Benefits of Simplicity to Productivity Simplicity is often perceived as boring, unattractive and unremarkable. Majority of people want something striking and complicated. But as Leonardo da Vinci has said, Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Different to the common belief, simplicity is not boring, unattractive or unremarkable. The Misconception of Being Productive The common error of people who aim to succeed at something is the tendency to make the process complicated, such as over analysis and accepting responsibility beyond one’s capacity. Take for an instance when an individual or company spends too much time planning and perfecting a product. However, being productive neither needs too much analysis nor working long hours. The Benefits Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! If you want to be more productive with minimal effort and stress, learn how to simplify and stay focus. 1. Simplicity aids clarity; the directness of expression and purpose. 2. The majority of people are incapable of staying focused. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The Science of Productivity. “It is not enough to be busy… The question is: what are we busy about?” ~ Henry David Thoreau Busy is already a given in our twenty-first century stampede. Busyness has multiplied by all kinds of parallel realities. It used to be just made of flesh. Now it is also virtual. Meet Lady Productivity, our century’s muse. How do you assess your productivity? Contrary to what we tend to believe and try, productivity can’t be increased only by willpower, ability, or the amount of time we spend on a project. Optimal productivity boils down to a healthy balance between work and play, activity and rest. The brilliant creators at AsapSCIENCE, try to decode productivity in this animated science bite: Created by AsapSCIENCE in collaboration with Sparring Mind. Review, Rewind, Remember… Tips to boost your productivity: 1. What works for you? What doesn’t? What could? What’s the first step? Take it now? More creative, compact curiosity by AsapSCIENCE: >> Could Zombies Exist? >> The Scientific Power of Naps.
How to Hone Your Creative Routine and Master the Pace of Productivity by Maria Popova “When you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly.” We seem to have a strange but all too human cultural fixation on the daily routines and daily rituals of famous creators, from Vonnegut to Burroughs to Darwin — as if a glimpse of their day-to-day would somehow magically infuse ours with equal potency, or replicating it would allow us to replicate their genius in turn. And though much of this is mere cultural voyeurism, there is something to be said for the value of a well-engineered daily routine to anchor the creative process. Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (public library), edited by Behance’s 99U editor-in-chief Jocelyn Glei and featuring contributions from a twenty of today’s most celebrated thinkers and doers, delves into the secrets of this holy grail of creativity. It’s time to stop blaming our surroundings and start taking responsibility. Step by step, you make your way forward. Donating = Loving
The Morning Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity What’s the best way to start your day so that you really get things done? Laura Vanderkam studied the schedules of high-achievers. What did she find? I’ve interviewed a ton of top experts about their productivity secrets: Tim Ferriss, Cal Newport, Dan Ariely, Charles Duhigg, and others. But you’re busy. So many readers have written to me saying what my friend Jason always does: “I don’t have time. Okay, time to round up what the experts have said and build a roadmap. 1) Stop Reacting Get up before the insanity starts. When I spoke to productivity guru Tim Ferriss, bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, what did he say? Here’s Tim: I try to have the first 80 to 90 minutes of my day vary as little as possible. Most of us get up and it seems like things are already in motion. So of course you aren’t achieving your goals. You need to wake up before the insanity starts. (For more from Tim Ferriss on what the most productive people do every day, click here.) All tasks are not created equal.
5 Unusual Ways to Start Working Smarter, Not Harder, Backed by Science One of the things I love about the culture at Buffer is the emphasis on working smarter, not harder. Our team is all about getting plenty of sleep, exercise and recreation time so that our time spent working is as productive as it can be. Working harder can be an easy habit to slip into, though. Sometimes it’s hard to switch off at the end of the day, or to take time out on the weekend and stop thinking about work. With a startup of my own to run, I find this even harder to manage lately. Whenever I’m not working on Buffer, I’m working on Exist, and it’s easy to fall into a pattern of “always working,” rather than working smart and fitting in time to look after myself as well. If this happens to you, too, here are five methods to try that’ll help get you working smarter, not harder. 1. In one of my favorite books, Stephen Covey tells a story about a woodcutter whose saw gets more blunt as time passes and he continues cutting down trees. 2. So when should you be taking a nap? 3. 4. 5.
The Rule of 3 The rule of 3 is a very simple way to get results. Rather than get overwhelmed by your tasks, you bite off 3 things you can accomplish. This puts you in control. If nothing else, it gives you a very simple frame for the day. I’ve been using the rule of 3 for a few years to drive results both for myself and for my teams. 3 is the Magic Number When I explain parts of my new book to my friends, they seem to really latch on to this rule of 3. The Rule of 3 AppliedHere’s how the rule of 3 applies to time: 3 outcomes for the day3 outcomes for the week3 outcomes for month3 outcomes for the year The outcomes at each level support each other and help guide your results. The Forest from the Trees Having 3 outcomes at each level (day, week, month, year) helps you see the forest from the trees. Outcomes Over ActivitiesDon’t confuse activities with results. Yearly Goals If you find you get lost in your goals or if your goals are too complex, try the rule of 3. Start your day with the rule of 3.
Working remotely & Getting things done 4) Keep on Learning “You need to read this book!…” If Warren Buffet can still make time to read, I figure I can do that too, especially when engaging in those longer commutes. My colleagues love to read, they always have great recommendations, When I find something interesting, I go ahead and YouTube proof it: Do I enjoy this topic enough to spend 5–10 hours reading about it? Speed-watching a video (2x speed) on the topic helps me find out, Ok, that’s my kind of book! Kindle reading is awesome! Equally awesome, I recently got addicted to Audible.com: Most audio books I found are 6 to 9-hour long, You can listen to them at 3x speed… Going through an entire book through a flight, or a single afternoon: Be advised that 3x listening requires your full attention… 5) Concentration flow How long should you spend on any given task? “Timeboxing allocates a fixed time period to each planned activity” Also, I love to listen to music when I’m working. “focus@will is a new neuroscience based music service”
How to Scale Yourself and Get More Done Than You Thought Possible The following is a detailed write-up of a popular productivity talk delivered by Scott Hanselman. Visit his blog, hanselman.com, for more productivity tips. "Don't worry, just drop the ball." This counterintuitive advice is one of a dozen-plus productivity practices preached by Scott Hanselman, a program manager at Microsoft, author and avid blogger and speaker. "Dropping the ball is sometimes the right answer," Hanselman says. Hanselman's not the person you'd to expect to hear encourage dropping the ball and discourage burning the midnight oil. How does he do it? "A lot of people say, 'Well, Scott, you're doing all this stuff. "It turns out," he continues, "the less that you do, the more of it that you can do. Scale Yourself In a 40-minute talk Hanselman originally delivered in 2012, and has since presented several times—most recently at South by Southwest Interactive earlier this month—he shares his productivity practices. Look for Danger Signs "Hope is not a plan," Hanselman says.
10 requirements of the perfect manager If you could hire your next boss, what selection criteria would you use? Alan Norton shares a make-believe want ad aimed at finding the ideal manager. Haven't you wished at least once that you could hire your next boss? You might win the lottery, buy the company, and do just that. But chances are if that happened, you would be out the door in less time than it took to pick the numbers. One of the wonderful things about being a writer is that I don't have to win the lottery for my daydreams to become reality. 1: Be a "people person" Norxodd is people and we are looking for managers who like people. 2: Be visionary Can you see the future? 3: Be a good communicator You should be able to communicate effectively using all methods, including visual presentations, public speaking, email, teleconferencing, and face-to-face. All information at Norxodd is shared equally among all employees. 4: Be technically proficient The products we create at Norxodd are technically complicated. 7: Lead by example