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Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

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41–50 of 111 posts

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#42
Learned few simple HIIT exercises. Now when I am feeling tired, I do them for 5 minutes, and it resurrects me and boosts productivity significantly.

Plus regular exercises (heavy lifting once a week, and interval running 3 times a week) boost energy level and don't take much time.

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#43
post #7

I ditched my smartphone and opted for a dumb phone instead. For me, having a smartphone made my distractibility even worse than it naturally is (I have ADD). Also, I no longer hear the siren call of the internet calling to me everywhere I go.

I am extremely tempted to do this, but I also benefit from simple positive features like contact syncing, notes, grocery list syncing, calendar syncing, and a few other utilities. I've decided to try one of those micro-smartphones, hoping the small screen will be fine for calendars but miserable for email & web surfing. Sometimes I think what I really need is WiFi but no data. Sync on the nightstand, but no data conn…

Got some examples of these micro phones? Sounds interesting!

Edit: This is from a Kickstarter - Super cheap and fits the bill https://www.amazon.com/Unihertz-Smallest-Smartphone-Android-...

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#44

Went to my doctor for the first time about what turned out to be undiagnosed/untreated comorbid depression and ADHD. I was apprehensive and avoided it for years but it's easily been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was losing so much time to the vicious cycle of not wanting to do anything but lay in bed, then feeling crappy that I wasn't doing anything, then trying to focus but constantly geting distracted…

What was the treatment?

either therapy and/or drugs. go see a professional and stop using webMD. or worse, hackernewsMD. :D

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#46
1. Serializing my tasks and assignments (to the extent possible).

2. Doing my work more slowly and deliberately.

3. Working in my own shop with nobody around (i.e. reduced distractions, no office chit-chat).

Not a complete list, but these 3 changes make me more productive than ever before, and with less stress.

(edit to add: not only is productivity greater, but the quality of my output is improved, too.)

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#48
post #13

Strengthen my self-discipline muscle. Seriously the ability to self-control ourselves is the biggest and hardest thing. 1) I HATE Running and I would run 3 miles a day around a 1/4 track 5 days a week. I could stop at anytime and just did it. 2) I fasted breakfast and lunch once a week. Just drank water period. This was awesome then I got married and have kids. I am the most undisciplined self I have ever known and l…

1st off, username checks out.

>I am the most undisciplined self I have ever known and less productive.

Are you saying this is a result of marriage+kids or 1&2 above?

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it hard to make the transition? I wish I could get rid of my smart phone, but I'm so dependent on lyft, my gps, etc, that it's hard to separate the addictive parts from the parts that are really useful.

Maybe delete the apps that's you want to force limited exposure to. Deleting my native Facebook app did me wonders. I can always use the website if I really want to but I naturally visit less frequently

I did the same, as well as using a chrome extension to block my feed on the non-mobile version. It's been a great decision.
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