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Personal Productivity Megathread

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How do you think about productivity?

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  • This poll is still running and the standings may change.

Rob Monster

Founder of EpikTop Member
Epik Founder
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I am a big fan of productivity hacks -- how to get a lot done in a day. There are some folks here that I know think similarly, and are generous with their ideas and input. I want to see if we can all raise our A-games by sharing productivity hacks that let us get more done in a day. My original list is a bit generic and was posted in a LinkedIn article:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/startup-productivity-2018-robert-monster/

I have been thinking more about this topic lately. I am hoping that like-minded folks with experience can share some of their favorite productivity hacks. If folks do have good hacks, please bring them and we'll see if we can help lots of folks do great in domains and in life! If we work together, we can make the pie BIGGER rather than fight over the small pie.
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Planning ahead works for me. Obviously I plan ahead long term but every night about half an hour before I go to bed I plan out the next day with things that I have to get done and things that I want to get done.

This way when I get up at 5:30 I get a jumpstart as I don't have to think but can just start executing my tasks. I'm not a morning person but I do enjoy working early as it's easier to get things done. No distractions etc. Coffee helps :).

Short breaks work as well. I take my dog to the office to make sure I take the extra breaks and stretch my legs. I find it relaxing. It clears and resets my state of mind. We usually take an hour long walk at lunch, throw some balls. Prevents us both from gaining too much weight :)

To keep motivated I promise myself to make sure that whatever I plan out to do on a day there is at least one thing that improves my life. These can be small things, like fixing something around the house, as long as it makes me feel I have made some progress on a personal/private level. When I'm not working at home, I always make sure to make a video call halfway through the morning to my wife and 1 year old. That's the best motivator in the world! My daughter means the world to me. Nothing else matters.

I envy people who live in a place with a moderate climate. I love working outside but winters are way too cold to be able to do so unfortunately. If it was up to me I'd move abroad, to a place where it's nice and sunny all the time. Unfortunately my significant other has a big say in matters like this :).
 
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Unfortunately as some of the other Oldtimers here can tell you there are some things that come with age that just can't be prevented which perhaps limit ones travel ability and that will require you to stay close to your family doctor. I had a heart attack a few years back which has made me a lot more health conscious.

Here are some advice from the Oldtimer for everyone:

One thing that people need to watch for is to not to remain stationary for long periods of time while working. It's best to take a little walk every couple of hours or so to get the circulation going and to also look out the window at a far away place to relax your eyes. Also it's good to watch your posture so you won't be hunched over your computer or your smartphone all day and watch how much typing you do so you won't develop problems with your hands (also people should make sure to keep themselves hydrated as it's easy to forget to take a drink while busy working on the computer all day).
Very good advices there!
 
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Planning ahead works for me. Obviously I plan ahead long term but every night about half an hour before I go to bed I plan out the next day with things that I have to get done and things that I want to get done.

This way when I get up at 5:30 I get a jumpstart as I don't have to think but can just start executing my tasks. I'm not a morning person but I do enjoy working early as it's easier to get things done. No distractions etc. Coffee helps :).

Short breaks work as well. I take my dog to the office to make sure I take the extra breaks and stretch my legs. I find it relaxing. It clears and resets my state of mind. We usually take an hour long walk at lunch, throw some balls. Prevents us both from gaining too much weight :)

To keep motivated I promise myself to make sure that whatever I plan out to do on a day there is at least one thing that improves my life. These can be small things, like fixing something around the house, as long as it makes me feel I have made some progress on a personal/private level. When I'm not working at home, I always make sure to make a video call halfway through the morning to my wife and 1 year old. That's the best motivator in the world! My daughter means the world to me. Nothing else matters.

I envy people who live in a place with a moderate climate. I love working outside but winters are way too cold to be able to do so unfortunately. If it was up to me I'd move abroad, to a place where it's nice and sunny all the time. Unfortunately my significant other has a big say in matters like this :).
Wow, I have to say I would literally die if I would have to wake up at 5:30 at the morning! This shows that people are very different, some of us like to get up very early, some like to get up very late. Personally, I very rarely get up before 11 am, and considering that I need to have my breakfast, coffee, read newspapers and then I like to have small walk outside, I usually start to do something around 13:00. I usually send few emails, do some phone calls, and I am done for a day.

