The Art of Productivity

"It's not how long you live. Rather it's how well you live." - Professor Randy Pausch

The quality of your life is determined by how well you choose to spend your time. It's not about sitting for very long hours  at your work desk either. Productivity = Output / Time. Doing the same work for a long time taxes your brain, leaving you tired. The brain needs it's rest at particular intervals. You need to give yourself sufficient breaks to achieve optimal productivity. Here are some tips on stress-free productivity.

1. Plan your day in advance

Take five minutes on the previous night to formulate a To-Do list. Have an impossibly huge assignment? Break it down into modules. Assign an approximate start and end time for each module. This should make you clear about the tasks that you need to perform. You will also realize that you have more free time than you imagined. Do this every night and see how you start looking forward to doing intimidating tasks with enthusiasm on the next day!

2. Allot time for break 

Interleave ten minutes of fun time with an hour (or two) of work. This rejuvenates your mind. Let it be taking a walk outside. Or having a healthy snack. Or anything you please.

3. Stick to your plan

Executing your plan is the difficult part. It requires practice. Start with trivial things first, like having tea. When your reminder says it's time to have tea, have your tea! When you find yourself ignoring the reminder, don't lose hope. Try consistently to obey the reminder until it becomes your automatic response to do so.

4. Automation leads to innovation

Learning to stick to your plan is an art. Once learned, your mind is free to concentrate on more important things rather than thinking about when to do mundane tasks.

5. Have the To-Do list in view

Stick the plan to your wall or in case of using an app, make sure you have reminders for each task. This way, you won't forget to do the things on your list.


  Here are some apps that you could use to improve productivity. I am only providing the web app links here. It shouldn't be difficult to find the corresponding smartphone apps :)

https://www.google.com/calendar
http://astrid.com
http://www.timer-tab.com/
http://scribble.wreally.com/ ( a great one for writing down your ideas before they disappear! )


So guys, gear up for the seriously awesome and productive days!

Boosters to Combat Idleness

Hello guys! Today, I want to share a few noteworthy quotes that I had come across, over the past few months. These points mentioned here are wonderful stimulants that help you to transform the stagnant state of mind into the  highly coveted productive and constructive state of mind. 

 

 1. "It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head."

    You cannot work efficiently while the mind is running a torrential amount of thoughts on your enemy. Who is the enemy? They could be anything or anyone that obstruct your progress. Don't turn your mind into a sanctuary for these enemies. When an enemy drifts unconsciously into your mind, firmly say "OK. Alright. I hear you, buddy. Now kindly bugger off!" As simple as that! Just say this every time and you will immediately experience a sense of lightness which leaves you free to carry on with work that actually matters.

2. "Celebrate any progress. Don't wait to get perfect."

    Just do it. Perfectionism is a myth. Nothing can be absolutely perfect. There is always something that props up later to make things better. Things only keep evolving into better ones.  In order for this to happen, just keep doing what you need to do, while celebrating little milestones. It gives you the confidence to perform better.

3. "The sense of anxiety comes from breaking agreements with yourself."

    This is surprisingly true. You vow to learn to play the guitar. To write a story. To catch up with an old friend. To meditate. To workout. You think that 24 hours a day is simply not enough for you to fulfill your oaths. These unfulfilled 'To-dos' keep nagging you to the point of driving you guilty. Well, why don't you just DO them? Only you know whether you really have the time. Decide for yourself!

4. "Pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret."

    This is along the lines of the above point. If you take the pain to cultivate discipline to stick to your plan, you don't regret. You are always stronger than you think you are.

5. "If you are waiting for the perfect conditions, ideas or plans to get started, you will never achieve anything."

    You can consider this as a gospel, my friends. This is entirely true with the real world. There is never a perfect time or place to begin anything. It's now or NEVER.

6. "It's usually only as good or as bad as you think it is."

    When you start contemplating a situation that you would rather avoid due to so-and-so reasons, your fears possibly will seem rational. At least to your mind anyway. When you find yourself thinking of such unpleasant thoughts , say, "I will never start my own business", replace it with, "My mind thinks that I will never start my own business". This simple step will differentiate 'rational' thoughts from 'automatic' thoughts.


7. "There is nothing you can't do if you get your habits right."

    Convert the activities that you do only when you are highly motivated ( hint: you are passionate about it; but never work yourself up to doing it ), into habits. These kinds of activities are those that make you feel good about yourself after doing them because they were so damn hard to get started with. The outcomes of striving to incorporate them as habits are increased feeling of accomplishment and the need to do more.

8. "Routine stagnates."

    It's only when we get caught up in the vicious cycle of routine activities that we get more unsatisfied. Make it a habit to do ONE different activity everyday. 

9. "Knowledge is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do."

    The smartest people are not always the happiest. Of what use would it be, if you owned a car and never bothered to drive it? That's a shame! Action is what is necessary to drive the wheel.

10. "As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss out most of your life."

    No matter how your life is right now, it is important to take a moment to realize that we are HERE, in this place, at this moment, breathing and heart pumping. This increased feeling of awareness of the moment is an incredible feeling. Live in the moment!

11. "The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."

    If you are thinking, "If I take the pains to do this now, I shall sit back and relax later for the rest of my life", you are wrong! It is essential to realize that the universe is changing and what is true might not be true tomorrow and what is false might indeed be true later on. Don't have a rigid mindset about life. Be flexible and enjoy it as you live through the change. A change becomes a problem only if we choose to view it from that stand point. Keep your mind like water and even change becomes an enjoyable routine!

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