Does being busy equal being productive?
I think the definition of being productive is to get things done, which produce value as a result.

The whole idea of this post is about gaining focus to get things done.

Does everyone want to be more productive?

Maybe yes, if they are working towards a goal. In everything we do, we should always ask a question: “How do we do this more efficiently and more effectively?”

This is a big question. This question has been the key trigger of technological advancements in everyday life and business.

The only way to gain focus is to eliminate as much distraction as possible, namely the things that do not contribute to achieving a specific goal.

In my perspective, there are 3 major ways to be more productive:

1. Use the help of technology.

The purpose of technology is to increase our productivity. So it makes sense that if someone wants to be more productive, he/she should utilize all the technologies around him/her. Why do we blog in front of a computer if we can just do it on a mobile phone in a car? Why do we drive if we can access cheap transportation with Uber (no stress from traffic jam, no tax, no credit interest, no fuel expenses, no parking fee, etc.) Of course, a car/truck is useful for business purposes, which lower down overall variable cost and produce extra margins. A technology utilized for value creation is an asset, utilized for non-value creating activity is a liability. Do you know that by allowing apps to organize information required to do daily tasks, we can focus more on creative thinking?

The purpose of technology is to increase our productivity. So it makes sense that if someone wants to be more productive, he/she should utilize all the technologies around him/her. Why do we blog in front of a computer if we can just do it on a mobile phone in a car? Why do we drive if we can access cheap transportation with Uber (no stress from traffic jam, no tax, no credit interest, no fuel expenses, no parking fee, etc.) Of course, a car/truck is useful for business purposes, which lower down overall variable cost and produce extra margins. A technology utilized for value creation is an asset, utilized for non-value creating activity is a liability. Do you know that by allowing apps to organize information required to do daily tasks, we can focus more on creative thinking?

PS: Beware of social media, it is the source of distraction. Click here to read my blog post about “How social media harmed our brain and how to stop it”

2. Outsource the things that we are not good at, to people that are better than us in that specific task.

Do only the things we are really good at and focus at that. Things come in handy when we can generate sufficient income to outsource most daily tasks, everything else other than the things that we have to do ourselves. Hence, good income can be a privilege to be more productive.

3. Ignore the things that don’t matter.

Gossiping is bad. Talking about things that do not add actionable knowledge is useless. The best way to ignore things that don’t matter is to avoid contact with the specific information and condition. We should associate with the right people, be in the right environment. People who will make us better, not worse. Environments that will make us thrive, not die. It is easier to never see junk food and never eat it than to look at it every day and try to say no every day.

Gossiping is bad. Talking about things that do not add actionable knowledge is useless. The best way to ignore things that don’t matter is to avoid contact with the specific information and condition. We should associate with the right people, be in the right environment. People who will make us better, not worse. Environments that will make us thrive, not die. It is easier to never see junk food and never eat it than to look at it every day and try to say no every day.

Point number 1 is the easiest of all to start with. Here are some of my favorite productivity apps:

1. ‘Evernote‘ helps me to remember everything. It is like my second brain which is searchable.
2. ‘Pocket‘ helps me to bookmark articles I found to read it later. It is automatically downloaded to my phone for me to read it when I am queuing or waiting for someone, and at other unutilized time. Before I read, I have the chance to filter which are the ones I want to read.
3. ‘Wunderlist‘ helps me to organize my to-do-list for different purposes. From business tasks, learning goals, to books-to-read.
4. ‘WordPress‘ app allows me to blog anywhere with my phone. Blogging helps me to review my experiences and share them with my readers. I also automate the sharing process to Facebook, LinkedIn, Path, and Twitter. One tap and it’s everywhere.
5. ‘Detox‘ chrome extension for Facebook allows me to remove my Facebook’s real timeline and show me only articles I want to see from Product Hunt (where I discover useful tools), GrowthHackers (where I learn new things about digital marketing), etc. This method is useful when I need to chat with a person on Facebook when I am working in front of my computer, which is the only time I will reply comments too. Other than that, I use other platforms to share to Facebook without staring at it. I also deleted Facebook app on my phone and only keep the Facebook messenger app, which is very useful to reach a lot of people.

I hope this blog post is useful. 🙂

Reach me: vincent.huberta@gmail.com