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1. Feeling distracted go to sleep. Get up, have a snack and watch how productive you’ll be.
2. Not sure what to work on that day. Check your checklist.
3. Need to dig deep; have a quarter bowl (depends on personal tolerance). Have too much and well there’s goes a a few hours. Have too too much and well you’ve lost a whole day maybe.
Other combos that work: - 3, 1, 2 - 1, 2, 1
Combos that don’t work: - 3, 3, 3 - 3, 3, 2 - 2, 3, 3
I think the best advice I got on this subject was "the first five minutes are the hardest". I forget where I heard this, but I took it into my remote working jobs and into all of the self-employed stuff I want to do. It could be simple and small, whatever it is. Sometimes it's just writing comments or tests for my existing code. Eventually the flow takes over and craves more intensity, so at that point I just go with the flow.
Momentum. I think the best advice I got on this subject was "the first five minutes are the hardest". I forget where I heard this, but I took it into my remote working jobs and into all of the self-employed stuff I want to do. It could be simple and small, whatever it is. Sometimes it's just writing comments or tests for my existing code. Eventually the flow takes over and craves more intensity, so at that point I ju…
Loud techno music and noise cancelling headphones.
Any recommendations for music / playlist ?
Many productivity/creative gurus would call this constraints. You have to be able to hold yourself accountable if you’re making up your own constraints. There is a lot of creative freedom with constraints too.
For example, what could you prototype in a week only using X? Or what could you prototype using AI with a specific theme? Ideas are endless. The best things come from periods of great stress.
Compared to my peers, I am one of the most productive humans. (I know this because my career track, quarterly and annual performance ratings, manager feedback, KPIs and metrics against peers or industry standards)
I attribute this to my ability to convince reptilian brain that if I don’t successfully execute tasks and accomplish goals, that I will die.
I operate as if I have a gun pointed at my head. And at the head of everyone I love and cherish.
This allows me to fully engage all my faculties as if my life depended upon it. Hyperfocus.
The downside is stress.
I mostly operate in a flow state, but depending on the day/task/objective, my body has trouble disengaging this feeling that I will die if I don’t execute, so it can negatively affect sleep, as well as life outside of work, because I am always thinking about how to accomplish the goal.
But the ability to trigger my amygdala into this “fight” mode stimulates a daily adrenal response that allows me to perform with exponential productivity. I am often astonished at what I am able to accomplish over a period of time.
All this requires me believing in what I’m doing to some degree, but not always. For example, I just want the biggest bonus in the company history, and if I don’t get it, I will die. So this allows me to have some purpose.
I also need to believe that I’m good at what I’m doing, because that enables me to execute confidently and without hesitation from one task/goal to the next and enjoy the process.