Am reading the book "Stick With It" by Sean Young with my wife, and tonight we read the chapter about using Communities to help make lasting behavior change. The homework is to find a relevant community. Then join it. Then make some sort of contribution. (Stepladders was the previous chapter; and the steps are teeny, tiny, steps.)
I was at my company for about 2 years as a W-2 employee, but under-producing very high quality work in a very pleasant manner, way too late and way over the client's project limits. Now I'm 2 years as a 1099 contractor and squeaking by because I find it impossible to break the professional downward spiral driven by the twin engines of perfectionism and escapism. Fear of exposure on one hand and wikipedia on the other.
On top of that, my work is solitary, substantially open-ended, and I work from home. Very flexible, but that flexibility is double-edged as least. Maybe triple- or quadruple-edged.
Anybody find success in driving productivity in the workplace? What worked? What didn't work?
Thanks in advance,
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ProkopenIP
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What works for me is using a calendar and writing lists. I make sure I know exactly what I have to do by each time each day or I will fall spend time doing everything except what I am supposed to be doing! Checklists are great and rewarding.
I read a book that may help you its calked faster than normal by peter shankman. It had lots of great tips on business productivity. If reading is difficult you try audib lk e books. I listen in my car.Also useful are the podcasts by Ned Hallowell author of driven to distraction . The podcast is called distraction
I'm in a somewhat similar position. Working from home, open ended stuff. Had a back problem recently that meant I didn't work for a while and now I'm trying to get myself back to it.
Things that are working:
-***separate goals from actions***
So less focus on where I want to end up and more focus on what is the actual very next thing I can do. It doesn't mean never thinking about where I want to end up, but thinking about it *a lot less*
-***taking tiny steps***
The goals often overwhelm me. I want to meet my commitments. I want to experience some success. It's not going to happen today, even if I do what I need to do, and so I am de-motivated.
So, instead of trying to do something with the idea of finishing some large piece of it, I think of the literal tiniest step. Ex: "open my computer." Next: "open my project file". If I give up at that point so be it. If not, I read my project. Usually the tiny steps take me through the resistance and get me to the point where I'm actually working.
***multiple systems***
Calendars are working for me for appointments and deadline notices. Alarms are working for meds, paying bills, stopping work to get ready for appointments. The whiteboard is working (sort of) for tracking physio exercises and meal planning. And so on. I've been growing these slowly, and realizing that a top down approach has never worked for me, and so I've thrown out a lot of these things in the past because alarms don't work for scheduling or the white board doesn't help me plan my day etc. Now I'm growing a bottom-up system by using different things for what they seem most suited to and not trying to make one thing do it all.
I still don't have any sort of work schedule set up, but I'm working more often.
***mobile office***
This isn't all that technical actually. I have a desk-top file box with some files, and it fits my note book and some pens and I have a laptop and so I can scoop up everything I'm working on in two hands and move anywhere in the house. I don't like working outside all that much, but I do tend to roam around inside and I like working in different physical positions and being able to move.
***standing desk***
I can't say enough about how awesome it is to have a standing desk. I'm totally lazy and thought I would hate it, but the ability to pace and return without the getting up/getting down distraction of sitting in a chair actually keeps my pacing from turning into an hour long thing and lets me get the benefit of expelling some of my hyperactivity as my mind gets engaged without loosing the momentum of what I'm actually working on. I pace often now, but for very short periods and then go back to writing/reading/whatever
Top-down has often been my approach, but my many attempts have been too perfect and not sustainable. I like the pragmatism of multiple, adapted bottom-up systems; seems like some work to imagine them and adjust, but way better than an integrated whole that stands or falls together.
I've done a standing desk too, and it's helpful when I do it. I'm considering a walking treadmill, but not yet ready to spring for it.
Any advice on digital distractions in an open-ended context? My work requires a component of self-educating on technical details (so, wikipedia, journal articles, patent literature) which often leads down rabbit trails.
One help a friend recommended to me: a pomodoro-style interval timer to structure the work-rest cycle. The timer linked below is adjustable for intervals, repetitions, beep volume, and vibration. I like that I can clip it and feel the vibration when I have earmuffs on, but can switch to beeps when it's sitting on the table (to avoid the terrible vibration startle). I do 4 cycles of 25min/5min before a longer rest.
I've used some pomodoro type stuff and it can help for sure. I like to go full screen with anything that isn't online, so that I'm focused on that activity alone. Or I minimize my internet windows and turn off notifications when I try to work.
Truthfully, though, this is where I'm least effective. The online distractions are huge, and there's a complexity added because much of what I do for work requires me to be online in a variety of distracting ways.
These days, and totally by chance, I have this link open in a tab. The tab displays two glaring faces which I also find cute and funny, so I've left it open and everytime I glance at them I laugh and then remind myself to check on whether I'm on task. It's working for now
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