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PRODUCTIVITY
10 Strategies for Working Much Smarter
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THAI NGUYEN
CONTRIBUTOR
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Writer, Content Strategist, TheUtopianLife.com
NOVEMBER 10, 2014
Whether you’re in Australia, England, or America; blue-collared, white, or pink, we’ve a
what we’re able to do in those hours. No entrepreneur can keep the sun from setting
will help maximize work habits and productivity.
Here are 10 strategies for efficiency and effectiveness:
1. Parkinson’s Law
"If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do,"observed Cyril Northcote
We struggle for a month to finish a project, then magically get it done in the final week
within a few hours of the in-laws showing up.
The law provides great leverage for efficiency: imposing shorter deadlines for a task,
for productive hustle. Rushed work can be a recipe for reckless work.
Related: How do I determine appropriate deadlines for my employees?
2. Finding your flow
For athletes, it’s called being “in the zone,” where you’re so focused that you're numb
into: writers, musicians, and entrepreneurs.
Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi's research is focused on these flow states that optimize our pe
and skill. If the task is too challenging and beyond our skill, then we go into anxiety an
into boredom.
Stretch yourself, but don't snap. We're at our most efficient when in the zone.
3. Single-tasking
There’s many compelling cases against multi-tasking. A study found that even folks w
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more often and were so distracted, many failed to notice a clown riding a unicycle.
Telling an entrepreneur not to multi-task, however, is like telling a pig to stay out of m
termed “task-switching.” We don't juggle so much as we jump around. The problem is
spreading yourself too thin. A good quote on scaling back is by Alexander Graham Be
hand, the sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
Related: The Truth About Multitasking: How Your Brain Processes Information
4. The 2-Minute Rule
From David Allen’s Getting Things Done, he explains that the most productive people
during the day. Having an inventory of two-minute tasks on hand whenever windows
inbox, checking voicemail, approving a request, all in brief openings in the schedule, b
for bigger tasks.
A major cause of procrastination lies in overthinking the next step. Allen says it takes
about it.
5. Working to circadian rhythms
Nerve cells in our brains control our circadian rhythms, which influences sleep-wake c
Constant operation outside circadian rhythms (e.g. international pilots) creates fatigue
Efficiency lies in synchronizing specific work with these biological peak times. Dr. Stev
hours of waking, when the morning rise in body temperature increases blood flow to
Alertness slumps after lunch as the digestive process saps energy. This analytical dise
thinking, according to Professor Mareike Wieth.
Exercise increases efficiency. Dr Gerard Kennedy notes more Olympic records are bro
strength, lung capacity, eye-hand coordination and joint flexibility peaks between 4pm
Three sweet spots for maximizing your efforts: the morning analytic spike, a creative s
Related: 8 Steps to Having Wildly Productive Mornings
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6. Reverse engineering
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6. Reverse engineering
Most commonly applied to industrial machinery and computer software, reverse engin
and strategies.
It is disassembling and analyzing the components that make up the whole. Efficiency
being able to work on aspects out of order. Tim Ferriss notes his rapid mastering of th
and learning the female role along with the male.
Expert linguists do the same, breaking a language into pieces and having a bird's-eye
7. The Willpower trinity
Stanford Professor Kelly McGonigal says the key to hitting goals is understanding the
and I want power.
• I "won’t power'' is resisting temptation, such as saying “no” to social media.
• I "will power'' is to choose an alternate behavior -- sending a social, but networking e
• I "want power'' is remembering your why, your goal, be it expanding your career, bu
Willpower is like a muscle. When we fail to reach goals, it’s due to solely relying on
before we crumble. However, bringing in backup, and using all three aspects of willpo
replace, remember.
8. 57 on, 17 off
The entrepreneurial hustle makes breaks non-existent. Recent studies show only one
clear cognitive benefits for our fatigued brains.
So what’s the perfect work/rest ratio? DeskTime App played Big Brother, monitoring e
productive 10 percent worked hard for 52 minutes, then took a break for 17. It’s backe
attention span. Our brain can focus for up to 90 minutes, then needs roughly 20 minu
Related: Want to Be More Productive? Take a Break and Check Out This Infograph
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9. Power poses
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9. Power poses
If it weren’t true, it’d be preposterous to think simply changing your posture affects pr
the psychosomatic and neurological responses caused by our posture. Taking a high
(confidence, assertiveness, energy) and a decrease in cortisol (stress, anxiety, nervou
much more productive than a cortisol-crippled, stressed person.
Our brain is wired to respond to certain physiologies. A forced smile will still release e
is as simple as pulling yourself out of a physical slump.
10. Validated progress
A good warning from Eric Ries: “If we’re building the wrong product really efficiently, i
about our awesome gas mileage.”
Along the same stream of the Sharpe ratio’s risk/return measures in finance, and the “
strategy is about being calculated and conscious in our efforts, with a flexible, rather t
and ready to pivot, rather than simply charging full-steam ahead.
A case-in-point is Nick Swinmurn's startup of Zappos. He validated his idea without bl
photos and posting them online. When sales came in, he went and bought the shoes.
Related: Desk Yoga to Improve Your Posture
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