Maximizing productivity: Tips for working remotely

I am sitting in a Starbucks coffee house as this blog comes to life. Listening to the good music and smelling the pungent yet gentle fresh-ground coffee beans aroma wafting through the entire cafe. I am pretty sure that this fragrance is intentional and a marketing play to influence minds and entice them to purchase a cup of coffee which I refuse to do so. When you can make fresh coffee at home for under 25 cents/cup, why would you go to Starbucks and spend 12 freaking dollars! That’s a ridiculous 48x markup. Would you purchase milk for 4 dollars or 192 dollars (48x higher)? Shoutout to Graham Stephan for making me realize this unnecessary expense. I used to drink Starbucks coffee everyday like an unaware moron but now, I have cut back.

When you see so many people buying coffee at Starbucks, you start to realize that the majority of the people on earth don’t know how to handle money. Hence, 98% are broke and the minority 2% are the ones who are truly wealthy. The truly rich people know how to handle money better than anyone else. It takes a different routine and daily habits to become truly rich.

Like the above example, unnecessarily spending money makes you inefficient. Money and time are similar as they both are finite and valuable. You need to have a sense of when and where to conduct your business i.e transacting your money. In the same way, you should know where to focus your time. When you waste money, you are losing time. You may have lots of money but time is limited to all. Ask Elon Musk - Richest man on earth but with limited time. You and Elon Musk have one similarity - both have 24 hours in a day.

The two hacks are at the end of this blog. Before we go there, let’s talk about how sleep and productivity are linked together.

Let’s address the questions “How much sleep do you need to have a productive day?” “How do you deal with sleep and productivity?”. Similar questions have been asked to me and here’s my take on it.

Sleep is important for basic life functions. What you do when you’re awake matters more than how many hours you have slept. What kind of tasks do you focus on? How efficient and productive are you during the day? These are some of the more important questions to ask yourself. Gary (Vee) Vaynerchuk talks about the same mindset.

Hence, becoming efficient is key to success. Here are two main strategies to become hyper productive during your day. Choose the one which works best for you or both.

1. STOP Strategy

I learned this in Harvard Business School’s online MBA program. It is very simple and intuitive which elaborates as Sit, Think, Organize, Perform. Following each step will lead to achieving results.

• Sit - In the first step of the STOP strategy, it is important to take a moment to clear your mind and focus on the task at hand. This can be achieved through various mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises or even a simple walk in nature. These practices can help you to relax and reduce any stress or anxiety that may be distracting you from your goals. Once you have a clear and focused mind, you can then proceed to the next step of the strategy - Think. By taking the time to "Sit" and clear your mind, you are setting yourself up for success by being able to think more clearly and effectively.
• Think - In the Think step, it is important to clearly define your goals and objectives. This means identifying the specific results that you want to achieve, whether it be a certain project or task, a long-term goal or a personal ambition. Writing these down on paper not only helps you to keep track of them, but it also makes them tangible and real. When you can see your goals written down, it makes them feel more achievable and within reach. Additionally, by clearly defining your goals, you are able to create a plan of action and set a roadmap for achieving them. This helps to keep you motivated as you can see the progress you are making and the steps you need to take to get there. Writing down your goals and objectives also allows you to reflect on them and make any necessary adjustments to your plan, ensuring that you are always working towards your desired outcome.
• Organize - Organizing your tasks is a crucial step in the STOP strategy because it allows you to prioritize your activities and determine what is most important. It is important to set specific, measurable and achievable goals for yourself. When organizing your tasks, it is important to consider the following:

• Prioritize tasks based on their level of importance and urgency
• Estimate the time it will take to complete each task
• Schedule your tasks based on your energy levels throughout the day
• Create a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule
• Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable chunks
• Look for opportunities to delegate or outsource tasks

By organizing your tasks in this way, you can be sure that you are focusing on the most important and time-sensitive tasks first. This will help you to stay on track and make the most of your time. Additionally, it is important to review your schedule regularly to make sure that you are making progress towards your goals. Make adjustments as necessary and be flexible enough to adapt to any unexpected changes.

• Perform - In the final step, you will take the tasks that you have identified and prioritized in the previous steps and begin working on them one by one. This step is all about taking action and making progress towards achieving your goals. It's important to focus on one task at a time and give it your full attention. This will help you to stay on track and avoid distractions. Additionally, breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks can make them more manageable and less overwhelming. By following these steps, you can be sure that you are making the most of your time and being as productive as possible.
  

It is important to note that the STOP strategy is a way to help you stay focused and organized throughout the day. By breaking down your tasks into smaller steps and focusing on one task at a time, you can ensure that you are giving your full attention and effort to each task. This can lead to higher quality work and ultimately better results. Additionally, taking the time to calm your mind and set clear goals can also lead to a more positive and motivated mindset, which can further improve productivity. So, if you're looking for ways to maximize your productivity, give the STOP strategy a try and see how it can improve your daily routine.

2. Focus on one task per day

I learned this hack from my own experience and from Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com. The idea is to focus on one big important task per day, to make sure you give it your full attention and effort. This hack is all about being laser-focused on one important task per day, and eliminating any small, insignificant tasks or distractions that may come your way. By focusing on just one task, you can give it your full attention and effort, which will lead to better results and increased efficiency. In fact, studies have shown that multitasking can actually decrease productivity and impede our ability to focus on a single task for an extended period of time.

By implementing this hack, you can increase your productivity by 3x, similar to how a magnifying glass can focus the power of the sun to start a fire. The idea is to prioritize your task and eliminate the unimportant tasks that distracts you from the important one. This allows you to give your full attention to the task at hand, which will result in better quality work and increased productivity.

It's also important to mention that this strategy is not to be mistaken with procrastination. It is important that you set a deadline for yourself and make sure you stick to it. You should also prioritize your task according to its importance and urgency.

In summary, focusing on one task per day can help you to be more productive and efficient, by eliminating distractions and allowing you to give your full attention to the task at hand. It’s a powerful hack that can help you to achieve great results in less time.

I have decided to focus and work on ONE task per day! That’s it. Doesn’t matter if someone is trying to distract you by giving you more tasks. Learn to say “NO”. Try it yourself and comment your experiences below.

I would love to see you flourish and become successful individuals. Keep growing and stay humble. Thanks for reading!