The Ultimate Productivity Tip
December 10, 2009 by Akemi
I’ll make this post really short because everyone who reads about productivity is in a hurry. (photo credit)
If you have been following this Yes to Me blog, you probably have noticed that I’ve never even mentioned things like productivity and time management. This is because there is only one tip about productivity that really matters. It’s so simple. Yet so many people don’t seem to see it. It’s:
Do what matters to you.
Not what your boss wants you to do. Not what your spouse or parents want you to do. Not what you think you should be doing. Do what you “must” do in your life. Put everything else behind it.
If you only have two years to live, what do you do? I’m saying two years because if it’s only a few months, you probably just panic. With two years, you do have significant time. What do you do?
Well, two years or twenty years or more, that is what matters in your life. Do it. Now.
See, you don’t need fancy productivity tools and gadgets. You don’t need to read time management books. They just waste your time. They are for people who submit themselves to do other people’s things. They over-schedule their life, stressed out, probably sacrificing their health and shortening their life, and yet achieve so little — of what matters to themselves.
To conclude, let me repeat: The ultimate productivity tip is to do what matters to you. Period.
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Hi Akemi,
“Do what matters to you” is a great life motto. We’ve got one (known) shot at life here on earth, and we never know how long that will last…so there is no better time than now.
Lance´s last blog ..Frank and Me: A Legacy of Mentoring (Giveaway Post)
Nice tip Akemi. I read “The Four Hour Workweek” but I did feel the whole idea about time management was a bit odd. If you’re wasting time, it’s probably because of some conflict in you. You just need to cut through the bullcrap and see things a bit more clearly. Not so much “techniques” to find here.
I think the message in that book was similar – time management is about priorities.
Figures.
Hi Lance,
Exactly. This is not a test life.
Hi Andrew,
I read 4WWW, too. It’s easy to say “priority” but then most people start prioritizing all the tasks they’ve got, including what don’t really belong to them. So the point is to first determine what matters to you before prioritizing, I think.
Akemi – I read this yesterday in the midst of “doing too much” and didn’t even leave a comment.
And I laughed at myself a little because I thought of all the things I was doing and wondering which of them do I “really” have to do. It seems like all of them, but the truth is, it was none of them….
So I came back to this post today, to really take it in, and what can I say – it is marvelous! I just love the simplicity of it, and the deep, profound truth.
Do what matters to you indeed……
So in response to your question, I LOVE your productivity principle!
Now I have to make sure I apply it
Evita´s last blog ..My Experience of Reconnective Healing with Jennifer Mannion
Evita,
Haha, you are funny. But let me assure you, if you notice how much this short post means and how profoundly it can change our lives, well, you are in good shape!
Akemi
Akemi – This is the best productivity advice I’ve read in ages. I spent years doing what other people wanted me to do. I might have got a lot done but it wasn’t important stuff.
Cath,
Exactly the point. What would be the point of efficiently performing so much of other people’s things and ignoring your own purpose? First comes WHAT we are to do, and the HOW (the productivity tip) becomes obvious.
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