Cracking the Secret to Productivity

Cracking the Secret to Productivity

Everyone wants to be productive, whether it may be working or studying. We would like to emphasize the fact that studying is something on every university student’s mind nowadays. However, what is true secret to being productive?

The problem most of us have in not a lack of motivation to be productive, but rather, the need to stay disciplined and maintain productivity on a daily basis. In fact we can try and explore the many aspects of the thoughts in our minds and attempt to solve this age-old problem of productivity.

Willpower is not enough. This may be a scary thought, but it is actually true. So should we give up on being productive now and just go frolic in the snow while in the winter season or bathe in a swimming pool in the summer? According to scientific research done by Janet Polivy and Kenneth McGraw, we often tend to project the thought of the most difficult parts of a task we are trying to achieve, such as memorizing pathways of biochemistry, reading through hundreds of pages of your course pack or trying to understand exactly what that page of complicated physics formulas meant.

Numerous studies have also shown that there is a concept called “ego-depletion” which states that our willpower is limited and we are thus unable to rely on the idea of “willing” something to happen just by thinking about it. Instead, we tend to spend our time in small meaningless tasks such as going on Facebook or playing World of Tanks.

Avoid robot behavior which is counter-intuitive if nothing is going in your brain while your are working. Image: © Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Zeigarnik Effect

So how do we overcome this intrinsic barrier which prevents us to be productive? Naturally, the first thing that should be done is to “get started”. Often the most difficult part of a task is starting on it; however, once you do begin, there is a mechanism in the brain called the Zeigarnik Effect. It seems that it is human nature to finish what we start and if we do not finish the task, we experience dissonance and discomfort.

The Zeigarnik Effect is almost like there is something poking your brain, telling you to finish the task you have started previously and will not stop unless you get back to it.

Now that we have started, how should we maintain focus and complete the task at hand? Research from the Federal Aviation Administration has revealed that taking breaks around 15 to 20 minutes in between long work sessions around 90 minutes resulted in a 16% increase in awareness and focus as well as the maintenance of higher level of energy throughout the day.

Therefore it appears that it is more effective taking breaks in between your work sessions instead of cramming everything into one long nine hour study session.

Discipline

How do we stay disciplined? The first step to improving your productivity habits is to create schedules and deadlines. These deadlines may not necessarily be the ones imposed by your boss, but rather ones throughout the day to maintain your productive progress. Studies conducted by Dan Ariely and al. revealed that university students who imposed deadlines for themselves performed far better and more consistently in school than those who did not. Furthermore Ariely and al. also found that those students who gave themselves too much time to complete a task before there generous deadline performed similarly to those who did not set a deadline at all.

Set a chart

Finally, set an accountability chart for yourself. An accountability chart is used to track your progress throughout the day and match it with your set deadlines.

Tracking your progress using this method will increase self-control because it allows you to see the work you have actually accomplished versus the over- and under-estimation of the work you think you have accomplished. This strategy also allows you to stop engaging in “robot behavior” which can actually be counter-intuitive if nothing is going in your brain while you are re-listening to that lecture you missed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many aspects of productivity that we can understand and potentially overcome with the appropriate strategies. Understanding that willpower is simply not enough is the first step to a better and more productive live. Starting on a long journey ahead is important because it allows your brain to urge you to complete the task that you left unfinished. Pacing yourself is also important, since no one wants to spend hours upon hours staring at the computer screen or a textbook.

Finally, a word of advice is to stay disciplined by planning your day and tracking your progress throughout your completed tasks at hand.

With these strategies in mind, perhaps the next time you have to complete a task, you will not groan at the thought, but rather approach it in a positive and energetic manner.

References and sources:

•     Gary Huang. Techophilic, Winter 2013, page 11 (Technophilic is published by Technophilic Magazine Inc. by McGill Engineering Undergraduate Society).
•     Procrastination, deadlines and performance: self-control by precommitment. Ariely and Wertenbroch.
•     Getting a bigger slice of a pie. Polivy, Herman and Deo.
•     Undermining the Zeigarnik Effect: Another hidden cost of reward. McGrow and Fiala.
•     Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven and Tice.
•     Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement. Gollwitzer and Sheeran.