Life Hacks about productivity

What skills allow us to be super productive?

We tend to think time management is the perfect skill: setting goals, getting organized, or establishing priorities. While these can all matter, productivity is about getting things done efficiently.

Because we all have days with different workloads, moods, and energy levels, being super productive is not so much about the tools or strategies we use.

Being super productive is about self-knowledge, energy management, and decision-making.

What have you been feeding your mind?

Just like the food you eat can determine your health and energy levels, what you focus on will feed the mind and determine your mental health, mood, and energy.

So, what have you been feeding your mind?

Starting your day by reading a few pages of a book may nudge you into deep work, but diving straight into social media may work on you like sugar: highly stimulating at first, but not necessarily priming you to get productive.??

Your focus is limited, and so is time. You can spend money and get it back, but you can’t do that with time. This makes productivity invaluable.

Our mind tends to work like the domino effect: each behavior impacts the following. So, how you start your day, what you focus on, and for how long will make or break a productive day.?Make sure you feed your mind with the right ingredients!

Key insights 1

? Analyze the impact of each daily task on your mood and mind: emails, calls, meetings, exercising, meditating, reading a book, ... .

? Make sure you plan the order, timing, and duration of your tasks strategically and intentionally; you'll see the most benefits on your productivity and well-being.

What ROI (return on investment) do you get from your tasks?

Some tasks drain us from energy. There is no return whatsoever. Other tasks require energy but give us a great return on our investment.

Let’s create a new score system: your EEU (energy expenditure units) and ERU (energy return units).

The more energy-demanding a task is, the higher your EEU’s will be. But its impact on your mood, mind, and energy will depend on the ERU’s produced.

Take a decisive meeting with an important client or investor: it may be a highly demanding EEU situation, but if it enables you to accomplish a significant milestone, you get a high ROI (aka high ERU’s). If you decide to go for a run, this too, may be a highly demanding EEU situation, but if it makes you feel in a high state of vitality, making you feel good, then again, you have a high ROI.

Key insights 2

? Give a score to your typical daily tasks and activities in terms of their EEU (energy expenditure units). In other words, how much energy do they require out of you?

? Then, give those same activities a score regarding their ERU’s (energy return units). In other words, how much do they give you back regarding energy, vitality, mood, and well-being?

? There’s a difference between wasting, spending, or investing your energy! As you plan your day, make sure you make those high-ERU situations or tasks a priority. You will feel more accomplished, productive, and happier.

Do you know when to hit the gas pedal and when to hit the brakes?

A game-changing concept in productivity is understanding and maximizing your energy in prime times.

When do you have your peak moments of the day?

It’s very early in the morning for lark types, while for owl types, it's late in the evening. Some of us, by default or by design, become kind of a hybrid version of it.

If you set to tackle your most demanding, complex, creative, essential tasks during your energy prime times, you will find higher motivation and mental resources for it. The result? Significant improvements in speed and quality of execution. Here is where you press the gas pedal.

Knowing when to hit the brake pedal is essential for a smooth ride. Remember to take breaks frequently, even before you get tired. There’s a difference between stopping, resting, or recharging energy.

If your break consists of shifting to another activity, you’re not taking a break; you are just stopping activity 1 and initiating activity 2.?If you pause, you are resting, and resting is essential.

However, your productivity spikes if your break allows you to recharge your energy levels. Here, it’s all about experimenting with what suits you best: power naps, going for a walk, talking to a friend, meditating, cooking or enjoying a meal, and doing exercise.

Key insights 3

? Identify your peak energy moments in the day and use those to tackle your most relevant or demanding tasks.

? Take breaks frequently before getting tired, engaging in activities that allow you to recharge your energy levels.

Connecting the dots ??

So much of life is a result of where we direct our focus. How you manage your energy levels will influence, to a great extent, your life at many levels, or dare I say, at all levels. Your energy must be well nurtured, stimulated, and recharged.

This Life Hacks edition is all about thinking of productivity as decision-making.

By making intelligent decisions, you can take ownership of your time and, more importantly, your energy and well-being.

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Hi, I’m Celso, founder and CEO of Next Level Hub.

At Next Level Hub, we believe mental health & well-being and personal & professional development are core areas in anyone’s life and great boosters of career growth and advancement.?

We are on a mission to take you, your team, and your organization to the next level of your development, objectives, and metrics!

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With a behavioral sciences and innovation background, I deeply believe in the untapped potential of combining the know-how from Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Economics to develop impactful and evidence-based solutions for teams and companies.

With over a decade of experience as a psychologist, I've held, from 2017 to 2021, the position of Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. My soft skills training programs earned a spot among the top 10 most innovative initiatives in Education in Portugal.

My work extends across various industries, including tech, cybersecurity, aviation, banking, healthcare, non-governmental, and construction, delivering consultancy and crafting tailor-made training programs.

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