As a dude who’s worked for himself for over seventeen years, I had to learn how to be productive without the compelling drive of a boss.
I soon realised that the more productive I was with my writing and content, the more successful I became.
Even if I’m not always perfect, here are some things I learned to avoid that led to significantly increased productivity in my work:
Think about things other than the task at hand.
It seems obvious, but I’ve lost days out of months ruminating on stuff I can’t control. Productivity is closely tied to where we place our attention.
Let go of controlling your reality through worry. Create with presence.
Eat grains and other blood-sugar-spiking items before work.
The crashes that follow stuffing high-carb foods will ensure you’d rather take a nap than dig teeth into your most pressing project.
See movement as separate from creative input.
Creativity and getting outside to move and walk are inseparable.
The less I move, and the less in touch with nature I get, the more my creative flow is stunted.
Take stuff seriously.
It might seem ‘professional’ to furrow your brow and go the serious route.
But seriousness is akin to taking a 50-pound dumbbell with you on a longboarding holiday.
Drop the weight. Go light. Find a way to have fun.
You can’t outwork the guy who’s enjoying himself.
Compete with average people.
Stop aiming for things that everyone else wants.
Be different.
Go bigger.
Aim for remarkable.
Now you’re not only focused on something that stretches and excites you, but you’re operating in a space with minimal competition, which, in a funny way, makes it easier.
Try to be productive when your energy is low.
Fighting your natural rhythms is like swimming upstream.
Learn when your brain is sharpest and protect those hours fiercely. Use low-energy times for admin, not creation.
Work with your biology, not against it.
Flood the senses with too much artificial stimulation.
Our dopamine receptors are too often abused in the modern age.
Porn, videos, games, and even refined sugar all have the effect of numbing our pleasure dopamine response. When our senses are numbed like this, we find it far harder to find joy in ‘lower-level’ stimuli such as reading or creating. Create space.
Reducing screen time and increasing time outdoors can give you an edge that many people have lost.
Try to do more than one thing at a time.
You’re not an octopus. Multi-tasking is just a fancy word for diminishing your focus. One thing at a time with full enjoyment.
Watch your life transform.
Work without accountability to anyone.
Even as a solo creator, having someone who expects results from you changes everything.
Whether it’s a coach, mastermind group, your expectant newsletter subscribers, or just a friend who checks in weekly, external accountability creates internal urgency that willpower alone can’t match.
Try not to make mistakes.
None of us loves the idea of making mistakes.
But if you’re holding this in your mind, you pollute the process. Life showed me that my performance improves when I’m open to a mistake appearing. I don’t resist this.
I view this as part of the dance. I loosen up, and my output improves.
What’s working for you? Do share below.
Alex
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Alex
I'm curious. If you write this EXACT article, but flip the script on the 10 things. This is highlighting the negative. Not really motivational.