I received this in an email forward and thought it’s worth sharing. No wonder my productivity is so low!
Though I am not really into all this guru stuff, this rings very true. It’s by a guy called Robin Sharma.
1. Turn off all technology for 60 minutes a day and focus on doing your most important work.
Err.. I use technology for my most important work!
2. Work in 90 minute cycles (tons of science is now confirming that this is the optimal work to rest ratio).
That could work. I usually do 15 minute cycles
3. Start your day with at least 30 minutes of exercise.
Showering, brushing teeth, dressing.. do those count as exercise? Plus the long ride to town in the morning
4. Don’t check your email first thing in the morning.
Is what I do before I even get out of bed… how did he know? Can I check my tweet, DMs though?
5. Turn all your electronic notifications off.
I get a notification every minute: foursquare,tweets,whatsApp,gmail,text,call etc
6. Take one day a week as a complete recovery day, to refuel and regenerate (that means no email, no phone calls and zero work). You need full recovery one day a week otherwise you’ll start depleting your capabilities.
Sundays will do
7. The data says workers are interrupted every 11 minutes. Distractions destroy productivity. Learn to protect your time and say no to interruptions.
I should get a private office.. or simply earphones would do. Does music count as a distraction?
8. Schedule every day of your week every Sunday morning. A plan relieves you of the torment of choice (said novelist Saul Bellow). It restores focus and provides energy.
But..but.. I like spontaneousness and random plans?
9. Work in blocks of time. Creative geniuses all had 2 things in common: when they worked they were fully engaged and when they worked, they worked with this deep concentration for long periods of time. Rare in this world of entrepreneurs who can’t sit still.
Oh.. the day I shall be called a creative genius. I better go work, and with deep concentration starting now!
10. Drink a liter of water early every morning. We wake up dehydrated. The most precious asset of an entrepreneur isn’t time – it’s energy. Water restores it.
A liter? Maybe a just a glass to start with?
11. Don’t answer your phone every time it rings.
Good thing my phone rarely rings anyway
12. Invest in your professional development so you bring more value to the hours you work.
13. Avoid gossip and time vampires.
What if they can’t avoid me?
14. Touch paper just once.
This I don’t get. What paper are we talking about here.. money? I can see how that can motivate productivity!
15. Keep a “Stop Doing List”.
Great idea.
16. Get up at 5 am.
Unfortunately I have no choice but to do so
17. Have meetings standing up.
