the quest of knowing a simpler one, a better one or rather call it as the one which works.
Why did none of the productivity tips you read so far did not work?
Productivity tips are not uniform for everyone. Even though a few of them are for all but not all of them suit everyone.
The following are a few examples:
Pomodoro Technique:
This technique is used for breaking the work into 25 minutes time periods with a few minutes break in between. For a person who procrastinates and has hard time focussing, pomodoro technique works great. But for a few who have longer attention spans, this technique is detrimental. It ruins their flow state of mind.
Music:
A few can’t work without music. But for others, music is an obstacle to productivity. As far as research is concerned, music without lyrics helps you concentrate better than music with lyrics.
Working under pressure:
A few work well under pressure. They need last minute panic to turn on their creativity. For others, they need to finish the work well before deadlines. They can’t think anything under pressure.
Doing it fast:
In the famous story of Tortoise and Hare, when they decided to compete in a race, even though Hare is the faster runner, Tortoise wins as hare sleeps in the middle. Similarly, people who are slow can also be productive if they are giving their best. You need not necessarily be fast. If you are fast, don’t be over-confident.
Delegating:
The secret mantra to getting a lot of things done is delegating the work to the right set of people. But if you have the habit of re-checking before you deliver the work done by others, you are better off doing it yourself than the double time spent.
Multi-t
asking:
It is the super one productivity killer. You are not getting a lot of things done by juggling. In fact, you are putting a lot more stress on your mind. When you are juggling, your mind has to recollect where you left the previous one to continue it. That way it is taking lot more time to process than just doing one activity at a time.
To-do lists:
A few do well when they have to concentrate on only one task in the entire day. I do better when I have a to-do list. I like to take breaks and work on different things so that I don’t hit a plateau when working on the one task and just be stuck there.
Sleep:
My friends can pull an all nighter and perform well in exams. My mind goes blank if I don’t sleep even one night. When you are sleeping, brain gets rid of the toxins which are produced in the brain and makes you fresh. I don’t know the logic behind how my friends can be productive.
So yeah, if you want to be productive, analyze what works for you and what does not. And if you can change your habits for the better, then well and good. If you don’t learn to work around your habits to be productive.
It is okay to be the way you are at times as long as you are productive.
Happy productivity !