Productivity is about making the most of your resources so you get more done with what you already have, right? Well, what if I told by limiting your access to those resources your productivity would increase significantly? You would tell me I’m mad, and to a point, you would be right, but I would be also telling you the truth.
We live in an abundant Universe. There’s plenty of anything for everyone (it’s just poorly distributed). In the Western World, everyone has access to plenty of resources now. This has made us lazy. Because there are so many resources, we don’t pay attention to our choices and that makes our productivity worse. In scarcity, we are forced to make choices. It’s only when we don’t have access to everything that we realize what’s important for us.
This is how the setting limits system works to improve your productivity. Now, this scarcity is not real, just an illusionary Sword of Damocles. You can apply it in different ways:
Time. Guys, this a BIG one. Almost everyone is literally running around trying to have more time. If we told them that by actually decreasing the time they had they would be more productive and efficient they would turn mad, so let’s not do it. Parkinson’s Law says: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. Think about it. In my own case, when I have a deadline near the corner I’m more productive. Motivation takes a part in the process, but just having less time makes you do things more focused. Racers don’t have time to hesitate or procrastinate either. Some examples: The Pomodoro Technique or the (10+2) Procrastination Hack. These methods also work because they allow you to eat the elephant in small chunks. Read More