If you’re “working” and “seeing no results,” you must see this. No, it’s not that you’re working “hard” instead of “smart.” You’ve just been moving wrong: Opening 30+ Chrome Tabs doesn’t mean you’re being productive. Working for seven hours doesn’t mean you’re being productive. Having a table filled with books doesn’t make you productive. Juggling several tasks at the same time doesn’t mean you’re productive. Striving for Inbox zero may mean that you’re responsive but definitely not productive. The above just means you’re busy, not productive.
Busy does not equal productivity. What is the product of your work? What is the purpose of your work if you have no output? Alex Hormozi’s Definition of Work: Work = Outputs; Outputs = Volume x Leverage: Number of times you perform a task times how much you get out of the work.
I was just as intrigued as you when I learned the game is rigged. We’ve been playing by rules that don’t exist.
You go to the gym, output? You burn calories and get a step closer to your dream body. You have a meeting, output? You elucidate the current state of your organization in collaboration with your team, scrutinize and derive insights from the organization’s historical transactions, and strategically forecast and plan for the intelligent forthcoming steps as your organization steadily advances toward its envisioned future. You spent four years in college, output? You graduate with a degree that can either make or mar your future. Again, Work = Outputs and Work ≠ Input. Ever since I changed my mindset from the latter to the former, I’ve been truly productive and not busy. Sadly, the average daily student in America blames procrastination for their lack of productivity. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 80-95% of college students procrastinate especially when it comes to coursework. Of course, I’m included.
Procrastination is the thief of time. “Work expands to fill the time allotted to it” – Parkinson’s Law. With this in mind, the only loser in procrastination is us. However, with the above mindset shift, productivity can become fun and constant in your life. The biggest mistake most people make is thinking you have to do so much more or spend so much time on a task to realize the benefits. The real ingredient is not “TIME;” the real deal is “FOCUS.” Maximization of focus leads to the creation of more time. Two hours of Focused productive work can get you more output than eight hours of busy work. In the former, productivity is high because each rep is counted due to High Focus. However, in the latter, productivity is low because 8 hours of “busy” work is not eight hours of real work – no focus = very little done. With the aid of Deep FOCUS, 2 hours work = 8 hours of output. That is the beauty of FOCUS.
Productivity doesn’t have to be sophisticated. Start small but start with focus. Focus is the real ingredient to high productivity. A big precursor to productivity is the environment. “The behavior of a person is the function of the person in their environment – Atomic Habits. Your environment is a huge determinant of procrastination or productivity. If your work environment is surrounded by soft comfy beds, then you will never be productive. If your environment is filled with unserious friends, you will never be productive. Of course, they would be great for playtime and not work time. If your environment is not yielding high productivity, then switch it up. A great suggestion is the library – about one mile from every dorm. If you are in a high-productivity environment, then you are the problem. Take accountability and start with FOCUS.
With more focus comes more time. Such a paradigm shift will cause you to see work in better ways than your old procrastination days. The beauty of the brain is its Neuroplasticity – its ability to rewire based on new habits and thoughts. When great focus in a small amount of time can yield the product of 8 hours of work, the brain rewires and releases dopamine. In no time, we are more than eager to do work. With such a mindset shift in mind, the cycle goes on: productivity becomes normal for you and procrastination becomes a thing of the past. The Beauty of FOCUS. Focus helps you do more work with less time. That’s true productivity. Great focus has a ripple effect on all spheres of life– better grades and an even happier life.
Want to kill procrastination? Start with you. Start small. Start with focus. Start today. We rise by lifting others.
