This is how to be productive without being miserable 8 proven secrets

This is how to be productive without being miserable 8 proven secretsThis is how to be productive without being miserable 8 proven secretsTheres plenty of good advice onhow to be productive. But fruchtwein of it makes you feel like you need to turn yourself into a machine.You dont want to be Robby the Robot.Heres the thing you often dont need help with thedoingpart. You know what to do. Sit down and finish the damn task. But you dont. Why? Often its aboutfeelings.What really gets in your way?It scares me.I dont feel like it right now.This sucks and I dont wanna do it.Those are feelings. And if you dont deal with those feelings, all the mechanistic lifehacks in the world arent going to help you scratch things off your to-do list.The best productivity system is the one you stick with. And if a system makes you miserable, its bedrngnis going to last. End of story.So can you be mora productive without turning into Siri or Hal 9000?The research and experts say the answer is, Yes.Lets get to itStart the day happyThe sound of the alarm clock should not signal, Time for the pain to begin.So indulge yourself a little in the morning. Whatever puts you in a good mood, allow yourself some of that. TV, video games, something tasty - whatever.Research shows yourmood in the morningaffects your productivity all dayResearchers found that employees moods when they clocked in tended to affect how they felt the rest of the day. Early mood welches linked to their perceptions of customers and to how they reacted to customers moods.And most important to managers, employee mood had a clear impact on performance, including both how much work employees did and how well they did it.Youll never be as productive as you could be if you dont make a little effort to improve your mornings.(To learn the 7 step morning ritual that will keep you happy all day, clickhere.)Okay, youre starting the day off happyand that leads to productivity. But how can you come up with new ideas and clever soluti ons to problems without a machine-like 27 step brainstorming process?This answeris easy, fun, and feels greatScrub your way to creativityResearchshows theres a strong relationship between feeling relaxed and being creative. And whats the most relaxing part of the average persons day?That morning shower.Scott Barry Kaufman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, found that 72% of people have new ideas in the shower- in fact,far mora often than when theyre at work.Heres ScottWe did this international study and found that more people reported having great insights in their shower than they did at work. Disconcerting, I guess. It seemed like theres definitely some benefits to being in a relaxed state.So step into the shower with more than soap - bring a problem to noodle on. Youre primed to be at your most creative, so take advantage of the opportunity.(To learn what Harvard research says will make you happier and more successful, clickhere.)Your rubber ducky is giving you the Eureka moment you needed. But bad feelings can be an obstacle to getting things done onceyou hit the office.Your mindcan be filled with worries that play over and over like a song stuck in your head. Thiscommon condition has a name. And a solutionClose loops to kill worriesResearchers call it theZeigarnik effect. But nobody can pronounce that so you and I willjust call it, Oh-Lord-God-Please-Make-The-Anxiety-Stop.When youve got something you know you need to take care of but you havent done anything about it, your brain is like anannoying smartphone app that wont stop with thenotifications.And guesswhat? The problem iseven worse than you thought. Those constant worries arent just annoying and anxiety-inducing, studies show they alsomake you stupidFive studies examined whether the processes associated with unfulfilled goals would interfere with tasks that require the executive function, which has a limited focal capacity and can pursue only one goal at a time. In StudiesStudy 1andSt udy 2, activating a goal nonconsciously and then manipulating unfulfillment caused impairments on later tasks requiring fluid intelligence (solving anagrams Study1) and impulse control (dieting Study2).So how do you clear your head? Write down the concern along with a quick plan of what youre going to do to address it.Once youve done that, your brain can relax. It closes the loop and ends theZeigarnik effectCommitting to a specific plan for a goal may therefore not only facilitate attainment of the goal but may also free cognitive resources for other pursuits. Once a plan is made, the drive to attain a goal is suspendedallowing goal-related cognitive activity to ceaseand is resumed at the specified later time.(To learn how to use writing toovercome anxiety, tragedy or heartache, clickhere.)Youre happy, creative and your head is clear. But now the task in front of you is filling you with dread. How can you get motivatedto startsomething you absolutely do not feel like doing?Make awfu l tasks your ownDan Pink, bestselling author ofDrive The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, says the research showsone of the keys to motivation is a feeling ofautonomy.FromDrive The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsThink for a moment about the great artists of the last hundred years and how they worked- people like Pablo Picasso, Georgia OKeeffe, and Jackson Pollock Nobody told themYou must paint this sort of picture. You must begin painting precisely at eight-thirty A.M. You must paint with the people we select to work with you. And you must paint this way.The very idea is ludicrous.So take five minutes and find a way to make an awful task your own. Rather than mechanistically following a standard process, think about what you can bring to this. How willyouchoose to handle it?How much of yourself can you inject into the process? What will make this more interesting? How can you leverage your strengths or your abilities to do it your way?The more you make the work som ething uniquely you, the more motivated youll be.