Crushing the Clock

I grew up in the era when the original NES came out. I could often be found spending my free time playing video games.

As a family, we would often have competitions on games like Tetris or Klax, but I also spent a good deal of time playing role playing games like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. These games required a lot of solving puzzles, planning, and strategizing. 

We would have some family collaboration with these games, too - mostly with my mom and grandma. We would often pause the game to make notes on clues from talking with different characters, draw rudimentary maps, list where certain items could be found or bought, and so on. I often found myself looking over this array of information before and after playing so I could strategize my next course of action.

Similarly, we sometimes need to hit the pause button in life to figure things out.

• Don’t just rush in to do a task - take a little time to step back and evaluate
• Getting the 30,000 foot view
• Gives time to:
• Assess the situation
• Evaluate the data
• Create a plan
• Decide the first best step
• “Slow is smooth; smooth is fast”
• Sometimes you just need to take a break
• Helps to clear your head
• 
  
• Gives you a fresh perspective

People often find information about productivity helpful but fail to put it into practice. It is why we hope to filter through mere information processing and help you dive into the actual process!

Jim Woods comes on the podcast to talk about productivity and what comes with it. Specifically, we’ll look at why rest is a big part of productivity. One of the things that people need to address when it comes to productivity is not about time or task management but about their energy and how energy plays a big part of rest!

Rest is important to keep you going, but it is not often discussed since people focus more on the hustle, grind, and being more productive. But obviously, rest is important since it keeps people going and keeps things sustainable, but it's completely different for the young ones. It is why context also matters when we talk about rest. On the other hand, sleep becomes the first thing that comes to mind when people talk about rest, but other people might also have other ideas.

Managing your energy is different for each individual. Still, people can manage their energy by avoiding putting everything on a calendar, knowing their patterns, and understanding their tendencies. There are also many tools people can choose from when they want to know more about their personality like the enneagram or the Myers Briggs. But the best way could be having a huge mindset.

Being honest with yourself and learning to say NO to things is a good start to set some boundaries to keep your focus on things that matter. People always think they have too much responsibility and end up getting burned out. Hence, it would be good to start being honest with yourself on these things, or finding an outlet to talk to is also a good start. You have to know when you have enough and set some boundaries for yourself. Try to learn new things, and paying attention to your patterns will keep you on track.

Don't take your frustrations on a coffee pot. Don't keep on drinking coffee and avoid junk foods, especially at certain parts of the day. How you eat affects how you feel, and your energy levels for food can affect your body in different ways. Also, doing some physical activity like playing basketball or standing using a standing desk will help bring rest, even though it requires physical exertion. It may seem counterintuitive, but doing something physical may rest your mind a little bit instead of being in a more awkward position, which will add extra stress and tension and then make you feel more tired. 

Resting your energy should be a daily thing like water. It should become a good habit, but people often tend to forget things that work well. When one doesn't do it constantly, it kind of derails. And you are back to square one! A good foundation is to start with things that excite you, like how Jim started using an Alpha Neo Smart typing device. Doing things that excite you is huge and ends up making things work well. Hence, resting as a habit will help prepare you for something bigger. It can be like a day-to-day project like drinking enough water to help prepare yourself for something bigger.

Figure out what works well for you to get something out of rest. Moderate screen time activities to give yourself more free room. Restart yourself, have some accountability and some form of boundary. And even if rest is difficult,

Productivity could be defined as accomplishing more with less.

But this is an over-simplification of what productivity is and what goes into making it work.

Here are the 4 Pillars of Productivity:

1. Time Management
2. Task Management
3. Energy Management
4. Self Management

Have you struggled to get everything done?

Have you looked for every trick to be more productive?

How much do you really understand about how productivity really works?

This is Crushing the Clock, a podcast where we explore the nature of productivity so you can actually gain back your time and energy, making a difference in both your personal and professional lives.