5 Productivity Secrets Successful People Use To Stop Wasting Time On Things That Don't Matter
A career coach shares her science-based techniques for being more productive.
Petar Chernaev, Daniel Tadevosyan | Canva Are you tired of feeling like you're running on a hamster wheel, struggling to keep up with your never-ending to-do list? The secret to unlocking your true potential may lie in a tiny, often overlooked productivity hack that has transformed the lives of the world's most accomplished individuals.
In this article, we'll dive deep into the science behind productivity, explore the foundational principles that have guided the success of titans like Napoleon Hill, and uncover the tiny productivity secrets that can help you maximize your time, boost your focus, and propel you towards your dreams.
Five productivity secrets that can help you stop wasting time
1. They are realistic about what's possible
Productivity is often misunderstood as simply the ability to get more done in a shorter amount of time. However, true productivity goes far beyond mere output. It's about working smarter, not just harder, and cultivating the mindset and habits that allow you to achieve your goals with greater efficiency and fulfillment.
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At its core, productivity is about leveraging your time, energy, and resources in a way that aligns with your values to propel you toward your desired outcomes. It's about finding the right balance between focused work and intentional rest and developing the self-awareness to recognize and eliminate the time-wasting activities that can hold you back.
2. They know how the brain works
To unlock your true potential, it's essential to understand the science behind how the human brain operates. Groundbreaking neuroscience research has revealed fascinating insights into the cognitive processes that underpin productivity and high performance.
It’s helpful to always remember your brain craves dopamine. When you meet a goal no matter how small, dopamine flows into your system as a reward. Controlling your dopamine flow is critical to ongoing motivation because those rewards make you feel good and want to continue with whatever habit or activity you are trying to accomplish.
Research shows people tend to try harder when they have more challenging goals because by trying harder they can reach their goals faster. The downside is you are more likely to fail them, and you are more likely to give up completely if you think you’ve messed up.
Think about a time you set an audacious goal, like running a 5K or home-cooking every meal for a month. You may have started strong but if something got in the way, it was easier to give up. If you are tired or don’t get to the store, your motivation can easily wane. Small failures not only make you feel negative about yourself, but they also cause a dopamine deficit.
When you are in a deficit state, your brain seeks relief. Sometimes, that relief can come in the form of avoiding something that you fear or gives you anxiety in the first place. The relief of dopamine makes it easy to procrastinate and not start something you feel is overwhelming.
When we procrastinate, it’s always a short-term mood solution. Dr. Timothy Pychyl, a psychology professor at Carleton University, has been studying procrastination for almost 20 years. He has found the main thing driving procrastination is not avoiding work. It’s avoiding the stress associated with the outcomes. Procrastination is “a subconscious desire to feel good right now” so you can feel a little stress relief dopamine. That sense of relief is a reward. Over time, you are more likely to because your brain sees the reward of procrastination as dopamine.
3. They use the Napoleon Hill approach
The principles of productivity and success have been explored and documented by countless thinkers and philosophers throughout history. One of the most influential and enduring figures in this realm is Napoleon Hill, the author of the classic self-help book Think and Grow Rich.
Hill's approach to success was built upon a deep understanding of human psychology and the power of the mind. He believed that the key to unlocking one's full potential lay in the cultivation of specific mindsets, habits, and behaviors. From the importance of goal setting and visualization to the transformative power of persistence and self-belief, Hill's teachings have inspired and empowered generations of individuals to achieve remarkable success.
4. They are willing to unleash their potential
Now, let's unveil the tiny productivity secret that has the power to transform your life. It's a simple, yet profoundly effective technique that has been embraced by some of the world's most successful people, from entrepreneurs and CEOs to artists and innovators.
The secret lies in a simple concept: Start where you stand. Waiting for a perfect time to start something, or the perfect number of resources, can keep you stuck in analysis paralysis. Therefore—you just need to start, right now, with what you have.
Sounds like a recipe for failure, doesn’t it? We’ve been taught all our lives that preparation is the key to success, and this seems like the anti-success motto. But it works, because it taps into a powerful part of our brain and our psychology.
5. They get their brain on board
According to neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, our feelings determine our decisions 95% of the time. We feel before we think and act. Damasio states that humans are feeling machines that think, not thinking machines that feel. This emotional basis drives our decision-making.
When Damasio studied individuals with brain damage who couldn't feel emotions, he found they struggled to make any decisions at all. They could logically outline their options and the pros and cons, but they couldn't make a choice. Even simple decisions, like what to eat, were paralyzing for them.
So, what does that mean about starting where you stand? As discussed earlier, whenever you face a decision, you subconsciously weigh the pros and cons before you decide to act. This process happens in a split second, so you don’t even know it’s happening.
If you wait to act until you “feel like it,” you will never achieve your desires because you will tally up subconscious reasons why it isn’t a perfect plan or why you might fail. The longer you think about it, the less likely you are to do anything at all. Therefore, you must separate your feelings from your actions. Start where you stand!
Another popular way to implement this concept is the 5-second rule, a concept popularized by Mel Robbins in her book The 5 Second Rule. The idea is simple: when you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds, or your brain will kill the idea.
The rule is designed to help people overcome hesitation and procrastination by counting down from five to one and then acting immediately. This technique leverages the concept of "activation energy," to help you bypass your brain's natural inclination to avoid effort and discomfort, thus fostering positive habits and actions.
Every time you get a small win or accomplishment, dopamine will flood your brain, giving you a boost of energy and mood. That makes you more likely to keep going because your brain seeks dopamine all the time.
You will never be able to think your way to action. You must start where you stand. When you do that, your brain will actively look for ways to help you achieve your goal, and you’ll start to notice resources and people around who can help.
You can embrace productivity for personal and professional growth
In today's fast-paced, ever-changing world, the ability to harness the power of productivity can be a transformative force in both your personal and professional life. By unlocking these productivity skills that set apart the most successful minds, you can cultivate the mindsets, habits, and strategies needed to achieve your goals, fulfill your potential, and create a life of purpose and fulfillment.
Remember, productivity is not just about "getting more done"; it's about working smarter, not harder, and aligning your time and energy with your deepest values and aspirations. By embracing the principle of starting where you stand, you can get on your way to goal achievement simply by putting one foot in front of the other and acting. Try it to
Amy Bracht is a coach and consultant with a knack for transforming high-level concepts into practical solutions. She crafts innovative strategies designed to guide individuals toward their full potential.