(To learn more from Dan on how to motivate yourself, clickhere.)The dread is dead. But you still might procrastinate. You can make a task your own but you might be downright afraid of it, overwhelmed or just insecure about your ability to handle the project.How do you get those awful feelings out of the way so you can unleash the kind of productivity that will put a dent in the Earth?Break down procrastinationAnything that increases yourperception of controlover a situation - whether it actually increases your control or not - can substantially decrease your stress level.ViaYour Brain at Work Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day LongSteve Maier at the University of Boulder, in Colorado, says that the degree of control that organisms can exert over something that creates stress determines whether the stressfaktor alters the organisms functioningOver and over, scientists see that the perc eption of control over a stressor alters the stressors impact.And dont just trust the research.Astronauts, Special Forces soldiers and even Samuraiagree a feeling of calm control can reduce how much you stress about a task.But whats an easy way to get that control flowing through your veins?David Allen, the guybehind the popularGetting Things Doneproductivity system, says we often feel stressed because projects seemtoo big and scary. So break intimidating tasksdown into tiny steps that you can easily manage.FromGetting Things Done The Art of Stress-Free ProductivityDefining your work entails clearing up your in-tray, your digital messages, and your meeting notes, and breaking down new projects into actionable steps.Im pretty sure Genghis Khans to-do list didnt say, Remember to conquer Asia tomorrow. Whoa. Too big.The post-it note on his desk probably said, Just decimate the tribe next door. And then the next tribe. And then the next.Thats manageable. And before you know it, youve go t your own continent.(To learn how to stop being lazy, clickhere.)Okay, youre conquering the bad feelings that preventaccomplishment. But how do youincrease thegoodfeelings to get even more done? Its not hardKeep progress visibleYou probably have a to-do list. But Ill bet you dont have a did-it list.When I spoke to the awesomeJosh Kaufman, bestsellingauthor ofThe Personal MBA, he said a did-it listis a critical tool.It allows you toseeyour progress. AndTeresa Amabiles research at Harvard found that the single mostmotivating thing is progress in meaningful work.ViaThe Progress Principle Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at WorkThis pattern is what we call the progress principle of all the positive events that influence inner work life, the single most powerful is progress in meaningful work of all the negative events, the single most powerful is the opposite of progress- setbacks in the work.So keep a list of all the things youve accomplished today where you can see it. Thats dehydrated concentrate of motivation, thats what that is.You might think, Well, Iknowwhat I did today. Thats not enough. Write it down. Take a tip from the happiness research. When youtake a moment towrite down the thingsthat made youhappy that day, they have more power.(To learn the best way to manage your time, clickhere.)So you do all these things but youre still not as productive as you need to be. And that makes you feel lousy. How do you prevent those feelings from putting you back in the productivity doghouse?Forgiveness keeps you goingWhen you dont get everything done that you expected to, the most common reaction is to beat yourself up. Again, mood and productivity are connected. And guess what?Beating yourself up only makes it harder for you to get things done.Forgiving yourself is like a miracle drug. Instead of letting you off the hook and making you lazy, research shows it actuallyreduces futureprocrastination,increasescreativity, andboostsself-control .Want to be more self-compassionate? Its easy. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to a friend who was feeling down about not being productive.Kristin Neff, a professor at University of Texas at Austin, explainsOne easy way to be self-compassionate is just ask yourself, What if I had a very close friend who was experiencing the exact same thing that I am experiencing now? The idea is you use that same quality of warmth, support, encouragement, tenderness, understanding with yourself that you more typically show to other people.Be nicer to yourself when you screw up and youll not only feel better - youll get more done.(To learn the schedule that the most productive people use every day, clickhere.)Alright, weve learned a lot. Lets round it all up and get the final tip on the emotional path to improving productivitySum upHeres how to be productive without becoming a miserable robotStart the day happy How you wake is how you work. Having a little fun early means better results lat er.Scrub your way to creativity Bring a challengeinto the shower and come out with a solution.Close loops to kill worries Make a plan and write it down to silence the voice in your head.Make awful tasks your own Put your own spin on how you do something andyoull be more motivated.Break down procrastination Conquer Asia one tribe at a time, Genghis.Keep progress visible Put a did-it list next to the to-do list for motivational rocketfuel.Forgiveness keeps you going Beating yourself up kills productivity. Treat yourself like you would a good friend.These days one of the biggest enemies you deal with is distraction. But theres a fun solution to this work neara super-productive friend.Even if theyre not helping you, just being around them can improveyour focus. How powerful is this? Powerful enough to help people with ADHD.ViaFriendfluence The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We AreJust having friends nearby can push you toward productivity. Theres a concept in ADHD treatment called the body double, says David Nowell, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist from Worcester, Massachusetts. Distractable people get more done when there is someone else there, even if he isnt coaching or assisting them. If youre facing a task that is dull or difficult, such as cleaning out your closets or pulling together your receipts for tax time, get a friend to be your body double.You wont be super-productive by trying to pretend yourea machine.If you really want to get things done you cant justkeep your head down. You also need to keep your smile up.Join more than 320,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.Related postsHow To Get People To Like You 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulThis article first appeared at Barking up the Wrong Tree.