You Can Usually Tell Someone Is Extremely Productive By How They Prioritize These 6 Things
Lais Schulz | Canva Sick of the same old productivity advice? Let’s try something different, shall we? Being productive in an increasingly distracted world is a prized asset. I’ve analyzed the habits of productive people for many years: Some are surprising, others less so.
What I've learned is that the people who get the most done and waste the least amount of time (hello, TikTok reels!) don't always look like the self-professed 'productivity gurus' that you might see on social media, touting whatever time-saving trick or tip. Yawn. The habits of these incredibly productive folks often come down to what they prioritize and what they don't.
You can usually tell someone is extremely productive by how they prioritize these 6 things:
1. The pressure they put on themselves
We can often berate ourselves for being lazy. We’re frustrated when we continually procrastinate. But it’s not that we lack discipline. We apply so much pressure to perform that we overwhelm ourselves. Instead of trying to improve, just focus on the next step. That’s all you need to do. Make it super-easy on yourself:
- Write one paragraph.
- Put on your running shoes.
- Write one email to a potential client.
Do what you need to do, but take a tiny action, one small step to get to where you need to go. This will give you momentum, and people will wonder how you’ve suddenly become so strangely productive all of a sudden.
2. Their natural rhythm
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Forget the productivity gurus, and listen to what works for your body. This becomes clearer to you when you live healthier, though, so don’t come to rely too heavily on your overly stimulated body as an indicator of what’s best. But if you tend to work better in the evenings, forget Nathan the life coach this time and do what comes more naturally to you. Don't force yourself to get on the horse at 6 am if you do your best work in the evenings.
3. The system they follow
Writing out my goals is an invigorating process. More than anything, it keeps my attention on the exciting things that are possible in my life. If I want a goal to become a reality, I always assign a system to it. If your goal doesn’t have a system, you're far less likely to achieve it.
If I want to write and complete a book, I design a system for its creation. This would look like writing 2,000 words daily from 10 am to 12 pm without distraction, using the Pomodoro technique (genius if you haven't heard of it!) with an accountability partner. Anything is possible with the correct system attached.
According to research by Georgetown University, people can only focus on one screen for 47 seconds on average (!!!), and the brain takes 25 minutes to refocus on a task after a distraction. In constantly diverting our attention to email or newsfeeds while working on something important, we exist in a “neurological liminal state of conflicted attention targets.” In other words, we can’t focus.
Where (and how) you work matters, too. If we keep changing our environment, we diminish our attention toward any one thing. When I write, and especially if I’m in a good, productive flow, I keep going if I can; I don’t leave the scene. I stay there with my tush firmly planted on the seat. I take some breaks to stretch, but if I stay in the same place, I’m more likely to produce more.
4. The stress they carry
Much of our accumulated stress and concerns are just floating around in our heads, and thinking about them can make us a little nutso. Truly productive people have a dirty little secret: Instead of complaining, they throw on some dubstep and gyrate like a crazed ape.
Hear me out: Release your stress. Unlock your hips, shake your booty, and let yourself break into a massive grin at the sense of relief and boundless creativity that will come with shaking out all that nervous energy — the reason dancing your nerves out feels so good is that it works.
5. Their ability to delegate
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Most people will never subcontract jobs because they are too precious about how they want the work done, or they can’t understand valuing their time as money spent. If you’re spending time on tedious tasks, what else could you do that is higher leverage, given your talents?
Use Upwork or Fiverr and pay others to create more time. Productivity isn’t about how busy you are; it’s about the results you produce under your management.
6. The discomfort they're willing to tolerate
Many of us are overly obsessed with feelings. We need to be in the ideal mood to do things. ‘It’s important for our creativity,’ we say. But this mindset is blocking your productivity potential.
How come? Because on the other side of discomfort and even pain is opportunity in the form of insane physical reserves and outer-worldly creative potential. If you can find a strange love for pain and discomfort, you will do more. You will become a maniac that others can only watch in awe.
People who lean into the discomfort refuse to let the feeling drive their next actions. "The way you think about your emotions, your distress, and yourself can have a major impact on your ability to get things done," clinical psychologist Dr. Liza Chervonsky explained, elaborating that embracing discomfort can actually improve your creativity and critical thinking skills, because the uncomfortable feeling is channeled productively.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.
