But when I read a book in a few days time, I just absorbed an entire life, curated, of someone I admire or respect.u00a0Itu2019s like every book I read is a mentor. How many mentors do I have? 1000s.”
Then, I do a trick. Many days (when I can) Iu2019ll take a 1-2 hour nap around 1 or 2 in the afternoon.u00a0Then I know that two hours later my brain againu00a0will be peaking. Maybe not as much as before. But enough. So Iu2019ll write again. This is why I do my Twitter Q&As at 3:30u00a0every Thursday because I know my brain is supercharged then.”
So weu00a0make simple meals and we are done in about 10 minutes, two meals a day.u00a0I probably save an hour or two by not eating out or not eating junk that will bloat me and make me less productive.”
Einstein says (as an insult), u201cif a cluttered desk means a cluttered mind, then what does an empty desk mean?u201d Iu2019m okay with that, Albert! I donu2019t mind having an empty mind.
It makes room for new things, new connections between my memories, new things for me to enjoy. Feweru00a0things to obsess over.u00a0Cleaning the outside and cleaning the inside reduce stress. Every day I try to throw things out. It makes me feel good.
It also makesu00a0me feel like I need less. Throwing things out tells my brain, u201cyou donu2019t need this anymore,u201d so my brain stops wanting things.”
Iu2019ll go to a meeting if itu2019s with my friends. Thatu2019s fun and improves my relationships. But I never go to any other meetings.
What if you are an employee and you have to go to a meeting? Try to get out of it. Or go for part of it. Or insist you only go if there are no chairs at the meeting (meetings will be faster then). Or find a job where there are fewer meetings. Or show your boss thereu2019s evidence that companyu2019s with fewer meetings make more money.”
I donu2019t email for an hour. My emails are mostly to readers with quick questions or to people I am inviting onto my podcast. I donu2019t email anyone else.u00a0I dou00a0use texts, though, because theyu2019re faster. And I can text answers to peopleu2019s questions in my spare time while riding a cab or waiting for my kids or whatever. My phone number is 203-512-2161.
Again, if youu2019re an employee somewhere you might be in the habit of responding quickly to email from, say, a boss. But try to cut it down to end-of-day when your brain is moving a bit slower and you donu2019t need it as much.u00a0Onlyu00a0do the thing you love most during your peak productive hours.”
A good experience for me is: where I meet friends, where I learn something new, where I learn something new that can increase my freedom.
When I do something I know will be unproductive my gut reaction is saying u201cUgh, I canu2019t believe I have tou2026u201d.
Hereu2019s my trick: if I always change u201cI have tou2026u201d to the words u201cI get to..u201d then I can usually turn the experience into something productive.
Today I have to take my kids to dance recital rehearsals.u00a0But then I get to see them dance.”Image Credits:Peshkova (opens in a new window) / Shutterstock (opens in a new window)