It seems like not lot of work, but I guess I am kind of productive - I try to do only what is necessary for me and my family, and ignore everything what is not necessary. I believe 95% of what people are doing is not necessary - you need to know how to say NO to people, to protect your time and energy. Then I like to exercise, meet with friends, have good dinner, etc. In the evenings if I am at home, I usually watch TV, read books, chatting here on Namepros and doing many other things, all in parallel :)
 
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I am recommending to spend 8 minutes on this video, can be life changing for many - instead of reckless running from point A to point B, one can try to be productive by aligning their being with their doing :)

 
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I think personal productivity varies person to person and one has to find their optimum productivity environment and schedule. For me, I perform best early in the morning and late in the evening. Often late in the night, to my wife's chagrin. But I prefer mornings.

I have worked out of hotels with the most amazing views. But I do not find that most conducive to productivity.

What I find most important is to cut out the noise. No TV, no news. Above all.

Depending on the task at hand, I also find specific music to help creative juices flowing. My preferred music is progressive rock and lounge/chill out/jazz. That's part of the reason I started the Progressive Rock thread.

But each one has to figure out what works best for them.
 
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1 - Priority management, in terms of importancy and urgency...
2 - Tools, u need use right tools to increase you effectiveness one you are clear what you need to achieve..
 
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I am a big fan of coffee. :)

Big productivity tip: Get organic coffee beans and buy a machine that makes coffee at the push of a button. If you use milk, I recommend whole RAW milk if you can find it.

Bonus points: While the coffee brews, empty the dishwasher, change the laundry, or hit the head. It is better than watching coffee brew and it frees up time for useful things.

Talking about coffee ,i think I still have the sole rights for China to use the coffee brand name Lazumba ,Australian coffee.
I brokered a deal between the producers in Aus and a group of Shanghai investors ,only because of the lazyness of the Aus producers ,the deal failed .
 

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For what it's worth, article I kept on the merits of drinking coffee (to help justify my drinking coffee). : ) PS: Thinking coffee might be an energy boost in itself - see bottom of article.
Extending that think thought: What else could you think about more, for a productivity boost. For myself, one thing I like to think about are 'positive possibilities', including how could I turn a seeming negative into a positive, or at least find some positive in a negative - some of which I'll implement. I find that more productive than letting negatives, negative thinking dominate and drain me.

Coffee is a miracle

Humans have been drinking coffee since at least the 15th century. It's been a staple of the workplace for more than a century. And recently, science has finally explained some of its incredible health benefits.

I’ve been an avid coffee drinker since I was about 15, so these studies make my ears perk up. For this midsummer morning, here's a look at five of them -- and the benefits they say coffee can bring.

1. Reduce your risk of death.
I have to start with a fascinating British study of 500,000 people. It found habitual coffee drinkers were less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers over a 10-year span. Not just less likely to die of certain causes. Less likely to die of anything. As in, they literally cheat death. Find me a better argument than that!

As for why, it's a bit of a mystery. One theory: Since coffee contains more than 10,000 different chemical compounds that protect cells from damage, it might inhibit causes of death that scientists haven't isolated yet.

2. Lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and even suicide.
Another massive study, this one from the Harvard School of Public Health, followed 200,000 doctors and nurses over 30 years. It linked coffee consumption to a lower risk of death from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, neurological diseases -- and even suicide.

For those who drank a cup of coffee each day, the chance of death from those causes dropped 6 percent. For those who drank between three and five cups, it dropped 15 percent.

3. Prompt your body to burn fat.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham used a thermal imaging system to measure the temperatures of people's necks, which told them how much brown adipose tissue (BAT, otherwise known as "brown fat") those people were burning.

