In 2023, my focus on productivity was very bad. I would do something for 5-10 minutes and then start using social media. At best, I think I was working productively for 2-4 hours every day.
Switching tabs on the browser and using social media was like a drug, which I know is bad for me, but I couldn't stop it. In the last 6-12 months, my productivity has been one of the highest in my life. I have unlocked the levels of productivity that surprised me.
In this video, I want to share some things that will hopefully help you as well. I want to tell you the things that I am still struggling with. The most important thing I have done is deleting all social media apps from my phone.
You won't find YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn on my phone. The only social media app on my phone is WhatsApp. Apart from my family, everyone's WhatsApp notifications are on silent.
Apart from deleting social media apps, I have developed a habit of keeping my phone upside down so that I can't see the screen. Whether I am in a restaurant with my wife Shaneez or alone, my phone is always upside down. Finally, I have stopped making and consuming short-form content, whether it's YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels.
I think short-form content has had a negative impact on my focus and productivity. Think about it, the world's most hard-working and smartest talent is working for Instagram, Facebook and YouTube so that you can spend more time on their apps. The algorithm and content of short-form content is so good that anyone can become addicted.
iPhone does have a time-limit feature. I have used it, but it didn't have any impact. I always press ignore so that I can watch the Reels.
That's why I have decided to stop watching and making short-form content. As a creator, I won't be able to make good Reels if I don't consume Reels. So that I can understand the trend in the audience.
To become a good creator, you need to become a good audience. But consuming short-form content cannot be good for your health in the long term. That's why I only use Instagram on my laptop.
The UI and UX on the laptop are so bad that you won't be able to spend more than 5-10 minutes. I don't even go to the Reels tab. I just look at the stories of my close friends and that's it.
If you go to my Instagram page, I haven't posted anything for months. I have stopped making Reels and I have also archived my old Reels because I don't want the audience to watch my Reels. Obviously, there is a commercial cost for this as many brands come to me to promote short-form content.
But I believe that the personal cost of focus and productivity is much higher than the commercial cost. So I'm completely okay now taking a stand that I don't want to create or consume short-form content. So overall, I've deleted social media apps from my phone.
I keep my phone upside down and I neither make nor consume short-form content. And I think there are 3 benefits of this. First, I have fewer distractions in my life.
So if I'm focusing on something, my focus is on that thing and not on the notifications on my phone. I don't have any temptation to check Instagram Reels while working. Second, I think my creativity has increased.
Some time ago, I read an article in Harvard Business Review which explained why boredom is so important. When you're bored, you enter a world of dreams and that's where new ideas spark. When I'm waiting for my friend or standing in an elevator, the natural reaction is to take out my phone and check Instagram Reels.
But now, I don't have that option. So I'm bored and I feel my ideas have become better. So much scientific research has been done on the benefits of boredom.
And subconsciously, I knew this. Because for a long time, my ideas were good when I'm taking a bath. Because there's no screentime there.
There's neither a laptop nor a phone. The third benefit is that it forces me to talk to other people. I agree that sometimes we take out our phone from our pocket when we don't want to talk to anyone awkwardly.
Sometimes, when you're waiting in a queue, and there's someone next to you whom you don't know, or you're in the elevator with someone else, we don't want that awkward conversation and eye contact. So we take out our phones and keep checking Twitter and Instagram. But now, because I don't have this option, I'm forced to talk to other people, even if it's a small talk.
And I agree that with these conversations, you meet new people and there can be a 10x impact. Who knows who's in the elevator and who's standing in front of me. So I do think it forces me out of my comfort zone.
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You can check out the offer and other details in the description. Now I want to share with you the 3 apps that I use on a daily basis. Remember, apps are just apps.
There's no perfect app. It's possible that I need an app, but you can do it with a pen and paper. Don't obsess over the exact app but rather the purpose of the app.
Why do I use these apps? Because you can't solve anything if you don't measure it. And I wasn't measuring productivity.
I can measure it with these 3 apps. The first app is Todoist There's nothing crazy about it. It's a very simple to-do list app.
For some reason, I like it. And I use it. You can use any to-do list app.
Next is Session. It's an app where I log all my work to see what I'm doing and for how long. In fact, when I was shooting this video, I used this app.
This app ensures that I focus on one task at a time because humans cannot multitask. A University of Utah study showed that only 2. 5% of people can effectively multitask.
In 2018, there was an interesting study. It asked people to drive and half of the people were told that they had to do math calculations while driving. Obviously, they found out that those people who were doing math calculations while driving had worse driving performance because humans cannot multitask.
Session ensures that I do only one thing at a time. At the end of the day and week, I can see what I worked on and for how long. This app also has a website blocker feature.
