So I’m waiting in line at the NC DMV (actually I was…but now I’m not) to get my drivers license transferred from NY (where I haven’t lived for 2 years) to NC (where I’ve been living for a year). Everyone had told me that the NC DMVs were bad for wait times and they weren’t wrong. Anyhow, this down time is giving me the opportunity to update this blog (sorry it’s been a while). Given the circumstances, I figured it would only be fitting to write about how you can make the most of your each and every one of the 86,400 seconds in your day. Given that I have the tendency to always overload my schedule I’ve become pretty adept at jamming as much as possible in to my day. Here’s some tips that I’ve personally found useful. Note that these aren’t going to work for everyone but if you’re a hard driver like I am then consider giving some of these tips a try.
- Multitask whenever appropriate – While recent research indicates that multitasking may actually hurt productivity I think there’s enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that multitasking is a necessary part of getting things done effectively for many people. The key here is to only multitask when it’s appropriate and with tasks that are compatible for high effectiveness. I’ve found that my ADD brain tends to operate best when there are little ‘distractions’ and if I can make these distractions things I actually need to do then it’s a win-win situation.
- Stay up late and sleep less – Although many people in today’s society get too little sleep, many of the most productive people in history were either insomniacs, night owls or both. I’m a nightowl who can quite easily stay awake until 3 or 4 am and generally do fine with just 5.5 hours a night. If I feel tired I try to listen to my body and take a nap or get to bed early. I can only speak for myself but I find I am actually MOST productive late at night….especially at tasks involving high cognitive effort or attention. While there’s no doubt evidence regarding the pitfalls of insomnia, for many it can lead to getting more done. Read this interesting article on why night owls make more money and are generally smarter.
- Make eating productive – I love to eat and because of my fast metabolism I do it often. While I certainly appreciate sitting down to a leisurely meal with family and friends, a meal can also double up as an opportunity to get things done. That might mean working at your desk while you eat lunch, having a lunch or dinner meeting, or grabbing a snack while you drive somewhere.
- Drink coffee and tea – Not only are coffee and tea great for you due to their antioxidant properties, they can also help increase productivity by increasing alertness, ability to focus, and capacity for higher level cognitive thought processing. Read this blog I wrote about the positive effects of coffee.
- Overload your schedule – I’ve found that if I bite off more than I can chew I often find a way to chew it anyhow. By overloading my schedule I force myself to get things done. I will say that this has backfired on me at times and that trying to do everything is never a good strategy.
- Eliminate wasted time – We’ve all got times in our day when we find ourselves standing around waiting for someone or something. This is inevitable. Instead of just letting this time go to waste use it to knock out small tasks. I’ve found if I can knock out a short call, send an email on my iPhone or jot down notes in my moleskin that I can reduce the number of seemingly small tasks that would otherwise quickly add up over the course of the day.
- Schedule and plan ahead – Failing to plan is planning to fail. If you’ve only got so many hours in your day and you want to make the most of them take the couple minutes it takes to sort out what needs to be done and when it should be done so that you ensure you get everything done and do it in the most effective order.
- Set hard deadlines – Deadlines mean you’re accountable for a task within a given time constraint. When you’re accountable you’re more likely to get things done. When setting deadlines make them realistic but ambitious and don’t get mushy with ‘next month’ deadlines…use hard deadlines with specific dates and times.
- Maintain fitness – Exercise is not only great for your body but it’s great for your mind. Exercise improves our ability to focus and there is some research to indicate that it is linked to increased cognitive abilities. Taking a couple hours a week to do some vigorous exercise will really help you to relieve stress, think more clearly, and get more done.
- Rest hard – This one’s important. If you’re going to red-line the productivity meter on a regular basis you’re going to have to stop for a tune up and refueling every now and then. When you do, do it well. Don’t half ass your R&R or you’ll return to work less productive. Avoid the temptation to ‘do a little’ or ‘get ahead’ by thinking of the time spent relaxing as an investment that will pay big productivity dividends when you resume work.
I know many will flame me for some of these suggestions (especially the first 6) but I have a rationale explanation for all of them and they work well for me. Can you think of any others that I should add to the list?
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LucilleNavarro
February 27, 2010
Your tips for a “productive” day aren’t in line with what research indicates for a “healthy” day.
Multi-tasking – are you really productive? Are you really performing as well as you think? http://tinyurl.com/yajb5vw I can’t post a PDF, but if you click to see the PDF, you’ll see your brain has things happening and what is happening may not be as good as what you are indicating.
Your brain needs sleep.. need I say more?
Overload your schedule?? Mike… why?
As I read this, I have this odd feeling that you are addicted to whatever happens in your body as a response to always being stimulated with something.
The only reason I am responding is because 1) you are young and 2) what will your future hold as you age? Are you going to age with class where you are still in the game when you are 60 or 65 and still able to live life to the fullest OR will your health and body be ready for the junkyard? Pause to consider the benefits of being as productive as you are suggesting with the potential future consequences.
February 27, 2010
Thanks for the comment. If you just skimmed the entry you’d see that I’m well aware of the research. That’s why I 1) put disclaimers at the beginning and end of the entry, and 2) put caveats to the research….such as carefully selecting tasks which can be multi-tasked together without compromising efficiency.
The brain needs sleep…but it’s possible to get too much sleep (read the research on this) which is bad for your metabolism and cardiopulmonary system. More importantly, not all people need the same amount of sleep. The 8-9 hours of sleep per night recommendation is outdated and not supported by research to be applicable to all people. If left to my own devices I will always fall asleep at 3-4am and rarely sleep over 7 hours even in the absence of an alarm. When I’m tired, I sleep more but I don’t stick with what is believed to be true (that everyone needs 8-9 hrs of sleep) when I know it’s not true for myself.
There is a long history of people who’ve been able to push hard and not listen to the ‘common sense’ wisdom of taking it easy, sleeping 8 hours a night, not multi-tasking, etc.
Nightowls:
Winston Churchill,
Fran Lebowitz,
James Joyce,
Elvis Presley,
etc
The list of those who sleep less than 5 hours per night is even longer:
Jay Leno
Michelangelo
Florence Nightingale
Nikola Tesla
Thomas Edison
Martha Stewart
Margaret Thatcher
Leonardo DaVinci
Bill Clinton
Michaelangelo
Napoleon Bonaparte
February 28, 2010
[...] first link for this week is to a great post called Tips for a Productive Day from the MeDirected blog. This post aims to show you how to make the most out of the 86,400 seconds [...]
March 6, 2010
[...] my previous blog post I mentioned some things I do to increase productivity. Of all of them the one that might be most [...]
April 13, 2010
[...] Mike’s ‘Tips for a Productive Day’ article left me considering my own productivity and how Simplizt has allowed me to pack more into my every day. I can certainly relate to a number of Mike’s tips including multitasking and working late at night (I am also a night owl) – these are inherent in me as a person. However, Simplizt has most certainly helped me to be more organized, productive and to plan ahead. By keeping up-to-date, organized to do lists I eliminate wasted time by always knowing what my next task will be when I have a few minutes to spare. I can also set deadlines for specific tasks in Simplizt…or not, depending on the to do and if it is time sensitive. This feature can also help me to plan ahead for my next day’s tasks. [...]