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”
70% of Time Could Be Used Better - How the Best CEOs Get the Most Out of Every Day The average tech CEO works about 300 days a year, 14 hours a day. That’s 4,200 hours a year. The stats for most other tech leaders and startup employees aren’t too far off. It sounds like a lot of time, but for most, it’s not enough. Looking at the schedule of a typical CEO, a full 70% of that time is sub-optimal, and I’ll back that up with my own experience. This year, I spent several weeks leading up to our annual CEO Summit catching up with people I know who do a superhuman job at managing their time. As your company becomes more prominent, you’re only going to get more of everything. Saying no is so hard. Try “No” templates — canned responses for all the common situations where you find yourself saying no. Hi Bill, Great to hear from you. Best,Josh This lets you put the time and attention you want into crafting a response. When you have your batch of templates, you can say no to salespeople. For those of you who haven’t seen SaneBox, I’m a huge fan — it’s so simple. All day.
The “Eisenhower Box” Dwight Eisenhower lived one of the most productive lives you can imagine. Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, serving two terms from 1953 to 1961. During his time in office, he launched programs that directly led to the development of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, the launch of the internet (DARPA), the exploration of space (NASA), and the peaceful use of alternative energy sources (Atomic Energy Act). Before becoming president, Eisenhower was a five-star general in the United States Army, served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, and was responsible for planning and executing invasions of North Africa, France, and Germany. At other points along the way, he served as President of Columbia University, became the first Supreme Commander of NATO, and somehow found time to pursue hobbies like golfing and oil painting. The Eisenhower Box: How to be More Productive The Difference Between Urgent and Important
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. It’s the simplest way to go from running around like a chicken with your head cut off to a peaceful calm. 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. Start your day with the rule of 3.
How to destroy Programmer Productivity | George Stocker The following image about programmer productivity is making its rounds on the internet: As Homer Simpson might say, it’s funny because it’s true. I haven’t figured out the secret to being productive yet, largely because I have never been consistently productive. Ever. Joel Spolsky talks about this in one of his blog posts: Sometimes I just can’t get anything done.Sure, I come into the office, putter around, check my email every ten seconds, read the web, even do a few brainless tasks like paying the American Express bill. I’ve read that blog post about half a dozen times now, and It still shocks me that someone who we see as an icon in the programmer community has a problem getting started. I’m glad I’m not alone. I’m not here to share any secret methods to being productive, but I can tell you what has kept me from being productive: Open Floor plansDevelopers arguing about Django vs. .NETDevelopers arguing in generalA coworker coming up to me and asking, “Hey, did you get that email I sent?”
The Planning Fallacy: Why We Always End Up Overloaded At Work You look down at your to-do list and your heart starts racing. Why? You’ve just had that brutal realization that there is absolutely no way you’re going to be able to get everything done. Even if you shut your office door, skip happy hour, pull an all-nighter, and crank up your most inspirational productivity playlist, there will still be unfinished tasks lingering on that pesky list of yours. Put simply, you’ve over-promised—meaning you’ve found yourself over-extended and totally overwhelmed. Now what? While there’s no magic formula that will instantly make half of your to-do list vanish into thin air (you wish, right?) Why Do We Do This To Ourselves? Before you can jump into fixing the problem, it’s important that you understand it first. I know, I know—you’re stretched thin and don’t have time for a detailed psychology lesson about what drives your compulsive need to say “yes” to everything. The Trap Of The Planning Fallacy Plenty of studies exist to back this fact up. 1. 2. 3. Hey Jamie,
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. 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. The analogy is an easy one to remember, but harder to put into practice. Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you. Sharpening the saw is a great habit to get into in all areas of our lives, but I think it can be especially beneficial when it comes to work and helping us to avoid burnout. Just getting away from work and having a rest can be a good start. 2. So when should you be taking a nap? 3. 4.
The Origin of the 8-Hour Work Day and Why We Should Rethink It One of the most unchanged elements of our life today is our optimal work time or how long we should work – generally, every person I’ve spoken to quotes me something close to 8 hours a day. And data seems to confirm that: The average American works 8.8 hours every day. At least, those are the official statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: And yet, for most of us it is obvious that knowing how long the average person works every day has little to do with how efficient or productive that pattern is. With success stories from people working 4 hours a week, to 16 hours a day, it’s hard to know if there is an optimal amount. Share stories like this to your social media followers when they’re most likely to click, favorite, and reply! Why do we have 8 hour work days in the first place? Let’s start out with what we have right now. In the late 18th century, when companies started to maximize the output of their factories, getting to running them 24/7 was key. So there we have it. 1.)
How to Put Pen to Paper and Get Things Done Writing things down, sketching them out, and getting them out of your head and onto paper can be immensely helpful — especially if you need to clarify your goals, set priorities, or learn how to manage your time so you can meet the goals you do set. For this weekend, we have three journaling and charting articles that show you exactly which steps to take for an organized approach to getting the clarity you need. The good news: you can do these electronically, too. But we find it very satisfying — and enjoyable! — to pull out the paper and pens and get to work. PSSST — Quick note before we get to the articles.
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? Almost all have a morning routine. 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.)