How Productive Can One Get?

[Kvath]

Hey all,

I wanted to ask this because i've been "rearranging" my life and i'm getting tons more productive with my projects and study, for that i'm very happy and grateful for all this journey. Nevertheless i feel that i still can do more, i still have time on my day for doing some other things. Mainly I'd like more writing and hitting my guitar skills as well as reading and some online courses that interest me. Thing is i've been finishing my days pretty tired, some days even had light headaches.

I can say i'm not working that much, something between 6-8 productive hours top. I don't know if it's healthy to be working 24/7 but i'd just like getting the most of my day. 10 productive hours is a good goal. I've been using my spare time watching series, playing some video games and reading blogs about things i'm interested about.

What do you think about it? Is it possible getting more productive by sheer willpower (currently independent worker and finishing my studies-thesis writing only)? Is it healthy to work that much? How productive can one get?

Finally i want to say that i've come a far way since i started here on actualized with the aim to change my life. Today i can say i feel healthier, more active, productive and somewhat happier (leaving a life behind is not that easy) and i'm really grateful with Leo and everyone here on actualized that has helped in this journey

 

[Kvath]

Bump! I really want to know

[Saarah]

@Kvath I think priority and focus are better than trying to do everything all at once and to spread yourself too thin

you can be productive, but for the wrong reasons and going in the wrong direction, try not to pile your plate too high, be selective and go at those few things that will yield the best results for your life

Extra time is not there to be filled to the brim, it's an important part of the scaffolding that is your schedule 

If you really really have more time and can find something really important to implement then go for it, one habit at a time! 

[Leo Gura]

I'd focus more on working more strategically vs working harder.

If you really get clear about your priorities, you can work half as much with twice the satisfaction and twice the long-term results.

I find that people who are gung-ho on productivity are usually frying very small fish in life, which ironically makes them ineffective and neurotic.

[aurum]

It all depends on your goals. Are you trying to transition into being a financially independent entrepreneur? You'd better be hustling way more than 6-8 hours a day. Why worry about productivity when you're throwing huge chucks of your day away?

But if you're not looking to do something  that extreme, then I'd say just work smarter. I've never worried about productivity, only how can I play a better chess game.

 

[strwbrycough]

I would say prioritize what you want to do because to get things that pay off in the end for your time and energy you can only master a select few things in life even though we wanna do all the things we like, somethings need to be just let go of. however you would be suprised on what the human body is capable of i was running combat mission 19-21 hours a days getting shitty 3-4  hours of sleep a night for 9 months straight and the body attunes to the load you put on it and after the initial shock it starts to adapt you are a mechanism for survival the only thing holding you back is your mind because it wants to continue doing what is comfortable and what has kept you alive up to this point.

[TeenVisionary98]

I agree with what's been said here, especially with what Leo has to say about being strategic. From his "How to be a Strategic MotherFucker" video, what we do today should be informed by where we want to be in x amount of years, months, and weeks. This boils down your question to "what can I do today to get me where I want to be in the future?" There's really no point in allocating your energy and resources on activities you don't plan to master.

With that being said, trying to accomplish too much may possibly cause you to burnout. In my experience, after going through a stage of serious work output, I fatigue and lose motivation in accomplishing my goals. This can lead me to stagnate for a certain amount of time which could have been avoided by being more conscious of how much I'm working. 

[Kvath]

Thanks a lot to everyone who replied, it has been some crazy weeks with much work to do. I've reflected and acted upon what you have told me here but i must say that i still can't get the grasp of it.

I definitely take this advice by @Saarah and @TeenVisionary98: "(...) be selective and go at those few things that will yield the best results for your life" & "There's really no point in allocating your energy and resources on activities you don't plan to master."

Although my schedule has been filling with commitments lately i've managed to remove some non essentials successfully recovering time, nevertheless i still feel that i'm doing a lot.

According to @Leo Gura: "If you really get clear about your priorities, you can work half as much with twice the satisfaction and twice the long-term results." I think i've reflected a lot about this topic most of this year and although i have somewhat defined priorities i think i could get a better job on them.

I really want to dive into this topic since it's of the utmost relevance to me at this point of my life. Could members here (the ones i quoted or anyoone who reads this) recommend some resource on this topic? Books, seminars, authors..? I'd be very grateful

Update 12 hours later: So i just found this video of Leo "Work less to accomplis more" and it's really helping out but i'd really like some more resources about it

Edited November 7, 2016 by Kvath
Update

[Kvath]

Hey people,

I would like that anyone who has read this post please check this one here which i think its result from the reflecting made on this topic and i'd really like some thoughts on this situation, here's the link:

 

@Saarah @Leo Gura @aurum @strwbrycough @TeenVisionary98