{"id":6681,"date":"2014-05-01T14:14:46","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T18:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=6681"},"modified":"2021-12-03T20:58:05","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T20:58:05","slug":"top-lessons-learned-a-year-of-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/top-lessons-learned-a-year-of-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"The top 10 lessons I learned from A Year of Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/93503165\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>When I graduated University with a business degree last May, I received two incredible full-time job offers, both of which I declined because I had a plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For exactly one year, from May 1, 2013, through May 1, 2014, I would devour everything I could get my hands on about productivity, and write every day about the lessons I learned on <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">A Year of Productivity<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 12 months I have conducted countless <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/experiments\/\">productivity experiments<\/a><\/span> on myself, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/category\/interviews\/\">interviewed<\/a><\/span> some of the most productive people in the world, and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/favorite-books-productivity\/\">read<\/a><\/span> a ton of books and academic literature on productivity, all to explore how I could become as productive as possible, and then write about the lessons I learned.<\/p>\n<p>One year, 197 articles, and over one million hits later, I\u2019ve reached the end of my year-long journey, but not before going out with a bang.<\/p>\n<p>To close out my year of productivity, I have assembled a collection of all of the biggest things I\u2019ve learned in my journey to become as productive as possible. Below are the 10 biggest productivity lessons I learned over the course of my project, and I also put together an article on my <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/100-time-energy-attention-hacks-will-make-productive\">100 favorite time, energy, and attention hacks<\/a><\/span> I experimented with over the course of the year! I know you\u2019ll get a ton out of both articles.<\/p>\n<p>Without further ado,\u00a0<strong>here are the top 10 productivity lessons I learned over the course of the entire year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-info'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'>Moving forward, I\u2019m going to continue to run productivity experiments on myself and research the heck out of productivity, albeit at a smaller scale as I tackle other projects at the same time. To continue to follow along with my journey, visit my new little corner of the Internet at <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\">A Life of Productivity<\/a><\/span>.<\/div><\/div>\n<h2><b>10. One of the best ways to become more productive is to work on your highest-leverage tasks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>There are just a few tasks in every area of your life\u00a0(like\u00a0your mind, body, emotions, relationships, career, finances, and fun) that contribute most of the value in each area. For example, there are likely just a few activities in your work through which you contribute 80\u201390% of your value to whomever you work for.<\/p>\n<p>One of the best ways to accomplish more is to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/how-to-determine-highest-leverage-activities-work\/\">identify and then work on the highest-leverage tasks in each area of your life<\/a><\/span>, because these are the activities that give you the greatest return for your time, energy, and attention.<\/p>\n<h2><b>9. The three most effective ways to become more productive are also the most boring pieces of advice you\u2019ve already received<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>I think that behind every clich\u00e9 is a truth that\u2019s so powerful that people feel compelled to repeat the phrase over and over and over. This holds true for productivity advice, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last year I experimented with integrating countless habits and productivity techniques into my life, but at the end of the day, the three productivity techniques that worked the best for me were:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Eating well<\/li>\n<li>Getting enough sleep<\/li>\n<li>Exercising<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>These pieces of advice are repeated so often that they lose almost all of their meaning. But take it from me, as someone who has experimented with hundreds of techniques to better manage my time, energy, and attention over the last decade: nothing has made me more productive than eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising.<sup id=\"rf1-6681\"><a href=\"#fn1-6681\" title=\"I would also include meditation in this list, though I\u2019ll readily admit that the practice isn\u2019t as accessible to most people as eating well, sleeping more, or working out.\" rel=\"footnote\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6706 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/brainprod.png\" alt=\"brainprod\" width=\"846\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/brainprod.png 846w, https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/brainprod-480x284.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 846px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>8. Always question blanket productivity advice<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>There are some pieces of advice that work well for most people\u2014eating well, getting enough sleep, exercise, and meditation included\u2014but there are also exceptions to every rule.<\/p>\n<p><b>It\u2019s okay to buck conventional wisdom if something else works better for you.<\/b> Find you get more done when you don\u2019t wake up at 5:30 every morning? Then sleep in! Find you get more done when you don\u2019t do your most important task first thing in the morning, and instead answer a bunch of emails? Then answer your email!<\/p>\n<p>There is usually a kernel of truth behind every piece of productivity advice and conventional wisdom, but there are also a ton of productivity techniques that simply won\u2019t work for you. Everyone thinks differently and has different priorities, so no piece of productivity advice will work perfectly for 100% of people, 100% of the time.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s okay to buck conventional wisdom if something else works better for you\u2014and you should.