Pointers for a productive life

Pointers for a productive life

Ocrober 2023

Dr Bijal Maroo shares some  hacks that can be used every  day to ease stress and get the  most out of life 

What is your productivity quotient?  

Does time slip through your day as  easily as sand slips through your  hands? Does each day feel like being stuck in  a maze, and does reaching the goal seem an  uphill task?  

Trying to make sense of this problem, I studied  the high productivity phases in my life. These  were phases when I clearly enunciated my goals  with their deadlines on paper. Funnily, I seem  to perform better when I have a hectic schedule  ahead and perform dismally when I have the  luxury of a relaxed pace.  

If I go a step further and make it a do-or-die goal,  then I have no option but to achieve it. There  were two times in my life when I operated at the  pinnacle of my productivity spectrum: the first  time was when I did a course in Counselling  Psychology, and the second was when I pursued  a course in Arts Based Therapy while handling  a full-time homeopathic practice. In both  situations, the timetable for assignments made  me set my own deadlines. I factored in a margin  of a few days in case unforeseen delays hijacked  my submissions. This held me in good stead,  and I performed so well that I finished at the  top of the heap in both courses. I planned my  days such that I used my travel time to read  all course material. This helped me make the  best use of my time and my busy schedules did  not hinder the quality or the punctuality of my  assignments.  

Let’s deep-dive into this and come up with  some gems to build our productivity quotient. 

1. Plan Well 

a. Prioritise your goals 

Invest your time in what you care about.  Knowing the destination makes the actionable  steps very clear. It is important that you shift  your goals from the abstract to the concrete.  This will help you make your to-do list by  eliminating the inessential while retaining  the non-negotiable. As Laura Stack, an award 

winning keynote speaker and best-selling  author, says, “Spend as much time planning  your time as you plan your money.”  

Dwight D Eisenhower, the 34th president of  the United States, had to make tough decisions  continuously about which of the many tasks  he should focus on each day. This led him to  invent the world-famous Eisenhower Matrix,  which helps us prioritise our goals based on  urgency and importance. These can be divided  into four quadrants: 

Quadrant I: Urgent and Important — These  are the activities which you need to ‘Do First.’  Quadrant II: Important but not Urgent —  These activities need to find a place on your  ‘Schedule.’  

Quadrant III: Urgent but Unimportant —  These constitute jobs that you can ‘Delegate.’  Quadrant IV: Not Urgent and Unimportant —  These make up the ‘Don’t do at all’ list. 

Most of us spend time in Quadrant III and  IV and hence end up with an overpopulated  Quadrant I. Thus, we are either fire-fighting  or wasting our time. However, to climb the  ladder of success, we need to focus on Quadrant  II activities most of the time. As author and  motivational speaker Tony Gaskins says, “If  you don’t build your dream, someone will hire  you to help build theirs.” Hence, prioritise your  goals. 

b. Bite only as much as you can chew Below are the workshop details and interviews  My to-do lists used to be very ambitious earlier  with no consideration as to how long each task was going to take. This left me riddled with  guilt at the end of each day. So, though I have  an exhaustive to-do list now, I pick up only  three items from this main list for my daily to do. Striking them off my list after completion  truly gives me a sense of achievement and  satisfaction.  

c. Bring in the momentum  

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it  first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job  to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one  first.” Productivity consultant Brian Tracy  devised the ‘Eat That Frog!’ method after this  vivid piece of advice from Mark Twain. What  he means by this is that we need to tackle the  most important item first thing every morning.  This is important to meet procrastination head on. The resultant high propels us further to  complete all tasks on our daily to-do.’ 

2. Deal with the Mundane 

a. Plan ahead 

Timothy Ferriss, the American entrepreneur,  author, and lifestyle guru has listed an amazing  productivity hack in his book The 4-Hour  Workweek. He suggests bunching things up. I  use this trick for grocery shopping. I plan my  meals for a week and prepare my shopping list  based on this plan. I also add items to this list  based on how other supplies run out and need  re-stocking. Stuck under the fridge magnet, the  list is readily accessible. This helps me to shop  just once every week, saving time and effort.  I also have an area-wise list so that I get all  errands of a particular location done in one go.  Ordering medicines, packaged groceries, and  toiletries online not only saves time but also  yields some pretty decent discounts. 

b. Club things together 

I club listening to audiobooks with some  

gain knowledge or have fun while getting a  much-needed workout. Use your travel time  and technology to catch up on emails and  professional reading or to prepare presentations. 

3. Avoid the Online Rabbit Hole a. Focus 

At work, consider being offline till you achieve  your non-negotiable for the day. This gives you  precious focus for high-quality output. 

b. Outsource 

We inadvertently plummet down a rabbit hole,  every time we access social media. If being on  social media is mandatory for your business,  then outsource this job to professionals.  Another solution would be to use a timer to exit  the rollercoaster.  

c. Don’t waste time 

Avoid mindless unwinding. Abstaining from  television or OTT content saves me one to  mundane tasks or with the exercise hour. I A workbook for greater efficiency 48 LifePositive | OCTOBER 2023

We inadvertently plummet down a rabbit hole, every  time we access social media. If being on social media is  mandatory for your business, then outsource this job  to professionals. Another solution would be to use a  timer to exit the rollercoaster.  

three hours daily. “Try reading a good book  or organising one or two drawers, or spend  time talking to family,” says Laura Stack. This  makes us feel good as we use the fag end of our  day optimally despite having no bandwidth to  take up any high-intensity work. 

d. Switch off 

I make it a point to switch off all devices at least  an hour before I retire. This ensures good sleep  and a head start to the next day.  

