Productivity Rituals – What are Yours?
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It’s not uncommon for successful and productive people to have rituals: small things that they do on a regular basis. For instance, getting into the car and saying a small mantra for safe journey, or getting up in the morning and making your coffee first thing.
Organization and productivity can have rituals too. I have a few of my own that I employ everyday:
- I try to always make sure that my desk is clean at the end of the day and that everything is in it’s proper place: action, next action, someday and waiting.
- I schedule 15 minutes at the end of my day to complete the above task
- In the morning, I check my email first, in order to add things to my day that must be categorized.
Small things matter to me, too. I have a favorite pen, pencil and Circa notebook that I use. I run Rocketdock on my flash drive so that all my frequently used shortcuts are at the flick of my mouse. I have Firefox loaded on my flash too, because I do a lot of internet searching and IE is way too time consuming for me. Notepad ++ is loaded there too.
So here’s a few tips for getting into a ritual:
- Set up a morning routine
- Build an evening routine
- Create an exercise routine
I have yet to set up an exercise routine, which I REALLY need to do. What routines do you have in place? How do the fit into your life and were they difficult for you to set up? What motivated you to do so? Tell all – the readership needs your suggestions!
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jiujitsu and yoga are great options to include in your daily fitness ritual. practicing those 2-3 times a week will completely change your life.
take a look at this video about brazilian jiujitsu:
http://tinyurl.com/5cpegv
Answer back...
Kris reply on December 2nd, 2008 1:15 pm:
Thanks for the information! I’ll have to watch this video when I get home.
Do you find that there are many brazilian jiujitsu teachers?
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Eduardo Raad reply on December 2nd, 2008 1:25 pm:
That’s a great question! Bjj used to be limited to Brazil and only brazilians were able to teach the martial art but not any more. Currently there are training centers from different teachers all around the world, mostly in the USA where its pretty huge and you can actually find plenty of american black belt teachers.
Some popular academies are Alliance (in which I train) and Gracie Barra but there are many others. You can google those and find out if there are any gyms near you.
A curious fact is that since 2005 the jiu jitsu world cup and panamerican championship events are done in California!
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Kris reply on December 2nd, 2008 1:32 pm:
Thanks again. I’ll have to look and see if there is someone in my area. Great info!
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These are some really good ideas. My best productivity tip is to start your day with a Power Hour. You can read about it here: http://successprofessor.ca/2008/08/29/start-your-day-with-a-power-hour/
Answer back...
Kris reply on December 3rd, 2008 8:45 am:
Welcome to FFOP! Nice to see you here.
I love those “Power Hour” tips.. One thing that is important to mention, though, is eating. It truly can jump start your day!
I commented on your post on your blog. Let me know what you think.
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I get bogged down easily in e-mail and Twitter first thing in the morning, so I limit my scan of e-mail for emergencies to about 2 minutes. I capture any gems from twitter in about as much time. I then complete a project that I can check off my to-do list before going back to my e-mails and other daily routines. This way I know I will have at least one thing accomplished during the day.
I’m working on the daily/weekly/monthly/someday prioritizing, but I’m not there yet.
I never could get an exercise routine down. It interfered with the flow of my life, so it was easy to bypass. When a doctor told me to exercise or die, I realized that I could fit cycling into my routine. Within a month I built myself up to cycling to work. Now I commute an average of 4 times a week (round trip of 11 miles) for 45 minutes a day at optimum cardio exertion. I found that all obstacles were just excuses and every impediment can be overcome with a little forethought. To fully benefit from cycling, my wife and I sold our second car. That saves us up to $6,000 annually, and I’m inclined to cycle more often because of the perceived “hassle factor” of sharing the car.
I believe that exercise must become routine-a part of life-for it to continue. Walking, cycling, weight lifting, extreme thumb wrestling, whatever, needs to become a ritual. But once it does, you can’t picture living without it and really feel the effects when you have to break the routine.
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Kris reply on December 3rd, 2008 9:58 pm:
Your determination on your cycling goal is amazing! I’m so glad to hear about the green effect that has as well.
Now I want to be in an extreme thumb wrestling tournament – that would be a blast! I know from others how much their exercise routine is missed if it have to be neglected for any period of time.
Another good productivity ritual is eating. What do you eat to start your day, in order to maintain your energy throughout the day?
Answer back...
Dave Williams reply on December 4th, 2008 1:59 pm:
Eating is important to productivity. Maintaining an acceptable level of blood sugar keeps the brain fed and the energy level up so that you can get things done. I eat some protein and fibrous carbohydrate for breakfast 7 am (often an egg and a small bowl of oatmeal). I have a carbohydrate snack about 10 am, then a modest lunch around 12 or 1. (When I have a business lunch at a restaurant I usually cut the entree in half so that I manage the amount I eat. It also provides me with lunch the next day–if a to-go box is acceptable at that meeting) I have a protein/carb snack about 3 pm, and a complex carb just before leaving for home. There’s a lot of water and coffee all through the day to keep me hydrated and to give me exercise (the rest room is down the hall
The Doctor who told me to exercise or die wants me to eat 1700 calories or less and to eat small meals to lose weight and to treat Metabolic Syndrome (related to insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes). I’m on a drug that causes me to feel full quicker, but in the process of controlling insulin it causes some hypoglycemia. All of this helps with weight loss and maintaining a pattern of small meals.
Not eating right leads to unproductivity, encourages obesity, and can lead to serious health problems (like death). I am shocked at how heavy we have become as a nation (we’re going to cause the globe to become unbalanced and spin off in space). While the BMI tables are extreme (I think) most of us would benefit from weight loss. Some of us can lose weight through nutrition and exercise–and your comment has caused me to see how closely related productivity and eating is. Eating and exercising for productivity can have some major health benefits. Some of us can adjust our eating habits and maintain an exercise routine and still not lose much weight (like me–part of the Metabolic Syndrome). Those in this class should adopt good eating and exercise habits for the productivity–we still benefit from the feeling of accomplishment and the reduction of stress because of it.
Answer back...
Kris reply on December 5th, 2008 8:08 am:
I also eat small meals. For me it’s more like snacking all day (on good things, not bad). I also tend to eat a big lunch and a small dinner. That seems to work out better for me.
Thanks for a peek into your routine. I loved learning about it!
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