In this post, I’m going to be sharing three things that the most productive people know and that help them to be productive.
I once heard somebody say that if you want something done, give it to a busy person. And initially I thought, well, that doesn’t make any sense. Surely, they’re just busy. And they’ve got so much to do that they’re not going to get to the thing that you want done. But the more I thought about it, I understood what the saying meant – it’s that busy people get things done. And if you want something done, give it to them, because they’re busy getting things done.
And the reason why I mention this is because it made me think about productive people, and what makes them so productive, or how they think differently from people who aren’t as productive. There are three things that they know that other people who aren’t as productive, maybe haven’t gotten their head around or haven’t gotten built into their environment or their working life.
1. Productive people view time as finite
So the first one is that productive people have an idea of time, as being finite and non-renewable. Productive people are super aware of how time is a resource that we cannot get back. So it needs to be utilized. They are super aware of the time that’s going through the hourglass, as it were, a lot more than somebody who isn’t as productive. Somebody who isn’t as productive probably isn’t as aware that they are allowing time to go wasted throughout their day.
2. They know that what you don’t do is important
Productive people know that what you don’t do is just as important as what you do do. And this all comes down to the idea that productive people are able to say no to things. They’re able to say no to the things that don’t help them in any way. That don’t move the needle forward in their goals. Or they’re able to say no to things that will take them away from other things, which are really important to them.
And this can be very difficult. This is a difficult thing for me to put into my life just because as somebody who’s typically a people pleaser, or somebody who likes to help, serve and give, I find it hard to say no. Especially when someone’s asking me for help. Or when they’re asking me to give up a day or to do something, I always find it hard to say no.
When you say ‘yes’, you’re saying ‘no’
But I’ve learned that if I’m actually saying yes to somebody to help them with something, or if I’m saying yes to give up my day here. I’m actually saying no in another area. I’m saying no to something else that was already planned for that day. So whether you are a yes person or not, you’re saying no somewhere. The question is, where are you saying no? What are you saying no to?
And that’s why tip number two is that productive people know that what you don’t do is just as important as what you do. Sometimes it can be just as beneficial to have a day where you have not got that day stacked to the max because you just need a day to rest, recover, and rejuvenate yourself. And that’s really great for your productivity. Having downtime is so important. So what you don’t do is just as important as what you do.
3. They take frequent breaks
And number three, is that productive people take frequent rests and breaks. This is kind of going back on to the point I just touched on in point number two, that rest and breaks are super important to your productivity. I mentioned in a previous episode that studies have been done that showed that the most productive people take a break every 52 minutes in their working day.
And there’s a reason why taking breaks frequently helps you to be more productive. It’s because your brain can only take so much of intense focus. Your brain needs to have some periods where it can come off the intense focus so that it can relax. So that when you go back into work mode or you go back into your work zone again, you’ll have more clarity. You’ll have more creativity, you’ll be able to think better, and have more clarity with regards to your actions.
So taking breaks and taking frequent rests is super important to actually boost your productivity. These are three things the most productive people know. Let me know what your biggest takeaway was. And if there are any of these three that you’re going to start putting into action in your life. Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear about it.
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