"We must not be hampered by yesterday's myths in concentrating on today's needs." -- Harold S. Geneen, American businessman and former president of ITT Corporation.
Debunking Productivity Myths: An Answer to Lifehacker's Alan Henry
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If you haven't already heard the expression, "lifehacking" refers to the practice of developing little ways of making your daily activities more efficient. The term derives from the practices of computer hackers, who crack open commercial code and rewrite it for their own purposes.
Lifehacks focus mostly on improving personal life, so they don't always lend themselves to workplace application, but sometimes they hit the nail on the head. Such was the case with an article by Alan Henry posted on December 5, 2012 at Lifehacker.com, titled "Seven Productivity Myths Debunked by Science (and Common Sense)." As it happens, I agree with Henry in several key areas, though I have to take a "yes, but..." attitude on his points. In this vein, let's take a look at the "myths" he explores.
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1. You have to get up early to accomplish anything.
This statement is a bit misleading. The original claim hinges on the argument that getting up early lets you accomplish more than most people-not that you'll never accomplish anything important if you rise later in the day. Some people hit their energy peaks mid-morning, yes, and they should indeed rise early and get cracking. Yet others start slowly in the morning, and yet others have high energy in the evening or late at night. It can be counterproductive for night owls to attempt to do work requiring heavy brainpower in the morning. The reason I'm a fan of getting up early is to get your workout in and arriving early enough at work to enjoy a brief distraction-free period before everyone else arrives.
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2. Power Through Your Slumps. Henry points out that trying to bull through low points doesn't always work-a point well taken. But that doesn't invalidate this piece of advice, because you can often power through slumps. Set an alarm to go off in 15 minutes and then jump into the task. By the time the alarm sounds, you may be able to continue easily. Sometimes I find I just needed to get some momentum. If you do nothing but pull your hair out, take a break or move on to another task you find easier to accomplish.
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3. Multiple Monitors Increase/Decrease Productivity. Henry comes down solidly on both sides of this argument-a logical choice, because there's no simple answer. Sometimes multiple monitors help you, sometimes they don't. Personally, I love my huge dual monitors, because it allows me to put a document on one screen, while I type an email and refer to it. In any case, studies suggest the amount of monitor space matters more than the number of monitors...so one 30-incher can be just as productive as two fifteen-inchers.
Read The Rest of the Article
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Thanks for reading! Make it a productive day.™ |
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