The Productivity Playbook

Today, you were supposed to get x amount of things done.

You probably fell short of x.

I know, sitting down at your desk is harder than it looks.

Why clean the house when you can just say your going to?

The phone is pretty addicting, isn’t it?

We all go through it. We all wish we were more productive.

This is the productivity playbook.

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Getting Sh*t Done

Controlling Impulses

Your brain is wired to seek reward. The problem with this is the impulsive and distractive decisions that come with that. The impulse to check your phone when you need to do work is a common one. The reward of seeing a funny video is far more convenient than completing a work task. Funny enough, it is the work task that will lead to more fulfillment long term. This is because the reward required a certain amount of hard work. When all the brain knows is quick routes to a reward, that is all it will ask for. Therefore, most impulsive rewards will stunt productivity. Most things productive require some amount of time and effort. It is then crucial to eliminate or minimize these impulses. An example of this would be leaving your phone in the other room. This will help develop self-control. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, puts it perfectly.

Understanding Dopamine

Recently I listened to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s podcast about leveraging dopamine to overcome procrastination. This is a rather simple concept that is often left out of the equation. First, let me explain how dopamine works in the brain. Say you desire a slice of pizza. That desire raises your dopamine levels. They then fall below baseline. This dip is your brain’s signal to go seek that pizza. Once the pizza is eaten, your dopamine spikes above baseline and your cravings are “satisfied”. The dip after that is relative to the slope and height of the spike before returning back to baseline. Before applying this to productivity, it is important to understand this. Procrastination seems to be the root of all evil when it comes to getting shit done. When getting ready to do a task, every other task seems more appealing. Huberman mentions that some people start cleaning their house before doing work. It is a little less hard than the work they are about to do. Procrastination stems from being in an a-motivated state or a “trough” in dopamine levels, meaning below baseline. The way to overcome this is actually do a task that is harder than the one you have to do. For example, if you go in an ice bath, that will increase your dopamine 2-3x and rebound you out your slump. After coming back to the activity, you feel better and it’s easier than what you just did. In addition, you can make sure your dopamine levels are around baseline to start the day by consistently working out, eating well, and optimizing sleep. It is much harder to get motivated if you are starting the day in a slump. I will link this podcast at the bottom.

Changing Your Environment

There is a really good chance you work in the same environment everyday. Same chair. Same desk. Same computer. Same something. You get the point. Try changing your environment. A change in scenery could be all you need to be more productive. Being stuck in the same environment for too long probably means your really comfortable with it. The new environment does not have to be a balcony in the Swiss Alps, it can just be a new room in the same house. Alex Hormozi, businessman and entrepreneur, mentioned that he moved all the way across the country in order to get away from his surroundings in Baltimore. Baltimore and its corollary people were holding him back from achieving the work he wanted to pursue. Chris Williamson, host of the Modern Wisdom Podcast, said he has about 8 different environments to work in the house. Each place is reserved for a different task. An office to write his book. A recumbent bike with a desk for emails. A small spot outside for work on a nice day. New environment can be symbolic of new task. Through this, something as simple as a new desk arrangement can get you where you need to go.

You Have Two Minutes

Two rules. Both have to do with two minutes. Let’s get into it. First is a rule by author David Allen. He says, “if you can do an action in two minutes or less, tackle it at the moment — and don't delay.” If you take out the garbage and wash the dishes, those are no longer “to-do” list items. Get them done now, make the list shorter, and focus on the shit that matters. There is another rule, again from James Clear. This one is for building new productive habits. If you want to start writing a book or partaking in a workout regiment, make sure to approach it in small, manageable doses. Give yourself two minutes to start. Start a timer, workout or write for two minutes, then stop. Done. The habit or project is now started. Then the next few days, up it to 5 minutes. This is enough to get something going, but not enough to make real progress. The purpose is to get better at the task in small increments and overtime. But it starts with two minutes. Pay attention to how long two minutes is on the clock, and then think about all of the productive things you can knock out in that time.

There are obviously an abundance of ways that we can be more productive. With that, these methods are also subjective to each specific individual.

Now I am asking you, how do you increase productivity?

Tweets of the Week:

Weekly Book/Podcast Reommendations:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

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