Hacking Productivity, some tips and references
This post is about maximising your efforts using a few tips and tricks from some thought leaders on the topic. The first reference I'm gonna steer you towards is James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits he goes into details about creating systems that integrate your goals into your already established routines. It's the small behaviours that compound, solidifying neural pathways to require less conscious effort. Habit stacking is one way he advises to gain traction with little of the discomfort of deliberate change. Adding micro adjustments to already established routines can build on already existing pathways. Here's a little extract from his book summary:
'Habit stacking: identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.
The habit stacking formula is: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”
Creating a habit list for creating new habits
Make a list with two columns. In the first column, write down the habits you do each day without fail.
In the second column, write down all of the things that happen to you each day without fail.
Armed with these two lists, you can begin searching for the best place to layer your new habit into your lifestyle.
Habits like “read more” or “eat better” are worthy causes, but these goals do not provide instruction on how and when to act. Be specific and clear: After I close the door. After I brush my teeth. After I sit down at the table. The specificity is important. The more tightly bound your new habit is to a specific cue, the better the odds are that you will notice when the time comes to act.
habits can be easier to change in a new environment. It helps to escape the subtle triggers and cues that nudge you toward your current habits. Go to a new place—a different coffee shop, a bench in the park, a corner of your room you seldom use—and create a new routine there.'
You can follow James and his high level advice in his newsletter here:
https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1
My second legendary reference in advancing yourself by making it easier to build systems for your success is the super brilliant Tom Bilyeu and his inspirational platform Impact Theory. This guy will take away any doubts about your capabilities and help you build clarity of your vision without any of the 'woo woo' that tends to come with personal growth. Follow his channel on you tube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnYMOamNKLGVlJgRUbamveA
He brings on the best guests so you'll learn something new every time you tune in. There's so much brilliant content it's tricky to summarise, one thing that I can refer to you is to have your goals extremely clear, with specific deadlines and outcomes. Learn Spanish by May is too vague for example, be able to hold a three minute conversation on the topic of wildlife before your trip in xxxx date will give you more clarity to create the exact systems needed to achieve this goal.
And one last reference for you, the multi award winning neuroscientist who shows the physiology behind your performance so you can bio-hack your personal growth, Andrew Huberman, creator of Huberman labs. His goal is to bring this premium content to the general public so we can all benefit from his research, a very generous use of his time considering the benefits of his research.
https://hubermanlab.com/about/
As an example, in one of his podcasts he goes into details of the chemical process linked to growth in the pursuit of your goals. The dopamine fixes aren't released in the outcome of achieving your goal but in the effort process of doing it, which is why we might procrastinate or delay completion of a project. If you'd like to rewire your chemical signals for your greatest results then he easily breaks down the formula.You can just hit this link and watch the content right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwQhKFMxmDY&t=6655s
The dopamine system extract begins at 42.28, enjoy!
Building our mindset is the foundation of the belief system necessary to reach for big goals, and creating systems and following proven formulas will simplify the process. There are lots more brilliant minds who have helped me on my journey so far offering free content that I can't wait to share with you, but there's nothing like information overload for loosing interest, so keep an eye out for the newsletter to let you know when the next post is live. Thanks for reading, I hope you find the information extremely beneficial.
