Chore:self-improvement-2

This is part 2 of my series of self-improvement posts. In this post, we will dive into the concept of productivity.

What the heck is productivity?

For me, its the feeling of accomplishment when doing an activity. Some activity can be extremely beneficial and could help you in the long run, while some are merely 'time-killer'.

1. Spending time:
1. working/side projects
2. in nature
3. working out
4. with family & friends
5. doing hobbies
6. sleeping
2. Not productive:
1. doom scrolling
2. consuming brainrot contents
3. over sleeping

All of the listed above is correct. as long as it can be beneficial in some form. You define what productivity is. don’t let anyone judge you. Here's some justifications on the activities listed above:

1. working = skills for career
2. in nature = mental & physical health
3. working out = physical health
4. with family & friends = relationship & mental health
5. doing hobbies = self reward & mental health
6. sleeping = physical & mental health

You might argue that social medias does teach you about some really interesting and potentially helpful stuff, but most of the time it just devour your precious time. 

How many 'lifehacks' you've learned on the internet have actually helped you? If the answer is lower than your number of fingers, then you're probably better off without those knowledge anyway.

“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing” - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Time is relative, and so is Fun

Lets overview how we have fun. Find the fun factor and try to incorporate it into your boring tasks to make it a bit more bearable.

1. Our brain is wired to like stimulating things. Become more productive by making productive things more stimulating.
2. Embrace boredom. Lower your fun baseline. Become 'mudah terhibur'.
3. The next time you got bored scrolling social medias, force yourself to do an even more boring task.
4. Gamify your boring tasks. Create an achievement for every significant improvement.
5. Having a hard time doing a boring task? Try listening to music while doing it. Associate boring task with fun. Over time, you no longer need the fun part and will just do the boring task on its own.
6. Have fun in fulfillment & progress.

It’s not that we don’t have enough time, we actually just don’t have enough concentration.

1. For example, cleaning your room might take around 1 hour per month. How long did you scroll on your phone today?
2. If you find yourself reaching your phone, remind yourself that you can use it as much as you like AFTER you've finished your boring task. Abstain from distractions. Mute your notifications.
3. If your brain craves entertainment, entertain yourself by listening to a song and then try singing along or tapping your feet to the beats while doing your boring task.
4. Instead of doing this important-yet-boring task later, do the fun-yet-time-wasting thing later.

Here’s a little homework for you.

1. Create a list of all the fun things you do in a day. 
2. Then continue the list with all the boring things that you should do. Cross out all the fun activities. 
3. Now you’ve got a checklist. Give yourself a realistic deadline for all those boring things. 
4. Start with the small ones. Then achieve all of the listed items. 
5. Make yourself proud. Be the person for future self will thank later.