How to become more productive with the help of daily routine and daily rituals
Productivity / / December 23, 2019
Few things affect the productivity, career development and general well-being as much as the daily routine. "We - what we do constantly," - writes Will Durant in the "History of Philosophy" (this quote is often erroneously attributed to Aristotle).
But to achieve a balance in the life of a little routine - we also need rituals. Blog founder of Brain Pickings Maria Popova said that although rituals and schedule of the day - it is absolutely different things, in fact, two sides of the same coin:
The daily routine helps to keep the chaos of daily life, rituals also need to fill life with something magical. Structurally schedule calms us, and inspiring feature of the rituals.
Therefore, our task - to properly fit rituals and daily in the modern day and continually improve them.
Make a daily schedule that is suitable for you personally
Surely you have your morning routine. That's what you do right after waking up: go to the shower, prepare breakfast, plan the day, drive to work. Can be and evening equivalents - are actions that help to relax and disconnect from the bustle of everyday work.
In fact, each of us has already formed its own daily routine. according to researchHabits - A Repeat PerformanceAbout 40% of our regular activities are based on habits. However, not all plant them yourself consciously, based on your personal goals and opportunities.
That's why so many people are interested schedule successful entrepreneurs and artists. It seems like we Make a plan for the day - and it will lead us to the same money and fame.
But blind imitation of someone else's way does not make you the same productive. In addition, we often see a causal link where it can not be. After all, what Apple CEO wakes up every day at 3:45 in the morning, it does not mean that this is what led him to success. And certainly does not guarantee you the same.
On the contrary, the most effective daily routine - one that works for you personally. You must take into account the natural ebb and decline of energy. And schedule important tasks at a time when they will be able to accurately perform. Fight for your personal time and attention to give up distractions, forced interruptions and unnecessary meetings.
It does not matter what kind of schedule you have, but what it really suits you and you stick to it faithfully.
Monitor your account with the help of rituals
The daily routine is coordinating your work. But he is not responsible for the comfort. Here every day you are given an hour to calm filling of the "morning pages": write down your thoughts, plans, desires. And then immediately dive into a furious stream of meetings. Your brain can be simply not ready for such a sharp change in activity.
And blame is so-called remnant attention. About him writes Cal Newport in the book "The work with the head":
When a person moves from a certain task A to the next task B, his attention is not diverted immediately - some remnant focus remains busy with a previous task.
And to fool the residue must somehow convey to him: "I've finished work on this problem, it is time to move to the next."
That's what rituals - repeated actions to which you are accustomed. This may be a regular sleep after dinner or a small warm-up before an important meeting, for example.
Rituals are like a daily routine and can even be a part of it. However, they concluded a deeper meaning: they help calm down, Relax or prepare for new activities.
Make special rituals
At work, there are such moments when rituals can help deal with the situation and get his attention under control. For example, the time for you to switch from writing the document to a personal meeting. The mental effort required for these two actions are completely different. And we have to somehow coordinate their mind: to break away from the written word and to communicate with the person in front of you.
It is important not the action itself, and what it means - you have finished with one part of the day and are ready to move on to the next.
Rituals - a very personal lesson. You can do anything you want to switch to: get out for a short walk, to escape for a cup of coffee or simply postpone the laptop.
In contrast to the schedule of the day, which is always subject to the logic, rituals may even seem strange.
Remember how athletes are superstitious: some of them are really thinks that victory can bring refusal to shave during the playoffs or a change of socks for the duration of the tournament. Hard to believe that it works. But they still do it.
Therefore, it is not necessary to restrain yourself in this matter. Here are some interesting and strange rituals, including famous people:
- French writer Simone de Beauvoir always corrected the work of the previous day, before starting something new. "If the work is going well, I spend a quarter or half an hour, reading what I wrote yesterday, and make a few corrections. Then I continue. I do this so as not to lose the thread. "
- Winston Churchill at 17:00 every day drink a glass of whiskey and soda and went to bed. Half an hour later he got up, took a bath and had dinner. This helped him to distinguish between the work of the morning and evening, and split one working day by two.
- Stephen King proceed to creativity in the interval from 8 am to half of the ninth. Before you start writing, he usually drinks a glass of water or a cup of tea. He sits in the same chair, as always, the paper lays out in its place. The purpose of these same daily activities - give a signal to your brain that it's time to dive into the fantasy.
- Picasso refused to throw trim their nails because of the "fear of squandering its essence."
- Charles Dickens always slept facing north, thinking that this would grow its creative potential.
Some are skeptical about the rituals. But studies have shown that these actions help to maintain self-control and copingWhy Rituals Work with adversity. And they reduceDo not stop believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety anxiety in stressful situations and in general a positive impact on workflow.
This is partly due to the fact that we draw conclusions about themselves by analyzing their behavior. When we repeat the same ritual, which means that we are disciplined, motivated and focused.
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