DYFConf Notes: Ed Gandia – Effortless Productivity

It’s not about time management. It’s about managing yourself.

It’s all about improving your Focus!

It’s not a productivity problem, it’s a focus problem

How many people check their emails at a traffic light?

Develop more periods of FLOW in your day. <- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (research on FLOW)

How do you get into the FLOW state on demand?

Hacking your way to periods of flow

1. Practice your true genius
2. Stop multitasking
3. Use 50/20/50
4. Flush the system
5. Take Fridays off

Practice your true genius

There are at least one or two things that you do better than most people. These things are your gifts

Why would you want to spend more time on energy draining activities?

1. Find your gifts

• Strength Finder
• StandOut
• Kolbe A Index. $50 but is really worth it
• Ask people who know you. Email template is on the slides. Email 5-7 people to get to know your capabilities.

Hi Jack, I just went through a workshop on productivity, and one of my assignments is to get feedback on the following question from a handful of people who know me well: What do you see as my unique capability? In other words, what do I naturally do better than most other people you know? Not looking for a ton of detail here. Just a few sentences. I need it by next ________, if possible. give them 3 – 5 days Thanks in advance! Jill
2. Stop Multitasking

The avg desk-bound professional gets interrupted every 10.5 minutes…

But it takes an avg of 23 minutes to get back into a flow state

Be your own boss! From to I’m going to work on X.

Consider scheduling your day hour by hour.

This is what I need to do today to be happy at the end of the day.

3. Practice 50/20/50

2 hr block. Longer version of the Pomodoro technique

• 50 min focused work
• 20 min break
• 50 min focused work

Make sure those breaks are away from work.

• Limit of two 50/20/50 blocks per day
• Save it for project work
• Do blocks back to back
• It’s OK to go over if you’re on a roll or in the FLOW. But wrap it up.
• Take a 30 minute break after the two hour block.
• Listen to focus@will music and timing of the blocks

4. Flush the system

The negative talk in my head is always there. Mental trash.

Morning routine (max 15 min)

• Gratitude list
  • I’m thankful for…
  • fill up the whole page
  • it’s OK to repeat the same thin
  • Can be grateful for things that haven’t happened yet
• journal with the morning pages
  • 3 pages
  • freeflowing
  • OK to write I can’t think of what to write
• read. Force reading
• meditate.

Also add comedy to the day. Can be thrown into the breaks. Just laughing.

Take a daily walk.

5. Take Fridays Off

Weekend was family time. Rest of the week was for work. Noticed a resentful feeling towards family time.

Needed to find time for me

Started with a couple hours and eventually went to a full day of just “me” time.

Creates a constraint that FORCES you to become more productive

• Doesn’t have to be Fridays
• Doesn’t have to be all day
• doesn’t have to be done all in one day
• notice your fears don’t materialize
• extend that time “off” time gradually
• pay attention to how it makes you feel

Further Reading/Watching:

• Ed’s Slides and Notes
• Flow, the secret to happiness
• How to Stay Productive (and Sane!) When You Work in a Deadline-Driven Business
• Kai Davis‘s notes on Ed’s talk

Site: http://internationalfreelancersacademy.com/training/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdGandia