Takeaways from Two Awesome Hours by Josh Davis
Two Awesome Hours by Josh Davis is all about how to get the most out of the time you have during your work day to be as productive as possible. I've probably read hundreds of productivity and time management books and while everything in the book wasn't new to me, I still managed to pick up a few new things:
Practice strategic incompetence
There are probably lots of things you can do with your time, but what a lot of us don't do is look at what things only you can do with your time and focus on those tasks. Sure I can take notes during a meeting, but my time is better spent facilitating the conversation, asking questions, and making sure we're getting the most out of the meeting. I can also create deliverables from scratch, but my time is better spent crafting the content, creating the narrative, and thinking about how to present the work in the best light than to format the deliverable, write the headlines or create the table of content.
Find places where you can act on strengths like a spear rather than a hammer.
Do the hard work first before your energy is sapped by busy work
In other words, eat that frog (a concept made popular by Brian Tracy). Find when your energy is highest and focus on your most important work during that time.
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Don't trick yourself into thinking you can avoid or ignore distractions
I used to think that having my phone on silent or flipped upside down next to my laptop would be fine. "I can resist notifications", I would tell myself. Except having the phone so close by meant I automatically reached for it every time there was a short break or as a reward for finishing a difficult email or report.
The trick to avoiding junk food is the same trick (and also the best way) to avoid distractions: remove them from your workspace completely. If it's visible, it's sapping mental energy.
Bluish-white light helps with mood and productivity. Dim light helps creativity.
If you feel your energy is low, get outside. Get some sun on your face. Go for a walk. The killer combination of fresh air, bright sun, and movement will do wonders for your mood and energy.
If you're looking to be more creative, dim the lights. Maybe you have found that working late at night is the best time for artistic endeavours - one of the reasons is dimmed lighting.