Quotes About Productivity

There's no magic formula—not for ourselves, and not for the people around us. We won't make ourselves more creative and productive by copying other people's habits, even the habits of geniuses; we must know our own nature, and what habits serve us best.

Instead of always worrying about being efficient, I wanted to spend time on exploration, experimentation, digression, and failed attempts that didn't always look productive.

In the Strategy of Pairing, I couple two activities, one that I need or want to do, and one that I don't particularly want to do, to get myself to accomplish them both. It's not a reward, it's not a treat, it's just a pairing.

Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.

I started to apply the "one-minute rule"; I didn't postpone any task that could be done in less than one minute.

One study estimated that for every hour of interrupted sleep during the previous night, people wasted 8.4 minutes in online puttering

Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.

By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished. We tend to overestimate how much we can accomplish in an hour or a week and underestimate how much we can accomplish in a month or a year, by doing just a little bit each day.

Use counters for activities, not for storage.

Remind the Obliger that saying no allows him or her to say yes to work that's more important

A University of Exeter study showed that people who have control over their workspace design are happier at work, more motivated, healthier, and up to 32 percent more productive.

the habit of bed making is correlated with a sense of greater well-being and higher productivity. Other common broken windows include having a messy car; accumulating piles of laundry or trash; not being able to find important items, like a passport or a phone charger; hanging on to stacks of newspapers, magazines, and catalogs; wearing pajamas or sweats all day; or not shaving or showering

One of the biggest wastes of time is doing something well that didn't need to be done at all.

Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time. Do it now, or decide when you'll do it.

When I clean up that mess, I'm always surprised by the disproportionate energy and cheer I gain, plus I'm able to find my keys.

I didn't want to be like the novelist who spent so much time rewriting his first sentence that he never wrote his second.

By doing a little bit each day you can get a lot accomplished

For most people, whenever possible, important habits should be scheduled for the morning. Mornings tend to unfold in a predictable way, and as the day goes on, more complications arise—

Of course, it's also true that some people thrive in an atmosphere of disarray. For them, an uncluttered environment doesn't help—or may even stifle—their productivity, their creativity, and their peace of mind.

Secret of Adulthood: Keeping up is easier than catching up.

It didn't take me long to see that I did better when I had less time. Not several hours but ninety minutes turned out to be the optimally efficient length of time—long enough for me to get some real work done but not so long that I started to goof off or lose concentration. As a consequence, I began to organize my day into ninety-minute writing blocks

People are more likely to make progress on goals that are broken into concrete, measurable actions, with some kind of structured accountability and positive reinforcement.

These tasks weren't urgent (which was the reason they didn't get done), but because they weighed on my mind, they sapped my energy.

I suggested that he write from 11:00 to 1:00 every weekday. During that time, he was to write or do nothing. No email; no calls; no research; no clearing off a desk; no hanging out with Jack, my adorable, three-year-old, train-obsessed nephew. Write, or stare out the window. "Remember," I added, "working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. You want to use your writing time for writing only. Nothing else, including no other kinds of work.