Have you ever procrastinated on a task so long that when you finally completed it, you wondered why you waited this long?
As humans, our concept of time is distorted. Let’s assume you’re asked to stay in a room alone for 1 hour without doing anything. About 15 minutes into your stay, if you’re asked what time it is, you’d likely overestimate by over 50%. Also, if you’re at a lively party and spend over an hour, you’d likely underestimate by over 50%. When you view time in a linear form, it feels longer. When you view time as distributed around many activities, it feels shorter.
Many assume productivity is working 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week. However, research suggests that the average worker is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes in an eight-hour day. That’s about 36% effectiveness.
How to Measure Productivity 🔗
I measure productivity as the guilt you feel in real time. It doesn’t matter how much you have to do or have done; the day feels perfect when you complete the most important task that will make you sleep without guilt. The catch is that we have more than one important daily task. How do you tackle this?
Usually, having a chaotic mind or life can prevent you from seeing things as they are and how they should be. That’s why you want to spend more time doing boring things, which will let you know how long things take. You can assess your productivity and the time needed to get something done.
However, you need to enter the state of Zen, AKA deep work, to find boring work interesting. The problem with Zen mode is that people don’t know how to start, and some see it as an elitist move by people with the resources to practice it.
Here’s a list of unique, weird, and low-budget ways to enter Zen mode. 🔗
Soundless media - Mute your phone, even when you’re on social media. Ensure you hear nothing but only see moving pictures throughout the day.
Single light source in a dark room—Dark rooms are an excellent way to feel isolated during the day. They can also be immersive if you have a workspace.
First meal of the day at noon — It’s always best to start the day with an empty stomach. If you have breakfast, ensure it’s not heavy so you don’t feel tired before the day begins.
Lofi sounds fasting — Music, especially your favorite playlists, can be distracting. You can easily get agitated and lose your zen before it starts. Lofi are simple instrumental beats combined with natural sounds. Choose one or two lofi. You can listen to them repeatedly to condition your mind to enter zen mode.
Ultra minimalism - Make sure your physical and workspace are clean. Close inactive windows or tabs and minimize the number of distracting apps you have. Schedule a day in a month to back up your recent files.
Pinterest therapy - If you’re a dreamer and you’d like to see the same thing daily to serve as motivation, then you should try Pinterest. You can curate your feed to match what you’re interested in. This can be a great way to condition your mind to aim for the highest output or quality possible.
Boring podcasts - It’s hard to do this, but the benefits are immeasurable. Listen to podcasts like Lex Fridman, Naval Ravikant, and Andrew Huberman. These podcasts will change how you think about life and work.
Watch classic series — This one is for leisure. Sometimes, to maintain that state of Zen, you want to watch series that are worth your time and will teach you valuable life lessons. Examples include suits, billions, and peaky blinders.
Use a burner phone - If you receive too many notifications on your smartphone, you need a burner phone. A phone that is cheap and can have your call line to ensure you’re reachable. If you don’t have a burner phone, I strongly advise against locking your phone somewhere to avoid distraction. First, it’s not effective. Second, you always want to be reachable in case of family emergencies.
Use a workspace - No matter how zen you are, sometimes, you want to switch things up and feel the need to explore new spaces. Also, it’s good to have a routine. If you feel too comfortable in your home, using a workspace can help you be more productive.
Summary - The genius is in the boring stuff