How to be a Productivity Ninja

Published

8 years ago

01/12/2012

By Graham Allcott, founder of Think Productive, author of ‘How to be a Productivity Ninja’

www.thinkproductive.co.uk
www.productivityninja.co.uk

These days, ‘attention management’ – not time management – is the key to productivity. Our enemies are information overload, stress, tiredness, having too much to do and feeling overwhelmed by the requests and expectations of others. Do you want to surrender and be a victim? Or do you want to fight back and be a Productivity Ninja?

Here are the nine key characteristics of the productivity ninja mindset: Graham-Allcott

Zen-like Calm

Great decision-making comes from the ability to create the time and space to think rationally and intelligently about the issue at hand. Decisions made during periods of panic are unlikely to give us the edge.

And be sure that you’re not forgetting important items by keeping all of your support information in a system, not in your head. Be sure that you’re not distracted and stressed by what you could be forgetting – by using a ‘second brain’ instead of your own head as the place where information and reminders live.

As a result you can stay calm, present and in the moment, focusing on one thing at a time – knowing that your ‘second brain’ will be there to remind you later about everything else.

Ruthlessness

As well as needing to make more and better decisions, we need to be choosier, too: processing information to sort the wheat from the chaff. Ruthlessness isn’t just about how we process information though, it’s also about our ability to protect our time and attention, focusing only on the things that add the greatest impact, even at the expense of other things that are ‘worth doing’.

Being ruthless also means being selective about how we achieve our goals. In some areas of our work, perfection is healthy and even necessary but in other cases, it needs to be avoided as it prevents us from moving on to the next thing and isn’t efficient.

Weapon-Savvy

There are a range of tools out there to help keep us on top of our game. There are two broad types of tools that the Productivity Ninja needs to have in their armoury:

Thinking tools, such as checklists and management models, provide a way to guide our thinking through tried and tested themes and questions – and because they’re models, they don’t rely on our own memory, so they work as well at 4pm on a Friday as at 10am on a Monday!

Organising tools, such as to-do list software or well-ordered paper systems give us clarity around what we’re doing and help ensure that no project or action gets forgotten at a vital moment.

Stealth and Camouflage

One of the worst things you can do is make yourself always available. It’s an invitation to some of your biggest enemies: distraction and interruption. Keep out of the limelight until you’ve got something you need others to hear.

If your attention and focus is likely to be impeded by unlimited access to the internet and you’re likely to be tempted by its millions of distraction possibilities.

Disconnect once in a while. Yes, turn off the internet! If I turn off my wifi connection for two hours, I get two hours of uninterrupted thinking time.

Unorthodoxy

What’s important is the end result, not the means to get there. Everything else is up for grabs. A Productivity Ninja should recognise that it doesn’t matter how the job gets done. The important thing is that it’s done. It’s important to be on constant lookout for every opportunity to take advantage of progress and innovation and do things more easily. We must avoid getting stuck in a rut and doing things less efficiently than we could, at all costs.

Doing things differently is risky, even when we’ve got a good hunch that we’ve got a better way of doing things. Managers generally prefer the status quo as it gives them an easier life, so doing the thing that challenges the status quo can often tread a fine line between glory and failure. But this isn’t about chasing glory (although we’ll reluctantly and graciously accept it when it comes along) it’s about doing things in a better way and experiencing the satisfaction that comes from pushing boundaries.

Agility

Our ability to react quickly and appropriately to new challenges really comes down to two things:

• Our own mental ‘reserves’ or capacity to spend more of our days in a proactive, ‘doing’ mode without getting tired. People do this temporarily through the use of caffeine or other stimulants, which is fine to an extent and in the short-term, but we need to think more sustainably than that.
• Our ability to bring in other resources to aid this process – other people, more time and better technology.

Mindfulness

Our minds are our most important tool. Being emotionally intelligent and self-aware are important for so many reasons, not least because this equips you to take action.

Our minds have adapted to the frenetic pace of information overload and we’ve become used to ‘flitting’ rather than keeping our attention focused on what we’re doing and uncomfortable alone with our own thoughts or real opinions. Meditation, prayer, long walks, running and many other activities allow us to ‘switch off’ and retrain the brain to retain the focus we need.

Preparedness

Preparedness underpins and strengthens so many of the other characteristics we’ve just talked about. Zen-like calm in the heat of the battle is only possible if you’re well prepared. Agility is only possible if you’re starting from a position of being prepared and ready to react immediately, producing the right response. And you’re only ready to be ruthless if you’ve got the energy. Being prepared is about practical preparation as well as mental preparation. Lunch is not for wimps and rest and renewal is vital for longer-term success.