My Inc.com colleague Geoffrey James wrote about this study in June: "offee heats up your BAT, which causes your body to more efficiently convert [white adipose tissue] into energy. Or put even more simply: Coffee literally burns fat. Woohoo!" [B]4. Appear to counteract part of the aging process.[/B] This is [URL='http://click.visit.inc.com/?qs=b3cf40bc01e3eee8c356f2232ddc7c9ac9628b39bf20c85475bb8fc13ce046e53ea8ddbbdc4bcb168b099f3f750d3f5686d32d144978e03b']a smaller study[/URL] conducted at Stanford University: just 100 coffee drinkers over several years. Its theory starts with the idea that as people get older, they experience a "fundamental inflammatory mechanism associated with human aging and the chronic diseases that come with it.” Coffee’s high caffeine content could counteract the chemical reactions that trigger the inflammation over time, according to the study. [B]5. Improve brain health and lower the risk of age-related cognitive decline.[/B] Related: “Coffee consumption does seem to have some correlation to a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease," Dr. Donald Weaver, co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute at the University of Toronto, said in [URL='http://click.visit.inc.com/?qs=b3cf40bc01e3eee8e347a5e46ec9f06b83c1304ccdaabf667a5f5f29bfaa1fae84c6afe0cffdc7175bab058065d1d755186480ae4acd4f56']a press release[/URL] about his November 2018 study on the drink. Other studies suggest drinking coffee helps you [URL='http://click.visit.inc.com/?qs=b3cf40bc01e3eee8ccb5f2cce13862c58c623b08ae396bcc2207030ef0754df4aae5e2debd07ffb767aa22391f724a220e5c47b2ced242e6']calculate math better[/URL], boosts the [URL='http://click.visit.inc.com/?qs=b3cf40bc01e3eee8ac89c34f68ab4508491fbf2856fed174db2341496f7f56bd6d0ad4d369b9124b691f32705174fc47e25c2458ea8fd014']quality of conversations in groups[/URL], and [URL='http://click.visit.inc.com/?qs=b3cf40bc01e3eee86854b38ddb15b7d33ee91dc408e3da6b4686fea2611b717574d024fc54e63240e8c91f4d3aab68fa55f2624b07a0cfb2']improves the quality of your workouts [/URL]. And as my Inc.com colleague Jessica Stillman found, even thinking about coffee [URL='http://click.visit.inc.com/?qs=b3cf40bc01e3eee8ea6860f8c817de6a271fbc03a7f9d1b8bc8d0762f30a9c2ddc07999ea72b0335ee736c78f443927def3d2faac274425e']gives you an energy boost[/URL] that mimics drinking a cup.
 
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I am at an age that I enjoy the luxury to be unproductive :xf.smile:

A 'memo' I'll sometimes tell myself when I start enjoying being unproductive too much, or should get on with something I deem of value, but am procrastinating: I'll have plenty of time to lay around after I die. ; )
 
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I should keep track of all the NamePros polls where I vote unlike all other respondents :xf.grin:, like this one where I am content where the bar is.

I like being at a stage in life where I can choose what and how much I do each day. I realize it is not possible for many, and was not for me most of my life.

I am a proponent of the basic idea of positive psychology. By finding a happier balance in your life first, you will then become more creative and productive. Easier said than done. If you have not read it, I recommend the top selling book The Happiness Advantage. There is also an EdX course The Science of Happiness that is rated in the top 100 online courses of online.

I guess my simple message is, to the degree possible, we should all make sure to find balance and happiness, along with goals and productivity. Rob seems to have achieved that, and his good natured, energetic, and innovative approach is an inspiration. But we all must find what is right for us.

Bob
 
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I should keep track of all the NamePros polls where I vote unlike all other respondents :xf.grin:, like this one where I am content where the bar is.

I like being at a stage in life where I can choose what and how much I do each day. I realize it is not possible for many, and was not for me most of my life.

I am a proponent of the basic idea of positive psychology. By finding a happier balance in your life first, you will then become more creative and productive. Easier said than done. If you have not read it, I recommend the top selling book The Happiness Advantage. There is also an EdX course The Science of Happiness that is rated in the top 100 online courses of online.

I guess my simple message is, to the degree possible, we should all make sure to find balance and happiness, along with goals and productivity. Rob seems to have achieved that, and his good natured, energetic, and innovative approach is an inspiration. But we all must find what is right for us.

Bob

@Bob Hawkes - totally agree here.

Not everyone is at stage in their life where they will find you from raising the bar. However, check this out:

upload_2019-10-1_13-24-1.png


Half the people are raising the bar -- ICYMI, the % of bar-raisers keeps climbing. I think that's great!

