5 popular tips that only harm productivity
Productivity is talked about always and everywhere. But what does it mean to be productive? Work hard and not get tired? However, these and many other false attitudes in some cases can become a real obstacle to productivity. Still, being productive and being busy are completely different states in which different results are achieved. First, decide for yourself what results you want to achieve.
There are a huge number of articles on the Internet that “teach” how to be productive, but these are nothing more than myths. Besides everything else, there is special online courses, which promise that after completing them your productivity will increase significantly, which in most cases, of course, you should not religiously believe. If you already live by a clear to-do list, read Stephen Covey, author of the famous book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which you can скачать здесь, then our material, dispelling the most popular myths about productivity methods, is just for you.
BAD ADVICE #1: DON'T DO NOTHING
Most online personal growth courses instill in their audience the truth that a productive and successful person is always busy with something. In their opinion, a productive person does not have a minute of free time, and if he does have it, he will spend it to his advantage. In fact, more does not mean better, and this rule should be adopted by all those who, in pursuit of high productivity results, have ceased to see the boundaries between work and rest.
A productive person knows how to take breaks, which help him replenish his energy. According to authoritative sources, you should spend 52 minutes on one task and then take a break for 17 minutes. You can take a break to read a book, go for a short walk, or have some harmless fun. Speaking of the latter... Experts strongly recommend against being distracted by various gambling games, including the websites of bookmakers presented on this site , since such a seemingly harmless hobby can develop into a real addiction, and it is extremely difficult to recover from gambling addiction.
BAD ADVICE #2: COPY THE HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
Sure, you can start your day at four in the morning like Apple CEO Tim Cook, but that doesn't guarantee you'll be successful. Habits alone do not guarantee that your life will change for the better. Think about how many people around the world get up early in the morning, do exercises and eat right, but cannot afford a seaside holiday or make an impulse purchase? This suggests that waking up early is just that, waking up early and not a sign of productivity.
By placing successful individuals on a pedestal, you thereby belittle yourself and your merits. You begin to feel like you are not smart or successful enough. Of course, in comparison with the same Tim Cook, you are really less successful, but is this really so important?
BAD ADVICE #3: SET BIG GOALS
Self-help books and articles often encourage living your best life by setting big goals for yourself. Many people do exactly this: they set themselves a grandiose goal and direct all their ambitions towards its implementation. But if you set yourself a big goal when you are not yet ready for it, you can achieve a completely opposite result. To achieve a big goal, you need to take too many actions, which can then seem too difficult, as a result of which many “achievers” of big goals often give up.
Instead, you need to start with small but regular actions. Create a suitable daily routine for yourself and set feasible goals. For example, if you set a goal to write a book, do not try to achieve it to your detriment. You can write 50 pages a day and be always tired, or you can write only 10 pages a day and get invaluable pleasure from the process.
BAD ADVICE #4: REWARD YOURSELF
It would seem that what could be more pleasant than assigning yourself a reward for achieving a goal. This is actually not a good method. For example, when people are truly interested in a subject and want to achieve mastery in it, they do not strive to get a good grade and encouragement for it. It is important to focus on the process rather than the result, and then the end goal will be much more satisfying.
As Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist, says, you need to focus on the verb, not the noun. “Many people want to get the noun without doing the verb. They want a job title without the work required for it,” he writes. In other words, the verb will lead to much more interesting results than just daydreaming about the noun.
BAD ADVICE #5: MUCH THINGS TO DO – HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
Being busy and being productive are different concepts that should not be confused. If you are faced with the fact that you are working day and night, and things are not getting smaller, it is worth analyzing your activities and setting priorities. If you want to be truly productive, try to record how much time you spend on a particular task, and do your best to understand whether all of your tasks are that important. See what things you can put off and do what really matters.
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