the secret to incredible productivity

The natural and most organic way to increase your productivity is to do work that you enjoy. 

A majority of us have day jobs that we dread, and even if you’re self-employed, you definitely have tasks in your to-do list that you’re unenthusiastic about. And so, in order to improve your time management, you have to cultivate self-awareness and see which tasks bring energy and joy to you, and simply focus on them.

Ultimately, all time-management is actually about self-management. Do less, and do tasks that are essential and add joy to your life, and you’ll naturally be productive. As Darren Hardy instructs, “Your self-management task is to spend more time on what gives you energy and to guard against, eliminate, delegate, or mitigate your time on those things that take energy away from you.”

When we think of success, we all think of it as accomplishing something. But the truth is that success is all about enjoying the process. If you’re enjoying the job in your hand, you’re already successful. The outcomes may or may not be in your favor, but if you’re enthusiastic about what you do and giving your best efforts to your work, that’s success. 

As Mehmet Oz (or commonly known as Dr. Oz) says, “It is not about time management. It is about energy management. The things you do in your life should give you that zest for life.” He further explains, “If you are doing a good job at efficiently and effectively using your time, but you’re doing things that drain your life force and zap your joy, what good is really being done? You will immediately know if you should be spending your time on something by whether it gives you energy or takes it away.”

Marcus Aurelius too contemplated on this truth in one of his reflections: “Enjoyment means doing as much of what your nature requires as you can. And you can do that anywhere. Keep in mind the ease with which logos is carried through all things. That’s all you need.”

Start orienting your day and your life around work that gives you energy and brings joy. That’s the secret to incredible superhuman productivity.