It does not matter what stage of life you are in; the same things get you every time.
Being productive is easier than you think. You just have to know what not to do.
And that’s easy; just look at how everyone else approaches life and do the opposite.
They go out, you stay in.
They drink, you don't.
They go to bed past midnight; you're asleep by then.
These make the difference:
Early Mornings Start With Early Nights.
We have all heard about the “benefits” of waking up early and how all the millionaires and successful people get up at 5 a.m. when the sun’s still asleep, promoting that the main drive behind their success is that they don't hit snooze.
Well, that's simply not true.
Sure, getting up at 5 a.m. has its benefits, and it's a great goal to strive for—but there is an underlying principle here that is of more excellent value, yet we tend to miss it.
Early risers can rise early because they clock in early at night. They have the same 24 hours at their disposal as the rest but choose to manage and invest them differently and accordingly.
Work Alone When Needed.
Don’t get me wrong—teamwork makes the dream work, and sharing responsibilities can make the burden lighter, but there's a time for everything—a time to work together and a time to work alone.
Setting time aside for periods of focused, deep work will get you much farther than two or three heads all trying to take a crack at something together.
When one friend remembers a story they wanted to tell you, or you get distracted catching each other up on the day's events, you may lose track of time and not get anything done.
To some, it might “feel” like you were being productive because you had a time on the calendar booked, but let's not lie to ourselves—nothing got done.
When needed, “going ghost” will free you up to complete what you need so that later, you can spend dedicated and intentional time with the ones you love.
Procrastinate The Right Things.
This is one of my favorites because “we all procrastinate.”
If that's the case and we can’t “help ourselves,” then why not choose to be intentional about what we procrastinate?
What if we began to use YouTube's “watch later” feature, as the name suggests, and siphoned to it the things we do not have time for now but will one day, when the work is done, be able to sit down and adequately enjoy?
Instead of getting stuck in the reels and videos of endless feeds and accidentally putting off the laundry, a report, or even cooking a healthy meal, what if you put off scrolling?
Rather than procrastinate by using social media, what if you procrastinate using social media?
You don't have to cut it off entirely; you can just give it its own unique time for later.
If you set aside those things that take away your time and do the necessary work now, you will begin to realize how much time you have been given back to be productive properly.
The future you will be grateful to the you of today for choosing to do so.
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If you don't want to be like everybody else. Then stop doing what they're doing.
This week, regulate your sleep, get ahead of the schedule.
Work alone when needed. Focus and get it done. It's only for a season. Plan accordingly and know when to put your head down and when to have fun, kick back, and unwind.
There’s a time for everything, after all.
And then procrastinate the right things, save for later those things that can be left for later, not the ones that will make the difference. Do the hard things first.
The same things have always been in your way, but once they're removed, a path will be cleared.
Success Is Only Three Mistakes Away.
- Making The Most Of Being Curious
Daniel J. Cuesta
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