3 Simple Hacks that will Help You Become Crazy Productive
Anything that’s worth having takes time. It takes dedication, investment, visualization, and growth.
You may be thinking… what does this have to do with productivity!?
EVERYTHING.
I’ll get to more on this in a moment. Bare with me.
Basically, think of your mind as a super powerful pattern recognition machine.
The human mind is constantly trying to make new associations, and find patterns in our behavior and the environment. Our minds will stop at nothing to be active. That sounds cool and all, but active doesn’t mean “positive.” Our minds will be active regardless of what activity we do or think about.
Most of the time, that activity translates to negative mental thought. It’s not that we hate life or anything, it’s just that the human brain is hardwired first to think in a negative way. In fact, our brains are meant to have us see sticky situations regularly, and feel fear frequently to keep us from harm.
The human brain is a little archaic and hasn’t completely evolved to have us thinking about unicorns and rainbows all the time… yet. Yes, this is a challenge, but keep with me folks cause the solution is rather simple.
It all comes down to how you choose to perceive the world. Simply, ask yourself the question “Do I live in a friendly or hostile Universe?” –Einstein
If you think you live in a hostile place, you’ll experience the world beating you up, time and again. If you think you life in a friendly place, you’ll experience more circumstances of people willing to help you.
Here’s a great quote to contemplate:
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” –Dr. Wayne Dyer
Now, back to our simple hacks that will make you crazy productive.
When your mind is positive and actively engaged, you’ll naturally create a crazy productive state! Solutions come easy, creativity flows. Kiss those writing blocks good-bye and any other issue you have. Being crazy productivity doesn’t just come to people. It’s created through habit. I’m going to give you the 3 hacks that will create a naturally productive state.
Let’s jump right in.
#1 Only Think About Positive Things for a Week
I’m taking this straight from Tony Robbins. This isn’t just some energy bull-s%&#. This is a real working exercise to retrain your habitual mental patterns (that hinder productivity).
First, think for a moment about a time that you were really unproductive. The day sucked, dragged on, there were so many problems and you successfully got NOTHING done or accomplished. We all have these days occasionally (or frequently depending on who you are).
Now think for a moment—what were you thinking about that day, and how did it make you feel? Negative days stem from cranky moods and negative thoughts. It always starts in your mind first.
The day is never “out to get you.” It’s really just about the perspective you have. Now, don’t beat yourself up either. This happens to everyone. At some point, (hopefully now!) you realize that you can’t control what happens to you externally, but you can control how you feel about it.
Unproductive days stem from unproductive thinking.
With this theory then, it would make sense that if you want to b
e ultimately crazy productive, that you would have to master being in a positive mindset.
Take the challenge. Start now. Only think positive thoughts for the next week. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s going to be tough. Be patient with yourself.
Every time you think a negative thought, catch yourself, negate it, and replace it with a positive thought. For example, we all know that an object in motion stays in motion.
One negative thought leads to the next and so-on. Stop the thoughts at the source. When the first negative thought shows up, acknowledge it and then say in your head or out loud “cancel, cancel, cancel.”
Psychologically, this actually neutralizes the negative thought and feeling in your brain. Then, say a positive thought, or something you’re grateful for. When you state a positive affirmation your mind starts thinking more positive thoughts.
Think of your mind like a freight train. Your thoughts build (both positive and negative). Make sure you’re on the right tracks.
Action Steps:
+ Set a start and end date for this challenge
+ Keep a journal, and write what happened for you throughout the day, what tripped you up and what you did well. You’ll start to see patterns.
+ Find a source of positive energy. Maybe it’s watching comedy, or motivational videos.
#2 Spend 60 Minutes Every Day Proactively Consuming Positive Content
Productivity usually stems from a positive mindset. You’ll be crazy productive when you feel great, you’re on track to your goals and desires and you feel fulfilled. Now, sometimes we feel this way, but sometimes we don’t.
Have you just felt like you were crushing it one day and the next you’re failing at everything and just can’t get a grip? It’s not your fault. It’s happened to everyone. And to be honest, you probably weren’t taught how to be constantly productive.
Like everyone else, you were thrown into school and the workforce and told to be productive, but no one ever showed you how. Honestly, most people actually ARE productive when they feel great! It’s just the pesky days that we’re not feeling our best that sabotage our coveted productivity.
The solution? Create a strategy to occupy your mind so it’s thinking about expansive concepts, rather than coming up with problems for you to think about all day.
I promise you, if you don’t proactively plant content in your mind, you’ll find a way to be productive. It just may not be the way that you want!
For example, if you don’t do anything, your brain will come up with problems: everything going on wrong around you, things that will make you anxious, and you’ll complain and gossip.
That’s not going to help you!
Here’s the solution: spend 60 minutes every day listening to positive content to fill yourself up.
Simply, it gives your mind something expansive to think about when you’re idle—and that’s great! Otherwise, when your mind is idle it’s usually coming up with problems.
Personally, I listen to 2-6 hours of intellectually stimulating, spiritual or motivational content every day to keep myself in a great state, and thinking positively.
You are what you think.
Therefore you are what you consume (books, media, tv, etc.). With that in mind, plant content around you that you actually want to consume.
If you want to be an incredibly successful producer, business person, or media guru listen to like: Arianna Huffington, Oprah, Gary Vaynerchuck or Sheryl Sandburg. Listen to the audios of their books, or watch videos of them speaking on YouTube for an hour every day.
If you want to feel motivated, and in control of your life—listen to motivational videos on YouTube.
If you want to feel connected, fulfilled and whole, listen to more spiritual content such as from Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Anthony Robbins, Mike Dooley and more.
Align the content that you’re going to consume with your goals. It’s simple.
Personally, I do a mix of audio books and YouTube videos. If you’re looking for inspiration, I have a short playlist mix here, and another comprehensive one here. Try this out for a week and see how you feel. Document your journey and see if your productivity increases.
Action Steps:
+Create a YouTube Playlist with 6 or more videos that inspire you
+Download 2-6 audio books that will inspire you (probably not fiction, and usually written by the role models and influencers you admire)
+Block out 60 minutes of time every day (either in one block in the morning, or 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at lunch or at the end of the day) to listen to your content
+Do this for at least one week (7 days)—No skipping days!
+Document your journey through journaling
#3 Practice Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude at least 10 Minutes Every Day
Seriously, gratitude will increase your personal productivity—significantly! When you feel grateful, it switches your emotional state into a happier, loving one. This is the place that solutions come.
Trying to figure out complex problems is much easier from a state of gratitude. Everything just flows.
Traditionally, when we view “problems” we’re thinking about how much they suck. It’s really hard from that place to think of an actual, viable solution. However, when you’re feeling terrific, grateful and happy the flow turns on, and the solutions come straight into your noggin.
Gratitude literally shifts your mindset into feeling love.
When you pour love into your work, you’ll naturally get more done, and of higher quality. Is that almost the definition of being productive!?
When you wake up (or before you go to bed) consider all the things, people and events in your life for which you could be grateful. Write them in a list, and take a few minutes to FEEL THE GRATITUDE.
It’s that feeling that brings you to tears because you feel so damn lucky. Yep that’s it. Make sure you’re feelin’ it!
Action Steps:
+ Set a reminder every morning and evening for 5 minutes or so to be grateful
+ Keep a gratitude journal where you write down everything that you’re grateful for
Like this post and you’re still looking to crank up your productivity? Here’s a worksheet you can download for free on goal setting.
Do you have other mindset activities that make you crazy productive!? Let us know in the comments!
