[acb-hsp] 5 Ways to Get More Productive

[peter altschul]

5 Ways To Get More Productive Today
  By Drake Baer March 15, 2013
  Want to get more done in the next hour? Take 5 minutes to read 
this.
  There might be some productivity-minded part of you that scoffs 
at the whole idea of reading about how to be more productive.  
After all, why would you read about doing when you could do? 
Well, you can tell that part of you to stop being so addicted to 
being right and acknowledge that you can work smarter, not just 
harder.  And when you can tap a multitude of perspectives of how 
to work smarter, you can get extremely productive.
  Alice Boyes at Psychology Today has done that by gathering the 
productivity insights of a range of psychologists.  Let's unpack 
a few here.
  Walk away "Without realizing it, I spent years trying to be 
productive in the most unproductive way," says Susan Newman, 
"sitting at a desk for hours." Now she de-tethers by getting away 
from the office.  She finds that moving around--be it to grab a 
cup of coffee, water a plant, or take a walk, makes her sharper.  
While it runs against what Anne Marie Slaughter calls "time 
macho" culture--"a relentless competition to work harder, stay 
later, pull more all-nighters, travel around the world and bill 
the extra hours that the international date line affords 
you?--more and more research shows that if you spend less time 
doing, you can get more done.
  Close your door L.  Kevin Chapman starts his productivity quest 
by closing the door to his office.  While he likes to welcome 
colleagues and students, closing the door ensures that he stays 
on task.  The next move: scheduling the tasks he wants to avoid.  
If he puts the put-off tasks into his schedule (and sets 
reminders on all devices), he is sure to tackle what needs to get 
done.  "Action precedes motivation," Chapman says.  "These small 
steps facilitate more action and lead to me feeling 
accomplished." And apps can help, too.
  Get some exercise ""Plan exercise breaks," advises Craig 
Malkin.  "Stress leads to binary (either/or) thinking, 
distractability, and procrastination." We know at least one 
company that's putting that into practice.  Why does stress 
relief help you get better work done? You'll stay sharp, Malkin 
says, and you'll boost your capacity for creative problem 
solving.  That's because creativity is a mammalian trait--and the 
protective parts of you won't let it come out unless you feel 
safe.
  Condition yourself We've discussed how where you work affects 
the work that you do, like how if you're cold, you're being 
physically distracted from the task at hand.  Similarly, what you 
associate with your environment affects what happens there.  
That's why you should work in a place you associate with work, 
says Amy Przeworski, like an office building, library, cafe, or 
maybe a coworking space.
  If you need to keep your attention on something for a long 
time, it's going to be hard to do so in a place you usually relax 
in--ever notice how you can't work as well in the family room? 
"Your surroundings set the stage for your focus," Przeworski 
says.  "If they are associated with work, you will focus on 
work." The space can also make your work a pleasure--that's how 
Susan Cain sidesteps writer's block.  The Quiet author trained 
herself to love writing by "always writing in a beautiful cafe 
while drinking a latte and eating a chocolate chip 
cookie"--that's one sweet way to love your work.
  The biggest motivator? Passion Kristine Anthis says that while 
you can't always decide what projects you take on, when you 
do--like your college major or if your boss lets you select from 
a range of assignments--go after what you're most interested in.  
It worked for her.
  "Being passionate about what I do means that juggling the 
demands of teaching, writing, mentoring students, conducting 
research, and serving on committees is not necessarily always 
effortless," she says, "but certainly gratifying." It's also how 
you know if you have a career--or just a job.
  Drake Baer covers leadership for Fast Company.
  Copyright Ággc) 2013 Mansueto Ventures LLC.  All rights 
reserved.