1. Work in a field you love.
“Do what you love” is perhaps the most basic productivtiy tip of all. You’ll be much more productive when you do work you enjoy. Unfortunately, this tip is as obvoius as it is ignored.
Doing work you love is not remotely the same thing as doing work you find moderately pleasant either. When you’re working in a field you love, your motivaiton is usually high because you feel passionate about what you’re doing. You don’t have to push yourslef just to get going each day.
When you enjoy your work, you’ll tend to enjoy a fast tempo. You’ll also do better quality work, and high-quality work is more efficient than low-quality work. Low-quality work generates inferior results and often has to be redone.
Don’t waste your time trying to become more productive in a filed you don’t enjoy. Such a struggle is a complete wsate of your life. You deserve better than to subject yourself to such punishment.
I’ve heard hundreds of different excuses for why people claim they can’t do what they love — not enough money, no time, not good enough, wife won’t let me, etc. They can all be condensed down to two words: “I’m scared.”
The people who are doing what they love were also scared. They could all come up with the same excuses. But at some point they decided it was unacceptable to have their lives dictated by fear, so they opted to face their fear and push through it. They decided to overcome their problems instead of turning them into excuses. Those who remain stuck sitll allow their fear to rule them.
Ultimately it’s a choice. Either you commit to doing what you love, or you don’t. Which side do you think involves the most suffering?