https://near.blog/productivity-tips/
A collection of personal tips and strategies for optimizing productivity. A lot of people have productivity pages on their personal websites, my favorite of these is that of Sam Altman.
See also: supplements post
Stop reading news. Especially politics. Almost none of it is important. If something important politically were to happen, you are almost guaranteed to hear about it from someone regardless. A lot of very large actors and systems want you to be addicted to feeling constantly outraged and/or ‘informed’ about the details of what drama is currently happening, especially in the US. Obviously not all sources of news are equal, and I’m mainly just referencing some of the most popular websites people waste their time on and get upset at things from today; there are plenty of wonderful niche websites and communities that are good uses of your time instead.
Learn to say no to more things. Think as carefully as you can about what things in your routine you actually derive enjoyment from, and which you just do because someone was able to instill the habit in you, and you have never analyzed it in-depth enough to realize it’s not worth continuing.
A lot of activities feature diminishing returns that scale with how often you perform them. Checking Twitter or Reddit for the first time in days might provide a lot of value to you, but once you start meticulously checking them over and over, the value decrease until it is near-zero. Consciously analyze when you’re stuck in a loop of something that you are getting less and less value out of, and replace that activity with a fresh one.
It’s useful to have some prepared activities that you can spend small arbitrary amounts of time doing, often to fill in gaps between different parts of your day. Social media and other communication like email or instant messengers are commonly used during these periods. One good alternative I like is to use is to review cards in my anki deck, as it’s an activity that I can start and stop instantly, and still provides value even if I only do it for a few minutes.
All time is not created equally for most people. Sometimes you are tired, or stressed, or energetic. Analyze the patterns in your mood to best curate your activities to your moods.
There’s usually a period halfway through my day when I’m low on energy, so that is my preferred time to relax and consume low-effort content like watching videos. Similarly, I usually have a lot of energy in the first few hours of the day, so that’s the best time for me to perform tasks that take a lot of discipline, like exercising, meditation, making phonecalls, sending emails, and so on.
Time off is valuable. Try going for a walk without your phone or setting a thirty minute period every day where you don’t use any electronics. These periods are some of the best times to think and learn about yourself, helping you set your future direction with clarity. It’s interesting how challenging spending 30 minutes alone with no electronics is when you first try it, despite it taking up only 3% of your waking hours that day.
Optimizing your sleep can be tricky, but luckily we have a lot of knowledge and tools that can help you if you’re having trouble. You should generally prioritize sleep over additional work in the long-term, as its benefits will outweigh the extra time that it consumes.
If you use technology that exposes you to bright lights within hours of sleeping, which you likely do, look for a solution to reduce your blue light exposure. This includes software like f.lux and redshift, as well as solutions like Night Shift that now come with iOS by default. You can also purchase glasses that filter blue light for between $30 and $100. Decreasing screen brightness is good regardless of its ability to aid your sleep.
Although difficult, it’s worth taking the time, energy, and money that it may take you to optimize your sleep. Anything I can do to make my sleeping environment quieter, darker, and often slightly cooler, has generally been an absurdly high ROI. Consider ear plugs, noise-canceling earphones such as iPods Pro, a sleeping mask, various mats that you sleep on that will decrease the temperature of your bed and/or setting the thermostat lower, and devices like a Whoop if you think you may benefit from tracking your sleep in detail. I put a lot of effort into blacking out my bedroom and it’s always worth the time and money. Also worth noting that having more than 1-2 drinks shortly before bed, and eating shortly before bed, are usually not very good for your sleep. Melatonin is worth looking into for many, as well as sometimes some other options.