Every day in multiple ways we are bombarded with information. Whether it is auditory, visual or both, information is all around us even if we don’t want it to be. According to an article in the NY Times, in 2009, as quoted in Building a Second Brain, by Tiago Forte, “the average person’s daily consumption of information now adds up to…34 gigabytes” or about 174 newspapers worth per day. A quick Google search shows it is now up to 74 gigabytes or 16 movies worth a day! Who could sit for that long?
There’s a problem with too much information whether we are consuming it ourselves or are just being exposed to it. We can’t hold onto the information long enough to use it or remember why we read it in the first place. Even if you could remember it, could you find it? What is the point of this new knowledge we’re learning if we can’t use it to improve our lives in some way? Students must wonder about that all the time.
What is Productivity?
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or like your brain was about to explode, then you know it is a stressful feeling and it interferes with your ability to get things done.
We all want to be more productive; it is one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions. Well, chatgpt defines productivity as, “how efficiently and effectively you use your time, energy, and resources to accomplish tasks, achieve goals, and improve your overall quality of life.”
To improve your overall quality of life is the key point, because what is the point of doing more if you just feel unhappy, stressed, overwhelmed, or brain dead?
How to Start
In order to make good decisions about the tasks and projects that are important to you, you need to know what they are. When was the last time you wrote down EVERYTHING that was on your mind? (I call it a brain dump but some prefer the term a cranial cleanse.)
Remember a project is anything that has two or more tasks/steps before it is complete. Maybe just think about the projects you would like to complete in January. No, you can’t do all 100 of them, but you might be able to finish 2 or 3 of them and remain sane at the same time. How would that feel?
Steps to Slow Down and Do More
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- Work on fewer projects. Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity, suggests not taking on a new project until one of your initial projects is completed. We often try to cram more work into an already overloaded schedule, without thinking where that time will come from. So, making space first makes sense. (Hide the rest of the list until you are ready.)
- Before you decide on which projects you will take on, think about what would make you feel fulfilled and pleased to have accomplished by the end of this month?
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- Is there something you have been meaning to do concerning your health?
- How about a Home project that is haunting you
- But most importantly, is there something you want or need to do that would make you feel productive and possibly even recharge you?
- Make some time daily or at least weekly that you can do whatever it is that recharges your batteries. Even just a trickle charge can keep those batteries running during the coldest (bleakest) of times.
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- Now based on the projects or areas of your life that you have listed to work on, set up a digital folder or notebook page to collect incoming information that will be helpful for it. Keep track of the info you consume in a way that allows you to use it later. This comes from Building a Second Brain. The concept is simple, take notes and keep them in a digital app that you can search and use easily.
Is being more productive about managing your time better? What is time management really? We can’t manage it or slow it down or save it to use later. It is really about energy management. Your energy is what determines how well you get things done. By collecting the information that is important to your tasks and projects, and putting it all in one place, you are saving yourself time, effort and brain bandwidth. Cut down on the information you really don’t need as it just takes up space in your memory and often isn’t a priority of yours anyways.
Do remember to take good care of yourself including; sleep, nutrition, movement, and screen free down time so, you can feel your best. Everything is more difficult if we aren’t feeling our best, don’t you think?
Seek out the resources and the tools to help you manage your tasks and limit what you are focusing on so it is more manageable. That should help you save time and mental energy. Good luck.