I’ll admit it, I like to talk about life-hacks, productivity, and the quasi-cult that is GTD. I’m the person who has one too many to drink at a party and starts going on about how I get more done before other people wake up than they get done all day.
And one of the things I’ve noticed, aside from a lot of rolled eyes, is that some people, many people in fact believe that changing yourself to become a more productive person isn’t possible. When I explain that I used to be just like them, mulling around endlessly all day not getting anything substantial done, they swear that it isn’t possible, that there is no way to change your personality like that to become a more productive person. Some people figure that if they cant do it no one can, or should even try. Other people though genuinely believe it isn’t possible.
But it IS possible, and here’s why.
Personality, of which productivity is one aspect, is the product of three different things:
- Genetics – There’s no getting around it, we are, to one degree or another the products of our genetics, and short of a magic pill, we cant change this part of us. Fortunately, most psychologists give genetics credit for only about 50% of our personality, which means there’s a big chunk left over to work with.
- Circumstances – The day to day circumstances that we find ourselves in account for an additional 10% of our personality. So in the case of productivity, if you get a bad sleep, the coffee machine breaks, and you misplace the post-it notes, your productivity score might take a hit.
- You – The 40% that’s left is entirely up to you. If you work at becoming a more productive person, you can leverage this 40% for great things. You probably wont be able to get from the most scatter-brained person in the world to master of GTD on 40%, but you can make a fair amount of progress. And a never-ending supply of post-it notes wont hurt either. Keep in mind though that the 40% Â can swing both ways. It can be put to use for great things, or it can be an anchor, holding you back and dragging you down. It’s up to you how you apply it.
Part of being more productive, of course, is setting routines, making lists, examining what you do with your time, and cutting out the unnecessary fluff to make room for the essential. But what you’re ultimately tying to do is take those habits and internalize them. And if you can do that you will have leveraged that 40% and made yourself in to a more productive person.
[ Image via Spiders ]
Stu is a freelance writer, but he has a special place in his heart for blogging. He also enjoys reading, cooking, and a little music now and then. You can follow him on Twitter here