<\/p>\n<h2><b>7. Forming good habits makes you more productive automatically<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>I think one of the best ways to become more productive is to convert new, productive behaviors into habits so you do them automatically.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>According to Charles Duhigg, the author of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1400069289\/?tag=ayeaofpro-20\">The Power of Habit<\/a><\/span>, 40\u201345% of our daily activities are automatic habits. Habit formation isn\u2019t easy, and it sometimes takes a few months to integrate a new habit into your life, but once a new behavior becomes a habit, you automatically level up to become more productive.<\/p>\n<p>For example, it took me a few months to form a habit to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/waking-up-early-solidify-morning-wakeup-ritual\/\">wake up at 5:30 every morning<\/a><\/span>, but after I did, waking up early became a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/3-ways-identify-keystone-habits-habits-set-chain-reaction-change-everything\/\">keystone habit<\/a><\/span> and I woke up early every morning automatically. It also took me several weeks to integrate a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/body-composition-experiment-introduction\/\">new eating regimen<\/a><\/span> into my life, but after I did, my new eating habits simply became part of the tapestry of my life; blending in with all of my other automatic behaviors.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to learn how to integrate new habits into your life, check out <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/resolutions\/chapter5\/\">my interview with Charles<\/a><\/span>. Forming new habits isn\u2019t easy, especially when you have to expend willpower to will yourself into changing your behavior at first, but things get progressively easier as you go on, until you finally become more productive automatically.<\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6710\" src=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/timeenergyattention.png\" alt=\"timeenergyattention\" width=\"300\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/timeenergyattention.png 462w, https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/timeenergyattention-300x285.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>6. There are three ingredients you combine on a daily basis to be productive: time, energy, and attention<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Toward the end of my project, I realized that every single article I wrote could be classified into one (or more) of three categories: how to better manage your <b>time<\/b>, how to better manage your <b>energy<\/b>, and how to better manage your <b>attention<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>I think all three ingredients are absolutely essential if you want to be productive on a daily basis.<\/b> Some people have an amazing amount of energy and focus, but they\u2019re not good at managing their time, so they don\u2019t work on the right things and don\u2019t get a lot done. Some people are great at managing their time and have a lot of energy, but they\u2019re constantly distracted so they procrastinate and don\u2019t get a lot done. Some people have laser-like focus and they know how to manage their time well, but they\u2019re not good at managing their energy so they drag their feet and don\u2019t get a lot done.<\/p>\n<p>Productive people know how to effectively manage all three.<\/p>\n<h2>Interlude: 10\u00a0productivity experiments from my year of productivity<\/h2>\n<p>10 of my favorite experiments from my year of productivity, in no particular order. Just click on any picture to visit the experiment&#8217;s article.<\/p>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n.new-royalslider-8 .rsThumbsHor { height:80px; }\n.new-royalslider-8 .rsThumbsVer { width:220px; } \n\t\t\t.new-royalslider-8 .rsThumb { width: 220px; height: 80px; }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"new-royalslider-8\" class=\"royalSlider new-royalslider-8 rsUni galleryTextThumbs\" style=\"width:100%;height:500px;;\" data-rs-options='{&quot;template&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;image_generation&quot;:{&quot;lazyLoading&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;imageWidth&quot;:626,&quot;imageHeight&quot;:445,&quot;thumbImageWidth&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;thumbImageHeight&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;thumbs&quot;:{&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;vertical&quot;,&quot;spacing&quot;:0,&quot;thumbWidth&quot;:220,&quot;thumbHeight&quot;:80,&quot;autoCenter&quot;:&quot;false&quot;},&quot;visibleNearby&quot;:{&quot;enabled&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;centerArea&quot;:0.9},&quot;video&quot;:{&quot;autoHideBlocks&quot;:&quot;true&quot;},&quot;block&quot;:{&quot;moveOffset&quot;:20,&quot;speed&quot;:400,&quot;delay&quot;:200},&quot;width&quot;:&quot;100%&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:500,&quot;autoScaleSlider&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;autoScaleSliderWidth&quot;:950,&quot;autoScaleSliderHeight&quot;:500,&quot;imageScaleMode&quot;:&quot;fill&quot;,&quot;controlNavigation&quot;:&quot;thumbnails&quot;,&quot;arrowsNavHideOnTouch&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;globalCaption&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;globalCaptionInside&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;numImagesToPreload&quot;:3,&quot;keyboardNavEnabled&quot;:&quot;true&quot;}'>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/meditation-626x445.jpg\">1. Meditating for 35 hours over 7 days<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>1. Meditating for 35 hours over 7 days<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/top-10-things-learned-productivity-meditating-for-35-hours\/\">1. Meditating for 35 hours over 7 days<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ted1-626x445.jpg\">2. Watching 70 hours of TED talks over 7 days<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>2. Watching 70 hours of TED talks over 7 days<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/a-week-of-ted-experiment-results\/\">2. Watching 70 hours of TED talks over 7 days<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/soylent-626x445.jpg\">3. Eating only \u201csoylent\u201d for a week<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>3. Eating only \u201csoylent\u201d for a week<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/productivity-experiment-eating-only-soylent\/\">3. Eating only \u201csoylent\u201d for a