Commuting

Public transport is by far the best place to sneak in some productivity. Simply get yourself a notepad and scribble. If you have a smart phone, get some emails out the way. Even if you don’t have signal, they can still be composed.

Try and solve some problems you’re facing. If you’re artistic, try and come up with some new concepts. If you’re a coordinator, make lists.

If the chaos of the commute is a distraction, get yourself some earphones to drown out the outside world.

If you really have to drive, you can still use this time to be productive. Instead of being distracted by the radio, focus your mind on a problem you are currently dealing with. Don’t stop thinking about that problem until you have some kind of solution. You can rest assured, even though you can’t write, you won’t forget what you come up with.

Doing Housework

Yes, you can be doubly productive while doing housework. As you’re already working anyway, there isn’t a great pressure to do anything too productive, but if you use this time to say, catch up on your favorite TV show, this would let you do something more productive later when you would normally be watching TV.

Of course, if this is still not productive enough for you, you could educate yourself with an educational podcast, catch up on your YouTube subscriptions, or if you’re feeling especially productive, make some audio/video notes.

In Your Interactions

This is a little ambiguous and it really does depend on what you do, ie what kind of productivity you want to achieve. Lets’s imagine you are a marketer working on a new email newsletter. You need some content for the newsletter, so spark a discussion with everyone you meet, based around the topic of the newsletter. Use this material, combine it, build on it.

This is just an example, of course. If you’re a designer, you might ask people to pick out the best features of various objects.

Bear in mind that it’s not just about getting other people to generate your material. The purpose is to spark discussion and maybe inspire new ideas. This can be done a lot more effectively by bouncing concepts off other people.

“Innovation favors the connected mind” – Steven Johnson

On the Toilet

Yes, it might sound distasteful, but remember, you are at your most creative when you’re relaxed. This of course doesn’t just apply to the toilet, but also the shower, just before bed, while out for a walk, and any other time when you’re relaxing, or exercising, without any distractions.

So let your mind wander, and then follow it.

While Sleeping

It might sound crazy, but it is actually possible to be productive in your sleep. The subconscious mind is very powerful and can integrate concepts that your conscious mind wouldn’t even consider putting together.

How do you improve this skill? It does take practice, but the key is to think of a problem constantly when you go to sleep. Try to solve it while you’re awake, and fall asleep thinking about it. When you’re asleep, your subconscious takes over and can work on the problem in a much more powerful way.

Note, this is not the same as lucid dreaming. It is simply a way of pointing your mind in a chosen direction before you sleep. Practice this technique and your sleep can become a very powerful tool for solving problems. You will jump out of bed with ideas!

Become a Productive Power-House!

So now you have no excuse for not getting things done. As you have seen, even non-productive time can be well spent. You can find time to be ultra-productive without having to squeeze productive time into your day. So make the most out of your days: sneak some productivity into your life.

Finish What You Start

You’ll probably be working as fast as you can most of the time, and often this will mean you start a lot of jobs but don’t finish many. Focus on a task until it is complete.

If this is not possible, focus as long as you possibly can before moving onto something else, but above all, remember to go back and finish the first task.

Make a Plan

Plan your time before you start your task list, even if it’s just in your head. Your productivity will be greatly increased if you work through a pre-planned list instead of aimlessly completing tasks. Know what needs to be done and do it. It also helps to check this list at the end of a day or a productive session, to check that you have completed all the tasks you set out to, and to confirm your productivity.

Keep Up Momentum

A good point to remember about productivity is that some of the laws of physics also apply to our minds. For example, something in motion tends to stay in motion, while something at rest tends to stay at rest. Instead of sitting down on the couch after a long day of work, keep moving and keep being productive. It takes more effort to get something moving than it does to keep something moving.

You probably find that if you start to relax, then your motivation decreases and the feeling of being tired increases. Yet, if you start doing productive things even while sitting, your energy increases and the lethargic mode disappears. You can gain a second wind when you get busy doing something.

Avoid Distractions

Be aware of distractions that will rob you of your time. Avoid checking emails, phones, instant messengers or anything else while you are working on a particular job. Also watch out for other people distracting you – learn to say no.

Television can be a serious waste of productive time. Too many people come home from work, plop down on the couch in front of mindless programs and literally trance-out. It is good for the mind to be simply entertained sometimes, whether it’s via TV or other means, but be aware of how much time is being spent in those typically buzzed-out states.

Be aware that precious time is slipping by while your passion-focus projects are sitting idle.

Manage Time into Blocks of Similar Activities

Remember Henry Ford from the automobile industry in America? He came up with one of the most efficient and productive ways to assemble cars, the assembly line method.

That’s the procedure that utilizes workstations along a moving conveyor belt. Each workstation is responsible for assembling specific parts of a vehicle. Well, you can apply a similar method to your entire day.

To do this you need to create a daily schedule and do specific tasks at specific times.

For example, if your job includes that you call people on the telephone, then block off an hour for making phone calls, say from 1 PM to 2 PM. When 2 PM arrives, move on to the next scheduled task, even if you still have other calls to make. The next day when your phone call workstation arrives, you’ll find that you are highly motivated to accomplish as many calls as you can within that allotted time block.

The main idea is to move to the next time-block and work as efficiently as possible to get as much done. This also helps to increase motivation on a grand scale.

Use the assembly-line method applied to your every waking moment. Schedule specific time-slots for particular tasks, and stick to the schedule. This will increase your efficiency, productivity, and motivation.

Read original post by John Wesley