How Can You Be Extremely Productive At Whatever You Do?
Increase your focus and enjoy everything you do
In the world of digital media, everything fights for your attention. It feels like waves of the sea, where you are bombarded with an overwhelmingly large amount of things.
We all have something that is common between each and every individual. Time.
“Lost time is never found again” — Benjamin Franklin
It is easy to get lost when there is so much going on. I wrote an article on an aspect of our productivity about why we keep switching tasks and how we lose our focus.
Being productive at any task we take on is the best thing you can reward yourself. Apart from creating something valuable, there is another benefit to productivity. You become happy.
Remember the time you were so immersed in an activity that you didn’t notice time passing by?
That’s the productivity I am talking about. I am writing this article during the halftime of Manchester City v/s Tottenham game. I am not multitasking, I am just utilizing the precious time.
Productivity Sounds Achievable, Why Can’t I Do It Regularly?
1. What We Do off Work Is What Eventually Takes Over While Working
Remember “neurons that wire together, fire together.” The way we perform every task trains our minds in a certain way.
Each part of our life is interconnected with every other aspect.
We are what we do when no one is watching.
If you are scrolling through social media while listening to a podcast thinking of having multiple thoughts, that's what you are training your brain to do.
Divided tasks divide your attention. When you train your brain to focus on different things at a time, most of the resources are spent adapting to new tasks rather than focusing on something.
There’s a limit to everything.
2. You Don’t Enjoy What You Are Doing
When you are forced to do something that you don’t genuinely enjoy, it feels horrible. Waking up each day to do the same work that you do not necessarily love to do.
“When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play” — Martin Yan
I love watching anime, and when I am watching anime, I think of nothing else. Not my problems, not my past, nothing else except what I am currently watching.
Work is no different. If you don’t feel productive at work, you need to ask yourself the big question,
Do I really love what I do?
If the answer is no, then you need to introspect. This is tougher than it seems. If you are not enjoying what you do, you are less likely to continue something for a long time.
Sometimes, quitting may be tough but it’s better than an extended period of suffering.
So, How Can I Be Productive?
Productivity is not something you can become, it is merely an outcome. It is you who has to create it.
1. Create Your Environment
Environments influence us much more than we think. So it would be best if you could create an environment where you won’t get distracted.
- I started creating my environment by first identifying what distracts me. One of them was my phone. I turn the wifi off so I do not hear the notification bells which are designed to grab the attention.
- I locked my doors and requested my family members to not disturb me unless it was an emergency. So now, it’s just me and my work.
- My laptop is full of stuff that might potentially distract me. I have made a rule of only opening what I am currently working at on the browser. I have separate google accounts for work and personal stuff which makes it easier.
Bill Gates takes the solo think-weeks in his cabin in the woods. We can only be productive when we are focused on one problem at hand.
2. Start Prioritizing & Set Clear Expectations
Tasks can be prioritized based on multiple factors, complexity, urgency, and so on.
Setting clear goals and expectations helps you stay true to your purpose.
You may know what you have to do but as time progresses multiple factors influence you as the future is unpredictable. You are more likely to be driven by various factors.
What I like to do in this case is write down everything that I have to do. I am more likely to do something when I write it down and revisit the notes consistently.
I have a whiteboard in my workspace where I write down my major priorities so I do not deviate from what I had originally planned to do.
Your mind needs that input on a subconscious level to create a habit.
3. Start Enjoying What You Do
As I said earlier,
You are less likely to continue doing something if you are not enjoying it
So why not start enjoying what you do.
To enjoy something fully you need to first identify what aspects of your work you love. Our jobs are neither as bad as we villanize them, nor they are as good as we glorify them.
You may not initially enjoy what you do but it may be something that could create a better future for you.
You need to have a clear plan in mind.
When you start enjoying what you do, you will want to do it more. The moment you enjoy what you do with undivided attention, you will find flow.
Flow is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
Find your flow.
When you are in the flow, you are not only enjoying the present moment, you are so immersed in what you do that you end up creating something that you may not have created otherwise.
Mos top athletes and performers experience being in the zone or flow.
4. Finding The Right Problems To Solve
The process, the journey to creating something valuable is what you should look forward to. When you find your flow, you will enjoy what you do. A happy man can create miracles.
Before looking for solutions, we must find the right problems to solve first.
So how can I find the right problem then?
In Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life, it is said that the problems should neither be extremely challenging nor extremely easy. It should not be beyond your skill levels and neither too easy.
If it’s easy, it creates boredom, and if the problems are extremely difficult, it creates anxiety.
Your problems should be a scale above your current skill level so you can grow.
Becoming Productive: The Final Takeaway
Productivity like any other thing is a habit. You need to train your mental muscles to stay away from distractions and find your flow.
To achieve it, you have to:
- Create your own distraction-free environment.
- Have clear expectations of whatever you have to do and prioritize accordingly. It’s necessary to know what to chase and what to neglect.
- Start enjoying what you do. Remember, it is the right actions that create positive momentum. Flow is just an outcome. You can apply the principle of Kaizen in your daily life to increase productivity for the long term.
- Before finding solutions, it is necessary to know what the right problem for you is.
You become happy when you achieve the flow. When you start to enjoy the process, you enjoy the outcomes. Life is meant to be lived happily.
My final tip
Life is a series of experiments. You will not be successful at everything that you do, not immediately.
Don’t be hard on yourself, if you get distracted or are not productive every time. Forgive yourself and start again.
Thank you for reading this. I certainly felt like I was in a flow writing this. I started writing this during the halftime of the Manchester City v/s Tottenham match. I missed the second half.
