7 Things You Need To Stop Doing To Be More Productive, Backed By Science
Work Hard, Work Smart
1. Stop working overtime and increase your productivity
The more you work, the less effective and productive you are going to become over both short and long term.
2. Don’t say “yes” too often
According to the Pareto Principle, 20% of the effort produces 80% of the results; however, 20% of the results consumes 80% of the effort. Instead of working harder, we should focus primarily on those efforts that produce 80% of the results and forgo the rest.
3. Stop doing everything yourself and start letting people help you
I learned the power of community and why brands need user-generated content. user-generated videos are viewed 10 times more than brand-generated videos on YouTube?
4. Stop being a perfectionist
“We found that perfectionism trips up professors on the way to research productivity. The more perfectionistic the professor, the less productive they are,”
5. Stop doing repetitive tasks and start automating it.
People often forget that time is money. People usually do things manually because it’s easy and requires almost no research. Whenever I do something repetitively (more than 5 times), I would ask myself if I can find a program to do it for me.
6. Stop guessing and start backing up your decisions with data
If you can optimize websites for search engines, you can optimize your lives to grow and reach your maximum potential.
7. Stop working, and have do-nothing time
Most people don’t realize that we’re essentially locking ourselves in a box when we are too focused on something. It’s important to walk away from our work once in a while and have some alone time. Alone time is good for the brain and spirit.
7 Reasons Why You Will Never Do Anything Amazing With Your Life
A unique perspective on what it takes to succeed in life.
Yeah that’s right; you heard me… I’m talking to you… I’m calling you out.
Skills that can only be developed when you find your true self. When you put yourself on the line or otherwise expose yourself to the possibility of failure.
The skills you can only develop when you are willing to risk it all in order to do that one amazing thing.
“Basically, what I am trying to tell you is that, in this game called life, you don’t stand a chance…
1 :: Because You Have Not Failed Enough
Because you are comfortable in your mediocrity; because you choose not to try.
2 :: Because You Care What Others Think About You
Because you have to fit in.
3 :: Because You Think You Are Smarter Than You Are
Because you did what everyone else did; you studied what they studied and read what they read.
4 :: Because You Don’t Read
Because you read the things you are required to read or nothing at all.
Because you think history is boring and philosophy is stupid.
Because you would rather sit and watch “E!” or “MTV” instead of exploring something new, instead of diving head first, into the brain of another man in an attempt to better understand the world around you.
5 :: Because You Lack Curiosity
Because you get your news from copy-cat members of the state-controlled media.
Because you are unwilling to ask this simple question… “What if it’s all a lie?”, and accept the possibility that maybe it is; that just maybe, the methods of mass media are under direct orders to: keep you distracted.
6 :: Because You Don’t Ask Enough Questions
Because you do not question authority.
Because you don’t question yourself.
Because you don’t understand the power of properly placed questioning in life, respectful disagreements and standing up for what you know to be right in the face of someone telling you otherwise. Unable to question reality; stuck in a self imposed survival strategy within a matrix-style monotony.
Because control comes, not from spewing your ignorance like some incurable case of logorrhea, but from properly structuring the context of your questions.
Because I study the premise of your argument and destroy it from the ground level before you even get a chance to establish your ideas.
7 :: Because You Can’t Handle The Truth
Because you refuse to admit that you don’t even know the things you don’t know.
Because there isn’t an article online that would make up for all the time you have wasted in life.
Because you would become an instant addict. Unable to pull yourself from the teat of truth. Finally able to understand your lack of understanding, and then you would see; then you would know that the only thing holding you back from doing something truly amazing, is you.
Advice from 30 year old me to 20 year old me
11 things that I wish I knew when I was 20.
1) Travel
You have very little responsibility so go and travel
Travel to the tough places.
Travel to learn.
Travel to discover.
Travel to the places that will challenge who you think you want to be.
2) Build things
Don’t spend too much time working on other people’s visions or in other people’s meetings. Spend time figuring out what your own world view is (see point 1) and where you want to take your own life.
3) Read
Read every day. Read everything you can. Don’t just read about things you know about. Read about people. Read people.
4) Stop Watching Television
Right now. Stop it. It’s not helping you get better at anything.
5) Career
Do not take that corporate job. Just don’t do it (see point 2).
6) Trust
Even if it kills your relationships. Even if it destroys your ideas. Even if you lose your friends. Even if it means you end up getting hurt.
Trust people until they give you a reason not to.
But don’t be naïve. Some people are out to fuck you.
7) People
People are the best and worst thing that will happen to you. Some will help you go further, faster. Others will pull you down to their level and help you lose. Most are OK. Many are average. Some are excellent.
A few people will change your life forever. Find them.
You don’t need a lot of friends or people around you. You need amazing people who do for you as you do for them.
It’s simple really, a lot of average friends will leave you feeling alone when you need to feel surrounded by people who care.
8) Value Time
Don’t waste time on people who you don’t trust. Don’t waste time with lovers who cheat on you. Don’t waste time with friends who don’t treat you the way you treat them
9) Fail
Fail a lot. Fail often. Fail at love. Fail at sex. Fail at socialising. Fail at making friends. Fail at work. Fail at business. Fail with family. Fail with existing friends.
Fail. But do it quickly and learn a lesson.
If you don’t learn something every time you fail then all you’ve done is failed. If you learn something, then you’ve grown. Every time you grow and learn and fail, you get better at figuring out how the hell to succeed.
10) Success
There is no point at which you will have succeeded. Not in your twenties. Not ever.
Get over that fact and start building things
11) Patience
Be patient. Nothing worth doing is worth doing quickly. Nothing worth building is worth building in a rush. Nothing of value is formed in a minute.
Plan in decades. Think in years. Work in months. Live in days.
SOURCE: MEDIUM
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