If I'm working and I want to open Twitter or Instagram on my laptop, the website gets blocked. Through this app, I can use the Pomodoro technique. I work for 25 minutes and take a 5-10 minute break.
The third app is Notion, which I use for my daily and weekly reviews. In an article by Y Combinator, they wrote that if you don't divide your goals into long-term and short-term, you won't know if you'll be able to achieve your goal. When I did my first job with J-PAL in Bihar, we were taught not to make any system so complex that people stop using it after a while.
That's why I use simple Notion templates so that I don't spend more than 2 minutes on them. I check on a daily basis whether I worked out, ate properly, slept for 7. 5 hours, and did productive work for 5 hours or not.
On a weekly basis, I measure whether I worked out for 4 days a week, ate properly for 6 days, etc. If not, what can I do to improve? The third thing that I learned is my superpower after talking to others which is to say no to people.
You won't be able to focus on your goals till you know and learn how to say no. That can be saying no to additional work, a friend's birthday party, all the things that sound exciting in the short term, but in the long term, they distract you from your goals. There's no exact science in this.
You have to learn your own way. I feel that in the last 6-12 months, I've learned to do this a lot. Just remember not to go to extremes.
Like saying no to everything is also bad. Otherwise, if you're an introvert like me, you'll be stuck in your room. But saying yes to everything is also bad.
So you have to figure out where your line exactly is. I've shared 3 things with you that helped me improve my focus but I've also realized that there are limits to internal motivation. The best way to stay focused is external accountability.
There are a lot of distractions around us. My internal motivation is going to be affected. In the last 6-12 months, my external accountability has increased.
Because of this, I am forced to be productive and focused. Right now, I am focusing on two things. YouTube and Startup.
If we talk about YouTube, my external accountability increases because of brand deadlines. And the second is because of the team. If I don't shoot or review on time, my team will remain idle.
And I am not paying them to remain idle; I am paying them to work. Because of this, I am forced to be productive and create videos no matter what. The same thing applies to brand deadlines.
They won't wait for me. So, I have to deliver. The same goes for the Startup.
I have a co-founder and I have to be accountable to him. Which is why I think that external accountability is one of the best ways to remain focused. So, I would suggest you to see how you can bring external accountability into your life.
Maybe you can create an accountability buddy. Maybe you have a friend who is trying to achieve the same thing that you are doing. If you rely on your internal motivation, your focus will break.
I don't know about you, but my internal motivation is not so crazy high that I can remain focused all the time. The final thing that I realized is to stay healthy. Which includes diet, exercise, and sleep.
Even though it took me years, I have given up on social validation. At one time, I used to believe that those who sleep less are crazy. Or those who drink a lot are crazy.
"Wait a minute. " . .
those who drink a lot are crazy. Now, I have joined my hands. I don't derive social validation out of these things.
Now, my focus is to eat well. So, mostly I cook my own food by measuring all the calories and macros. I make sure that I can sleep for at least 7.
5 hours. I aim for 8 hours. And then I try to exercise.
I showed you the notion sheet where I maintain accountability. But I do feel that the day I eat well, exercise, and sleep, my focus and productivity levels are really high. And the day I don't sleep well, my day goes to waste.
I feel annoyed, frustrated, and unable to focus on work. So, I make sure I get enough sleep even if I have to say no to a dinner, birthday party or a plan. But sleep is important to me.
But it's not as if everything is great. Maybe this video will make you think that I'm a genius. But it's not like that.
I'm also struggling with a few things. One thing that I'm struggling with is my phone usage after I wake up. Because I get really anxious when I wake up.
A lot of things are going on in my mind. Immediately, I look at my phone. My emails, notifications, etc.
. . which I want to reduce.
So, I want to make sure that this year, I sleep with my phone outside the room. And looking at my phone is not the first thing I do when I wake up. So, I want to change that.
The second thing that I want to reduce is my Twitter and YouTube usage. Even though those apps are not on my phone, but sometimes I feel that I overcompensate on my laptop. And sometimes I tell myself that I have to do that to make videos.
I have to know what's going on in the world. What are other creators doing. But I feel I don't need to do so much.
I can reduce it significantly. So, that is the second thing I want to fix this year. Third thing is meditation.
There's so much scientific evidence on the benefits of meditation. I tried it last year. But I did it for 10-15 days.
And I stopped doing it. I think the reason was that there was no external accountability. I was using Headspace app to meditate.
But my mother does these Zoom classes of Isha Foundation. And she has said that she has got so much benefit from it. So, this year I think I will get one of these classes which will give me external accountability.
And then I can finally start meditating and doing that well. So, that's it. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Hopefully, this year is happier and more successful for you, me and for everyone else. Hopefully, whatever I have shared will be relevant for you. And it can impact your life in a positive manner.
See you next time. Bye.