4. Make Lifestyle Choices 

a. Go minimalistic 

Cleaning up my photo albums made me give  up my DSLR. We need to overcome FOMO and  trust the brain to store worthwhile memories.  Now, I try to limit photography and just savour  the moment. Extending this logic, I have  ruthlessly cut down on my possessions. This  saves time cleaning the house and clears mind  space as well. 

b. Keep it basic 

Decide your clothes and shoes for the week and  repeat them week after week so that you can  spare the time and decision-making capacity  for more important things. British podcaster  and author, Jay Shetty shares this tip in his  book Think Like a Monk. He says that many  bigwigs like Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, and  Arianna Huffington (co-founder of the famed  Huffington Post) are known to have their own  basic uniform. Keeping hair short or adopting  a low-maintenance hairdo can be a huge time saving hack. Women athletes often adopt this  approach to focus more on their game. 

c. Do your own thing 

We end up investing a lot of time pursuing  hobbies just to tag along with others. Indulge  only in those pastimes that bring joy to you. 

d. Sleep well 

Peter Mulraney, an Australian creative writer  and thinker throws light on the adverse effects  of Sleep Deprivation in his book Everyday  Productivity. Poor sleep results in reduced  alertness and concentration, short attention  span, slow reaction time, poor judgement,  reduced efficiency, crankiness, bad temper, and  loss of motivation. Hence, it mars productivity.

e. Balance your life 

Mulraney also highlights how you cannot  keep home life and work life segregated in two  separate boxes. A great family life keeps you  happy and peaceful, and improves performance  at work. Cultivating a work-life balance helps  curb resentment at home that workaholics rake  up. 

f. Reduce monetary worries  

Reducing the use of credit cards curtails you  from inadvertently spending more than you can  afford. It will provide you with enough money  in hand for your non-negotiable expenses such  as house rent or loan EMIs and paying bills.  Eliminating monetary worries frees up mind  space for work. 

g. Be healthy  

A feeling of well-being boosts performance.  Too many late nights and indulging in drugs  

or drinks mess with your brain chemistry. The  feel-good endorphins released during exercise  pump up performance. 

h. Schedule downtime 

Family time, meditation, reading, music,  spending time in nature, and creative pursuits  help us rejuvenate, and we go back to work,  raring to go. 

5. Self-Awareness 

a. Do things within your circle of influence Stephen Covey of The 7 Habits of Highly  Effective People fame, talks about the ‘Circle  of Concern’ which includes all the things that  are a cause for concern in our life, right from  the state of the economy, the weather, the  political scenario, our health, our target goals,  and our relationship with our family. On close  examination, this list reveals many things that  do not fall within our purview of control, e.g.,  

Plan your week in advance for a more productive and stress free life 

the state of the economy. Now, most of us waste  a lot of time feeling upset and complaining  about these things. This leaves no time to focus  on the things we can really exercise control  over, e.g., our goals. He calls this the ‘Circle of  Influence.’ The real deal is that achievements  happen when we complete tasks that fall within  this ambit.  

b. Develop the right attitude 

To quote Peter Mulraney, “It’s a lot easier for  most of us to change our minds than it is to  change our jobs.” Identify aspects of work  that you appreciate and focus on that. We  can work to contribute, to get things done, to  help, to take up responsibility and to make a  difference. Employ a can-do attitude as this  opens your mind to new ways of doing things.  If there is nothing good about your job, start  looking for another one. American author and  motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says it best,  “It’s your attitude, not your aptitude that will  determine your altitude.”  

c. Do things in your unique style 

Laura Stack advises, “Figure out what time of  the day you work the best. Schedule critical  tasks for that period.” It’s important not to give  yourself grief about these choices as long as the  job gets done. I prefer to write using the age old technique of putting pen to paper. I realised  that I think better while holding my pen in  my hand. Ruskin Bond being a tech dinosaur  swears by his faithful pen and paper to dish out  

his entertaining stories. Others may be better  off using apps on their phone or making notes  on their laptop. 

d. Be a quick decision-maker  

List the pros and cons on a sheet of paper.  Thoughts seem clearer when written on paper  instead of being deciphered while still in your  mind. This exercise frees up mind space for  decisions to be made very swiftly. Once they are  made, stick with them and do not revisit them  unless doing so is life-altering. 

e. Sharpen the axe 

This is Habit number 7 in best-selling author  Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective  People. He talks about how successful people  take time to sharpen the saw. 

This involves renewing oneself on the physical,  mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions  to enhance who we are as a person. The most  powerful investment is investment in the  self, and the most ignored area happens to be  spiritual rejuvenation. It is important to take  on something like a daily meditation, prayer,  chanting, or gratitude practice. An abundance  mindset that focusses on a win-win for all leads  to astronomical success in our life.  

The quote by famous German philosopher,  Arthur Schopenhauer, “Ordinary people think  merely of spending time, great people think of  using it,” hits the nail on the head. 

Dr Bijal Maroo is an art based therapy practitioner, homeopathic consultant, counselling and health psychologist since 20 years. She reflect on life through her gifts  as a writer, poet and singer.  

Contact- drbijjalmaru@rediffmail.com or visit www.drbijalmaroo.com