Various Productivity Tips

Over the years, I’ve learned a couple of tricks that help keep me productive. Here’s a running list:

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Intentionally keep a clear mind

I’m good at thinking at just one thing at a time. If there’s something I need to remember or take care of (e.g. “send a calendar invite to someone”), my thinking power drops considerably. It’s takes a lot of mental energy to multitask.

To solve this, I intentionally prune secondary thoughts from my mind. 

I essentially use lists, documents, and calendar invites to store my thoughts. Whenever a thought comes up, I either take action on the thought right away or write it in a list to archive it for later.

Use task queues wherever possible

One of the ideas behind the Toyota Production System is “visual management.” The idea is pretty self explanatory — you should have a sense of how your factory is performing just by looking around.

When you walk into a factory that does this well, everything has a designated area and is spatially organized, and the size of any backlog is apparent just by looking at the amount of stuff sitting there.

This same concept can be applied to your personal tasks. By treating your workflow as a “production system,” then everything in your workspace is “work in progress” and your directive is to keep your backlog as low as possible at all times. 

• Every browser tab is “work in progress.” When you’re done with any browser tab, close it. 

• Every chat thread is “work in progress.” When you’re done with any chat thread, close it. 

• Every unread email is “work in progress.” When you’re done with any email, mark it as read.

• Everything on your desk is “work in progress.” When you’re done with something, put it away. 

Use the calendar aggressively

An obvious one: the idea behind the calendar is to “set and forget” things because you know that you’ll be reminded later. In addition to setting up meetings, I also use the calendar to work on or think about important things or to create future one-time or recurring reminders for myself.

Think Big hour

When you have a lot going on, it gets harder to see the big picture. If you find yourself too deep in the weeds, I’d recommend setting a recurring calendar event like a “Think Big” hour.

The purpose of the Think Big hour is to set aside time to step back, introspect, and think about how things could be better. If you’re in a high-growth environment, it’s also time for you think about what the next 10x jump looks like.

Respect the shower

What do you think about in the shower?

Some say the most important thing that you have is time. I have a working theory that something that’s just as important as time is attention.

In a world where everyone is competing for and trying to monetize your attention, the shower is one of the few places that’s free of distractions. It’s a place where your mind can wander wherever it chooses. There are only a few places like this, so use this time wisely.

Sleep

I’m personally most productive when sleeping at least 7.5 hours every night. When sleeping less, I don’t feel as sharp. 

• Use a blue light filter on all of your screens. Blue light simulates sunlight and keeps you awake

  • Use software to turn your screens orange/red at night. Enable “Night Shift” on iOS, “Blue Light Filter” on Android, and “Flux” for your computer. I recommend using a more aggressive setting than the default.

• Make your bedroom as dark as possible by using good blackout curtains and applying blackout tape on all sources of light. Too much light in your bedroom can reduce sleep quality.

• Use a wakeup light. In the morning, wakeup lights can make it more comfortable to wake up. At night, wakeup lights can be set on dim mode to make it easier to fall asleep.

• Eliminate caffeine before bed. The biological halflife of caffeine is roughly 5 hours. That means that if you drink 2 cups of coffee at 5 PM, it’s (very roughly) similar to 1 cup of coffee at 10 PM. 

  • Controversial: if possible, eliminate caffeine in its entirety.

• Other

  • Sleep in 90 minute increments

  • If possible, reduce your room temperature to between 68 and 70 degrees

  • If your pillow is not perfectly comfortable, keep looking until you find one that is