I totally accept that as a semi-retired person, you are no longe raising your own personal bar. However, I will challenge you on something. I bet you have developed some life hacks. You did this along the way not because you were lazy but because you figured out things to do that saved your time or reduced your stress, where the cost-benefit tradeoff of some behavior change or process innovation, improved your quality of life. I am guessing you no longer think about it in these terms, but if you stretch your brain a bit, you ca rewind that old tape and remember a few epiphanies.

Here is some secular wisdom that I am guessing you have seen before:

upload_2019-10-1_13-32-5.png


I tend to agree.

Ben Franklin was a serious lifehacker. I agree with these top 12, which are a paraphrase but are still a good list:

upload_2019-10-1_13-36-42.png
 
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to help justify my drinking coffee

One to two pots per day/night for me....sometimes iced coffee in summer.

I come by it naturally. My dad was ordering a cup of coffee with a glass of ice all the way back in the late 50's according to my mother (by the way, I have never purchased a 'premium' coffee in my life).

My 'real' job can be very physical and demanding especially in 95 degree temps but my online life occurs in a darkened room with several towers and monitors...one large tv that gives me news from various sources. That room also has a bed in it so when production reduces, I hit a switch to kill the monitors, rest/sleep for about ten or fifteen then back to it.

I am just as likely to be online at 4am as I am 4pm...after all, the planet is awake somewhere 24/7.
 
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I come up with most of my new ideas when I am napping, so I guess I am most productive when I am sleep. ;)

The same with me, especially when I 'program' a problem into my psyche before I go to sleep. I try to make it the last thought before sleeping, so a 'recency effect' takes place, and it doesn't get buried under following thoughts. Seems to help.

As for sleep for productivity: If I can't sleep because of ongoing thoughts, a mantra like 'Don't think, Don't think, Don't ….' can help to shut down running thoughts. You might find thoughts will return before sleep, but then start mantra again. It gets more effective with time.

It's my very simplified approach of a military way for getting to sleep, in 2 minutes or less.
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/fall-asleep-fast#60-secs-to-sleep
 
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I bet you have developed some life hacks. You did this along the way not because you were lazy but because you figured out things to do that saved your time or reduced your stress, where the cost-benefit tradeoff of some behavior change or process innovation, improved your quality of life.

A thought: If looking for real labour saving devices, maybe don't look to the industrious person as much as to the lazy person. They're especially sensitized to finding things and ways that save on labour.
 
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Thanks @Cal2.

I know you are big on models and constructs. You likely came across Blue Ocean Strategy.

Show attachment 130628

Don't play the game. Change the game.

Thanks, Rob. I'm familiar some with Blue Ocean Strategy - have a friend in NY who does some consulting and mentoring, and it's a favourite of his. If you haven't already come across it: Regarding some of the Blue Ocean points listed, you might find some interesting add-on thoughts in Edward de Bono's book Surpetition - Going Beyond Competition (Creating Value Monopolies When Everyone Else Is Merely Competing).
https://www.google.com/search?ei=YY...hUKEwi8-bHevf3kAhVIb60KHey-DEwQ4dUDCAo&uact=5

On the game change, it's what I'm working on now as a main project - 'extreme' game change. 'Extreme' being based on the Effect something has. I created a basic rough draft one page website for it, using Strikingly, just to lay down some thoughts and organize it some. But I'm looking to step it up, building a website to put out there. Regarding that, have any input you could give on this?
https://www.namepros.com/threads/epik-dan-or-efty-epik.1152531/page-2#post-7419692

Maybe needs a new thread for it?
 
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Don't play the game. Change the game.

Your 'change the game' reminds me of something I once came across, that could fall into personal productivity:

"Think outside the box? What box? There's only a search for the truth."

Something like that.

I sometimes wonder if changing the game in many instances really only needs a search for ways to serve customers better - a search for the 'truth', as in eg. 'Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you' - rather than spending a lot of time and energy trying to figure out ways of working customers/clients over. Trying to give them as little as is needed, to maximize profitability.

Just a thought.
 
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Personal productivity can be enhanced by having a carrot on a stick goal to work towards. I believe it was Rob who had mentioned on another thread that if it weren't for family, he'd be a 'digital nomad'. I thought "Me, too." There's likely some others here thinking the same. But after reading a googled article on it, I thought "Maybe digital semi-nomad". Maybe that would be a better carrot for some to shoot for. One that would be more satisfying, and maybe more achievable.