week<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/isolation-626x445.jpg\">4. Living in total isolation for 10 days<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>4. Living in total isolation for 10 days<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/productivity-and-reclusion\/\">4. Living in total isolation for 10 days<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/90-hour-weeks-626x445.jpg\">5. Working 90-hour weeks<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>5. Working 90-hour weeks<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/10-productivity-lessons-working-90-hour-weeks\/\">5. Working 90-hour weeks<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/clothes-626x408.jpg\">6. Rotating between dressing forma, business casual, and in pyjamas for 21 days<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>6. Rotating between dressing forma, business casual, and in pyjamas for 21 days<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/productivity-experiment-wear-become-productive-possible\/\">6. Rotating between dressing forma, business casual, and in pyjamas for 21 days<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/slob-626x445.jpg\">7. Being a total slob for a week<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>7. Being a total slob for a week<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/top-10-lessons-learned-productivity-complete-slob-week\/\">7. Being a total slob for a week<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/smartphone-626x445.jpg\">8. Using my smartphone for an hour a day, for 3 months<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>8. Using my smartphone for an hour a day, for 3 months<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/10-things-learned-smartphone-60-minutes-a-day\/\">8. Using my smartphone for an hour a day, for 3 months<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/water-626x445.jpg\">9. Drinking only water for a month<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>9. Drinking only water for a month<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/experiment-top-10-things-learned-drinking-only-water-month\/\">9. Drinking only water for a month<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rsContent\">\n  <a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/siesta-626x445.jpg\">10. Taking a three-hour afternoon siesta<\/a>\n  \n  <div class=\"rsTmb\">\n    <h5>10. Taking a three-hour afternoon siesta<\/h5>\n    <span><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  <a class=\"rsLink\" href=\"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/productivity-experiment-take-three-hour-afternoon-siesta\/\">10. Taking a three-hour afternoon siesta<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>5. There is no one secret to becoming more productive, but there are hundreds of tactics you can use to get more done<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>If there is a secret to becoming more productive, I didn\u2019t find it during my year of experimenting with and exploring productivity.<\/p>\n<p>But what I did discover were hundreds of tactics that I could use to better manage my time, energy, and attention. In fact, <strong>I uncovered so many of these tactics that I assembled <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/100-time-energy-attention-hacks-will-make-productive\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a list of my favorite 100<\/span><\/a> tactics when I closed out my year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Productivity is very much a holistic concept, characterized by the understanding of its interconnected parts. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of factors that contribute to how much you get done every day, every single one of which has to do with being able to manage your time, energy, and attention.<\/p>\n<p>There isn\u2019t one secret to becoming more productive\u2014there are <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/100-time-energy-attention-hacks-will-make-productive\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">hundreds<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><b>4. Working too hard or too much shatters your productivity<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Over the course of my project, I found that working too hard or too much completely shattered my productivity.<\/p>\n<p>As a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/experiments\/\">productivity experiment<\/a><\/span> I worked 90-hour weeks for a month, alternating between working 90 hours one week and then 20 hours the next. I actually found that I got about as much work done in both my 90-hour and 20-hour weeks, for a simple reason: <b>when I limited how much time I spent on a task, I forced myself to exert more energy over less time so I could get the task done in what limited time I had<\/b>. When I threw more time at my work in my longer weeks, I tended to procrastinate more, work on lower-leverage activities, and waste more time.<\/p>\n<p>What happens when you work too hard and throw too much <i>energy<\/i> at a task? You burn out. (Interestingly, I didn\u2019t uncover any adverse effects to throwing more <i>attention<\/i> at a task, though I find that your attention and energy levels often rise and fall in tandem.) I think of energy as the fuel a person burns throughout the day to get work done. <b>When you throw more energy at your work without taking the time to recharge or nurture your energy levels along the way\u2014like by <\/b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/exercise-to-boost-your-focus\/\"><b>exercising<\/b><\/a><\/span><b>, <\/b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/get-work-done-take-breaks\/\"><b>taking breaks<\/b><\/a><\/span><b>, <\/b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/body-composition-experiment-introduction\/\"><b>eating well<\/b><\/a><\/span><b>, or investing in <\/b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/9-stress-relief-strategies-that-actually-work\/\"><b>effective stress relief strategies<\/b><\/a><\/span><b>\u2014you\u2019re going to run out of fuel and burn out.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Working too much or too hard completely shatters your productivity because doing so robs you of two of your most valuable resources: your time, and your energy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6756 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/1068015_16571819.jpg\" alt=\"1068015_16571819\" width=\"846\" height=\"634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/1068015_16571819.jpg 846w, https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/1068015_16571819-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 846px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>3. The best way to feel motivated is to know <i>why<\/i> you want to get something done<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The most motivated (and productive) people are the ones who constantly question why they\u2019re doing what they are doing.