[humanser] 5 Ways To Get More Productive Today

[Mary Ann Robinson]

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.