Note: This post is authored by Vetrivel Natarajan
Here’s a list of things I do to keep myself up, running and super productive. While some may resonate with you, some may not… find your own holy grail!
- Love what you do: So first of all, you need to love what you’re working on! Without passion, neither is it possible to keep at it consistently, nor does it make sense to spend your time on what you’re doing.
- Have a scheduled work plan with tick boxes: The first thing great achievers do is make a schedule of all they want to achieve at the start of the day! Based upon the type of person you are, you can either put every little detail into it (like me!) or keep it a little open-ended and flexible. Now, each time you complete a task at hand, put a tick in the box right next to it… experience how good it feels! This also gives you context into how much you’ve finished when there’s too much to do (Helps avoid being overwhelmed!).
- Give yourself tiny breaks and treats: How do you eat an Elephant? One piece at a time! It’s important to break the task at hand into little chunks depending on your ability to remain focused (1 hour chunks, 45 minute chunks or 30 minute chunks!). Don’t keep it shorter as it takes at least 10 minutes to get into a state of flow! Also, more than an hour is only for experts at the art of focus! Now, every time you finish a chunk, take a break and give yourself a treat! This could be a chocolate, a mobile phone game, a conversation or a social media surf! It allows you to look forward to the end of each chunk as much as the chunk itself.
- Do the mindless work first in preparation: Sometimes when you are not in the mood to work it helps to do something that doesn’t need thinking. You could format the page and put in subheadings before typing a document (Something I did for this article!) or maybe check your email!
- Remind yourself of the anxiety that follows procrastination: When you put something off, it annoys your mind. It hurts… and reminding yourself about this can help get stuff done quickly!
- Recollect how energetic you’ve felt in the past, after a big task: Memory is a gift to humanity! When you don’t feel like doing something, think back to a time when you finished a seemingly daunting task and how happy and energized you felt at the end of it! Then get the job done and go grab a drink or make a puppy dog face at someone you love and hope for the best!
- Eat well during the day: Food is important to keep your mind healthy and your body productive. Maintain a balanced diet through the day and watch the magic that takes place in terms of the improvement in productivity.
- Take a nap when you’re tired: When you feel sleepy, just stop and take a power nap! It’s alright… because you can get the work done faster, more efficiently and more effectively when you have a fresh mind and body!
But always remember, it’s not about just doing a piece of work effectively once… it’s more about consistency!
The next two are a little more profound, so you can use them if you like. But it’s perfectly fine to ignore them till you feel you’re ready.
- Understand the coexistence of free will and destiny: When you truly get in touch with the secret of your existence, you will realize that what you’re doing is both exactly what you want to do and what you’re meant to do at that moment! The rush of enlightenment and energy to perform this brings… is unparalleled!
- Realize that what will be, already is: If a task is meant to be completed at a certain time with a certain level of quality it will be. In fact it already is done the minute you conceived the end. In other words, begin with the end in mind, as it already is meant to be and already is! When you realize this… nothing seems like a chore and the first eight tricks become completely unnecessary and you will feel a sense of liberation and pure desire to finish what you are meant to!
Remember… your mind is your tool, it’s not the other way around. So it’s alright to play small tricks on it to keep you going till it sees the light!
Hope this helps!