Things like improved and expanded VR will also let a person travel, in a different way, that could also improve personal productivity - eg. Time saver, and less expense to have to work at paying off. It's how I'm thinking I'd like to travel to most places, and save any real travel for places I'd especially want to experience physically (which narrows down to Very few places. Problem for me is I get bored Fast with places, even beautiful places. Give me an interesting project and I'm most happy.)

https://www.webworktravel.com/become-digital-nomad/
 
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I came across this on Twitter today, attributed to the great (now deceased) physicist Richard Feynman. It seems like good advice to me.
FOUR Productivity FEYNMAN- strategies:
• Stop trying to know-it-all.
• Don't worry about what others are thinking.
• Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do.
• Have a sense of humor and talk honestly.
Have a productive and good day today everyone.
Bob
 
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Possible resource for some folks:

https://us.tv/videos/watch/e4dcbdd7-2f43-4202-85fc-f0cfe1e12926

This is the audio book: 4 hour work-week.

I am personally not about the lifestyle pace -- I rather be productive AND work hard. However, when looking for inspiration about productivity hacks, Tim Ferriss is always collecting those!
 
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Possible resource for some folks:

https://us.tv/videos/watch/e4dcbdd7-2f43-4202-85fc-f0cfe1e12926

This is the audio book: 4 hour work-week.

I am personally not about the lifestyle pace -- I rather be productive AND work hard. However, when looking for inspiration about productivity hacks, Tim Ferriss is always collecting those!
my fav book :) I have implemented some ideas from there long time ago, guess it is pretty good particularly for domainers.
 
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I came across this on Twitter today, attributed to the great (now deceased) physicist Richard Feynman. It seems like good advice to me.
FOUR Productivity FEYNMAN- strategies:
• Stop trying to know-it-all.
• Don't worry about what others are thinking.
• Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do.
• Have a sense of humor and talk honestly.
On the 1st one, reminds me of some general rules of thumb for personal productivity when it comes to innovating: Unless you're looking to simplify something - which can take knowing a subject well to do a good job of it - don't try learning everything you can about something before starting to innovate. It can track/hold your thinking too much along lines of what already exists.​
 
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On the 1st one, reminds me of some general rules of thumb for personal productivity when it comes to innovating: Unless you're looking to simplify something - which can knowing a subject well to do a good job of it - don't try to learn everything you can about something before starting to innovate. It can track/hold your thinking too much along lines of what already exists.​

I think there is a lot of truth to that.

If I knew what was involved with running a registrar, there is no way I would have embarked on it. There would be a liability in knowing too much because it would be easy to become daunted. It helped that we could acquire an existing registrar and figure the rest out.

I would also not underestimate the benefit of small acquisitions for getting started. For example, the acquisition of Sibyl Systems has massively expanded our opportunities in the world of cloud, Kubernetes and OpenStack. I don't know much about it but I now employ and trust people who do!

Lastly, I think humility is key. In my experience, the more you know, the more you know you don't know. So, find your niche based on your unique circumstance, gift or talent, and then work with others who have their own unique situations. I believe when we do that, the possibilities are pretty endless.
 
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I think there is a lot of truth to that.

If I knew what was involved with running a registrar, there is no way I would have embarked on it. There would be a liability in knowing too much because it would be easy to become daunted. It helped that we could acquire an existing registrar and figure the rest out.

I would also not underestimate the benefit of small acquisitions for getting started. For example, the acquisition of Sibyl Systems has massively expanded our opportunities in the world of cloud, Kubernetes and OpenStack. I don't know much about it but I now employ and trust people who do!

Lastly, I think humility is key. In my experience the more you know, the more you know you don't know. So, find your niche based on your unique circumstance, gift or talent, and then work with others who have their own unique situations. I believe when we do that, the possibilities are pretty endless.

They say when you, write —it exercises the mind.

I dont know if this applies to typing, but I try to get into the habit of putting down anything on paper.

Sounds like writing exercise, for authors? but true!

The irony, is you run a registrar does that mean Frequently use pc? dont kno if applies to typing.

But judging from your posts, I presume — reading another excellent way (as I’m sure you know)
I dont want to be that boring guy who recommends books (most dont have “time”) consider the read: 7 habits of highly Effective People, which sure u read. Keep up the great work, my favorite thread on Np!

-Samer
 
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