Not so obvious productivity habits
Piotr Pawłowski
14 replies
Do you have habits that don't look productive from the perspective of generally accepted standards, but in reality make you achieve goals faster and easier❓
Replies
Stefan Morris@stefan_morris
When I am developing code and I run into a dead end or difficult problem to solve, I go have a shower :). It relaxes me and allows me to explore the problem away from the computer, which often puts me into a vicious cycle.
Alternatively, I'll call up a friend to talk about the problem. Even if the person is non technical - having to explain it to them in layman's terms often results in an epiphany.
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Firmbee
@stefan_morris @w_j making you body clean can defenitely lead to making your brain clean and productive. The same goes with clearing your desk or room, I think. The tip with calling a friend - never thought about it, but it does make sense... I will have to try it out, thanks!
Firmbee
Not checking any work notifications (even the urgent ones) before I perform the most complex task of the day. This helps keep my mind sharp. And guess what - 99% of the time, the notifications can wait.
Leaving even 20-30 minutes for nothing specific, just some "brain wandering" - this often leads to discovering new marketing opportunities or ideas.
Firmbee
@zaneta_siwik brain wandering sounds great. This looks like giving yourself permission for creative/strategic thinking.
What helps me a lot is working when you are feeling good and energetic and taking breaks when the mood is off or not really wanted to work, because I think a small break when my mood is off helps me to recharge myself with peace and then working again when it will become better. Also taking a walk alone after working hours helps me a lot to change my focus from work to personal life after working hrs. It's more like a break line between two-time phases to keep out the worries and exhaustion of one phase from another.
Firmbee
@mahak thanks for sharing your experience in this topic. Yes, listening to your bodyclock is definietely an underestimated issue. We actually wrote more about it in our latest FB post: https://www.facebook.com/firmbee... When it comes to walking, I recently heard that it improves our intelligence. Also, a great way to set a boundary between work & life.
Starting with the most difficult tasks (instead of the easier ones, as most people recommend) makes me more efficient.
Chatting with colleagues & checking my SM while performing stressful tasks makes me more efficient, cause the pressure to somehow disappear then. But maybe that's due to the type of my work - I'm a graphic designer.
Firmbee
@piotr_marchewka when you start with a difficult task that may take more time - you do have the perspective of a big queue of tasks, but on the other hand - you have more enery & brain assests to complete it.
Firmbee
@piotr_pawlowski It depends... Coffee break, scrolling Social media, responding to messages from friends, watching a short film on YouTube or a quick walk around the room ;)
My little habit that helps me achieve my goals is to plan my tasks well in time. I spend a relatively long time planning - many people may consider it a waste of time. But thanks to this, every day I know exactly what I should do to achieve the intended goal on time!
Firmbee
@ula_ostrowska yeah, planning is never a waste of time - it's always an investment - thanks for sharing.