HABITS OF A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE PERSON! PART 2

What do you define as a "productive" person? Is it the ability to robotically churn out work, hour after hour? Is it the amount of discipline one has? Is it the speed at which one works? Before we can discuss what makes a productive person, we should first define what productivity is. The common notion of productivity is the ability to churn out a lot of work in a short span of time. True, but not complete. READ PART 1 HERE

Habit 2: Allocate breaks strategically

The second habit of productive people is to allocate breaks strategically.

I don't think being productive requires you to work non-stop like a robot. On the contrary, it's by doing that that you become less productive. While the number of hours spent on work increases and the amount of work accomplished seems marginally higher, the work done per unit time is lower than your average. Not only that, your work done per extra unit time actually decreases.

If you think the above sounds confusing, not to worry! Here's a simple example to illustrate my point. Say you want to write a book. You can usually type 1,000 words in an hour working on your book. This goes well for the first 2 hours, and you clock 1,000 words per hour. However, at the third hour, you feel tired, and you type 500 words in the third hour instead. That's -500 words less than your usual output! In Economics, this is known as the Law of Diminishing Returns.

Rest is important. No matter how much you want to work, there are areas of your life that work can't fulfill, such as love, family, health. That's why our life wheel is made up of different segments, vs. just 1 big segment. Each segment is distinct and unreplaceable by others. By "rest", I'm referring to any segment of your life that's outside of Business/Career/Studies. Taking time off charges your batteries so you can sprint forward when you return to work.

Earlier this year, I did an experiment. I went for a period where I continuously worked without stopping (save for necessary breaks like sleeping, eating, etc). I also went for a separate period where I would work, then space in break times in between work, such as catching up on emails, exercising, walking around the house, reading books, going for a walk, catching up with friends, a short nap, and so on. What I found was this:

Output decreases over time when there are no breaks (despite reaching the point of diminishing returns)

With breaks, the output can be maintained at a consistent high

*Drawings are very empirical, but you get the idea!

What this means is when I work non-stop without any breaks, my productivity keeps slipping until it's near 0. However, when I take breaks, they help me start on a high note when I get back. Even though there are "down-times" away during the breaks, the high output more than makes up for that. Hence, by strategically placing my break times, I'm able to maximize my output. Rest, hence, does not prevent me from getting more done - it enables me to get more done. More time spent on work does not necessarily lead to more work done, but applying the above strategy AND combining it with increased time spent on workwill maximize your output.

If you're self-employed or on a flexible work schedule, you can put this into practice easily. Even if you're in a 9-5 job, you can still do it all the time. Whenever you feel unproductive, throw in a quick break. Walk away from the desk, get a drink from the pantry, go for a toilet break, talk to a colleague about work. You'll be more perked up when you return.

Continue Part 3

By Celestine Chua