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Monday, August 13, 2012
The Stupid Things You Do in the Name of Productivity (and How to Fix Them)
August 13th, 2012Top StoryThe Stupid Things You Do in the Name of Productivity (and How to Fix Them)By Adam Dachis
Stop Planning to Do EverythingYou have many things you want to accomplish and a finite amount of time. This means, of course, that you can't do anything and everything. Nonetheless, you try to anyway. This leads to feeling overwhelmed and like you're making little progress. You can avoid this by simply prioritizing your time. Decide what you can do now and what you can save for later so you have less on your plate. This smaller set of tasks can help you feel like you're making more progress without doing any additional work. In a perfect world, prioritization would be simple. In reality, it's hard to pick and choose what's most important and what you have to give up. All work comes with a set of advantages and disadvantages, and when you compare it all in a logical manner it can be difficult to prioritize. Video blogger Ze Frank offers one simple solution, which is discussed briefly in the video to your right. He suggests making a list of all the things you want to accomplish and then reading it back to yourself. As you read each item, consider how it makes you feel. If it feels important, keep it. If you have any doubts, cross it off. When you're done, you'll be left with the tasks that matter the most to you. Do those first, and save the rest for the future. Additionally, remember your limitations. If you plan to accomplish a lot in a day, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. It's better to give yourself a goal that's almost too simple so you never feel like you're falling short. In most cases, you'll exceed those expectations and feel like you're getting more done. Forget Multitasking and Keep a Singular Focus
In a perfect world you would stop multitasking entirely, but realistically you'll be in situations that seem to require it. Whether you're always expected to be available or your workflow is filled with constant, little tasks that are flowing in throughout the day, feeling the need to multitask is hard to avoid. If you can't stop entirely, enact a compromise. Depending on the needs of your workflow, give yourself 15-30 minutes to focus on an individual task without interruption. When that time is up, look at your remaining work and choose which task deserves your focus most urgently. Give that task a 15-30 minute block of time, and then consult the list again. You may continue devoting each interval to the same task. The important thing is that your focus remains singular and you don't permit interruptions. This will prevent you from multitasking but also allow you to shift focus if necessary. Choose and Implement Your Productivity Hacks Wisely
This is absolutely true: productivity systems are best suited to solve simple problems and help you accomplish minor tasks that you don't want to do. That said, consider this situation: you finish work every day and you're tired. You want to relax and take a break, but hours pass by and you've lost your motivation to do that important task you wanted (or needed) to do. You've forgotten to make the time. While Vivek is right to say that you will do something you deeply care about, when you've exhausted 90% of your motivation it can be difficult to put that last 10% into action. This is where a productivity system can help, so long as you remember it's not a magic bullet. For example, take Jerry Seinfeld's don't break the chain method, in which simply adding a checkmark to a calendar daily keeps you dedicated to working toward a goal. I use this method to get things done on a regular basis. It works for me, but only because I modified the system to suit my needs. I gave myself very simple goals each day that were trivial to accomplish. I scaled back those goals when I saw myself attempting to do too much. I treated the system as an evolving idea, rather than a set of steadfast rules, so it was easy to adjust as my needs changed. Over seven months later, my productivity system is very customized and personal. It's something I've developed to ensure I always make time for the things I care about. For some, productivity systems work as they are. For others, they don't work at all. For people like me, they require a bit of modification and personalization in order to be effective. It all comes down to a matter of personality. You need to figure out who you are and what helps you the most so that you don't waste your time fumbling through ineffective productivity hacks. You need to know there's no magic bullet. Being truly productive is about a qualitative balance, not a quantitative checklist. Explore ways of working that make you feel good and accomplished. That's far more productive than doing it all. Photos by Leremy (Shutterstock), Mikhaylo Palinchak (Shutterstock), .  |
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Five Hong Kong Crime Movies You Should Watch Before Playing Sleeping Dogs
August 13th, 2012Top StoryFive Hong Kong Crime Movies You Should Watch Before Playing Sleeping DogsBy Evan Narcisse
I've written before about how Sleeping Dogs might be the game to finally give me a playable version of the gritty, emotionally-charged crime dramas that have been coming out of Asian cinema for decades. Really, anyone interested in the cinematic work that the devs at United Front might be referencing should watch all of Johnnie To's police dramas. He's cranked out a slew of high-adrenaline movies that deal with cops, criminals and the sometimes tenuous border between the two. With Sleeping Dogs' release finally around the corner, here's a quick list of movies that anyone looking forward to the game should watch to learn a bit about the its possible inspirations. Infernal Affairs 1 & 2 Exiled PTU (Police Tactical Unit) Mad Detective SPL  |
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Here's Anderson Cooper's Boyfriend Making Out With Not Anderson Cooper
August 13th, 2012Top StoryHere's Anderson Cooper's Boyfriend Making Out With Not Anderson CooperBy Max Read
Who: Benjamin Maisani, owner of gay bar Eastern Bloc, amateur photographer, gym rat, Anderson Cooper's boyfriend of three years (for more on Maisani, see here) — and a mystery man. What: K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Full on make out sesh. See above. Where: "A New York City park." Cooper and Maisani live together, but aren't seen in public together very often, and tend to lead different lives. When: This weekend — before Cooper attended a U.N. party stag. The couple was rumored to be thinking about a Labor Day wedding, at the advice of Cooper's mother Gloria Vanderbilt. Why: No one knows! Possibly, Maisani is cheating on Cooper — but we've also heard that Cooper himself has been known to pick up, ahem, "strange" at gyms in D.C. and New Orleans. If that's true, maybe it's possible that Maisani and Cooper have an understanding? Further reading: Anderson Cooper's Boyfriend Photographed Kissing Another Man; A History of Anderson Cooper's Open Secret; Anderson Cooper Finally Comes Out; Anderson Cooper Threw a Big Gay Party in His Fire House of Love; What We Know (So Far) About Anderson Cooper's Boyfriend  |
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