<\/p>\n<p>When you focus on doing more things, as opposed to doing things that are aligned to your values and what you believe in, you may be able to push yourself to be productive in the short run, but in the long run you\u2019re going to be a lot less satisfied and productive. The key is to determine what you value and what motivates you the most, and then take on tasks and responsibilities that fit with your values.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6759\" src=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tree.jpg\" alt=\"tree\" width=\"326\" height=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tree.jpg 326w, https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tree-158x300.jpg 158w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 326px) 100vw, 326px\" \/>Just because you\u2019re constantly busy and you produce a lot doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re productive\u2014in fact, I\u2019d argue that the opposite is the case. Productivity isn\u2019t about how much you do, it\u2019s about whether you achieve the outcomes that are the most important to you.<\/p>\n<p>When you always know why you\u2019re doing something, you\u2019re going to be a lot more motivated and productive.<\/p>\n<h2><b>2. Becoming more productive is pointless if you\u2019re not kind to yourself in the process<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>The reason I write so much about being kind to yourself on A Year of Productivity is because it\u2019s the part of productivity that I struggle with the most.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When I first started AYOP, I dove head-first into the project because there isn\u2019t anything I\u2019m more passionate about than becoming more productive. It was easy, and at first I loved it; I didn\u2019t put too much pressure on myself, so I had no problem getting work done.<\/p>\n<p>But as this project grew, and as this site went from receiving a few thousand visits a month to a hundred thousand visits a month, I put more and more pressure on myself to write, experiment, and perform. And as a result, I had a lot less fun.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s hard to admit, particularly when a lot of people would kill to be in the position I find myself in today\u2014exploring the topic I\u2019m most passionate about, and making a go of it. But it just goes to show how important it is to be kind to yourself when you pressure yourself into becoming more productive.<\/p>\n<p>Becoming more productive doesn\u2019t happen without effort\u2014you have to put pressure on yourself to perform better, but in the process it\u2019s all too easy to be hard on yourself while you\u2019re trying to make positive changes to your life.<\/p>\n<p>Constantly be mindful of how kind you are to yourself when you\u2019re pushing yourself to get more done. When <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/resolutions\/chapter7\/\">80% of what you say to yourself in your head is already negative<\/a><\/span>, it\u2019s important that you are kind to yourself every chance you get, particularly when you\u2019re putting more pressure on yourself to become a better human being.<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-tick'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'>A few tactics that helped me be kind to myself over my year of productivity: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/meditation-guide\/\">meditating<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/get-work-done-take-breaks\/\">taking more breaks<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/productivity-experiment-take-three-hour-afternoon-siesta\/\">completely disconnecting from my work<\/a><\/span> a few times a day, and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/5-habits-lead-happiness\/\">adopting habits that lead to more happiness<\/a><\/span>.<\/div><\/div>\n<h2><b>1. Productivity isn\u2019t about how much you produce, it\u2019s about how much you accomplish<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>When I first started my year of productivity, I created a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/statistics\/\">Stats<\/a><\/span> page so I could share exactly how productive I was every day. Every day I posted the number of words I wrote, pages I read, and hours I worked, because I considered these to be pretty good measurements of how productive I was.<\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unless you run a factory, measuring your productivity based only on how much you produce gives you only a shallow, limited picture of how productive you are.<\/strong> In fact, if you come up with an intelligent and creative approach to a problem\u2014let\u2019s say that you find a way to write 500 words in 100\u2014when you measure your productivity simply by how much you produce, you\u2019re much<i> less<\/i> productive!<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to get caught up on measurements and statistics, but as far as personal productivity is concerned, statistics are secondary. Productivity isn\u2019t about how much you produce, it\u2019s about how much you accomplish.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to do tasks\u00a0that are high leverage and meaningful, and it\u2019s also important that you know how to manage your time, energy, and attention so you have the resources you need to get more done. But at the end of the day, when you have no more time, energy, or attention left, the only thing you\u2019re left with is what you have accomplished, and the difference you have made in the world because you did something valuable with a day of your life.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what productivity is all about.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"footnotes\"><ol class=\"footnotes\" style=\"list-style-type:decimal\"><li id=\"fn1-6681\"><p >I would also include meditation in this list, though I\u2019ll readily admit that the practice isn\u2019t as accessible to most people as eating well, sleeping more, or working out.&nbsp;<a href=\"#rf1-6681\" class=\"backlink\" title=\"Return to footnote 1.\">&#8617;<\/a><\/p><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 10 biggest things I\u2019ve learned in my journey to become as productive as possible for a year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - 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