A Ninja is not superhuman… but they sometimes appear so

There are too many gurus out there telling you how to be perfect and in doing so, they’re selling you a false dream. Don’t listen to them. A ninja is a human being, with all the foibles and imperfections that we humans have. We can improve, we can do our best and increase productivity to levels that make us seem like we’re productivity superheroes, but we’re still prone to the odd moment of making the wrong decision or screwing things up. It’s time we focused more on the 99 things we do brilliantly than the 1 we screw up. Our Imperfections are nothing more than a great reminder that there’s always more to learn.

Bitcoin, ether hit fresh highs

Published

22 hours ago

20/02/2021

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Bitcoin hit a fresh high in Asian trading on Saturday, extending a two-month rally that saw its market capitalisation cross $1 trillion a day earlier.

The world’s most popular cryptocurrency rose to an record $56,620, taking its weekly gain to 18%. It has surged more than 92% this year.

Bitcoin’s gains have been fuelled by evidence it is gaining acceptance among mainstream investors and companies, such as Tesla Inc, Mastercard Inc and BNY Mellon.

Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and daily volume, hit a record $2,040.62, for a weekly gain of about 12%.

Ether is the digital currency or token that facilitates transactions on the ethereum blockchain. In the crypto world, the terms ether and ethereum have become interchangeable.

Ether futures contracts launched on derivatives exchange CME earlier this month.

(Reporting by Vidya Ranganathan; Editing by William Mallard)

World Bank pushing for standard vaccine contracts, more disclosure from makers

Published

22 hours ago

20/02/2021

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World Bank pushing for standard vaccine contracts, more disclosure from makers 2

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The World Bank is working to standardize COVID-19 vaccine contracts that countries are signing with drug makers, and is pushing manufacturers to be more open about where doses are headed, as it races to get more vaccines to poor countries, the bank’s president said on Friday.

World Bank President David Malpass told Reuters he expected the bank’s board to have approved $1.6 billion in vaccine funding for 12 countries, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Ethiopia, by the end of March, with 30 more to follow shortly thereafter.

The bank is working with local governments to identify and fill gaps in distribution capacity, after they purchase vaccines under a $12 billion World Bank program, and also to standardize the contracts they are signing with manufacturers, he said.

The bank’s International Finance Corp, its private financing arm, has $4 billion to invest in expanding existing production plants or building new ones, including in developed countries, but needs more data on where current production is headed, he said.

“We are eager to be investing in new capacity, but it’s hard to do because you don’t know how much of the existing capacity is already committed to the various off-takers,” Malpass said in an interview with Reuters. New or expanded plants could be used to produce other types of vaccinations in the future, he said.

The bank’s funds could be used to expand plants in advanced economies, if the production was earmarked for developing nations, he said.

Malpass welcomed Friday’s pledge by the Group of Seven rich countries to intensify cooperation on the pandemic, saying it could help jump-start deliveries of vaccines to poorer countries, which are lagging far behind rich countries in getting shots in arms.

Data compiled by Our World In Data, a scientific online publication, showed Israel was leading the world in COVID-19 vaccinations, with nearly 82 of 100 people vaccinated, while India and Bangladesh reported less than one person per 100, Many African countries have not started at all.

Malpass said he was heartened by news about new vaccines coming down the road, and about Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE seeking permission to store their vaccine at higher temperatures, which would ease another obstacle to deliveries in lower-income countries.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Heather Timmons and Leslie Adler)

Google to evaluate executive performance on diversity, inclusion

Published

22 hours ago

20/02/2021

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Google to evaluate executive performance on diversity, inclusion 3

By Paresh Dave

(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google will evaluate the performance of its vice presidents and above on team diversity and inclusion starting this year, the company said on Friday in one of several responses to concerns about its treatment of a Black scientist.

Timnit Gebru, co-leader of Google’s ethical artificial intelligence research team, said in December that Google abruptly fired her after she criticized its diversity efforts and threatened to resign.

Alphabet and Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai ordered a review of the situation. While Google declined to share specific findings, the company announced on Friday it will engage human resources specialists during sensitive employee departures.

Pichai in June said that by 2025, Google aims to have 30% more of its leaders come from underrepresented groups, with a focus on Black, Latinx and Native American leaders in the United States and female technical leaders globally. About 96% of Google’s U.S. leaders at the time were white or Asian, and 73% globally were men.

As a result of the investigation, the company also expanded a commitment announced in June to devote more resources to retaining and promoting existing employees, including by expanding a team addressing disputes among workers and their managers.

The diversity component of executive performance reviews was not previously announced, and the company did not immediately share details about what would be measured and how pay would be affected.

Alphabet for years had rejected proposals from shareholders and employees to set diversity goals and tie executive pay to them.

Irene Knapp, a former Google employee who advocated for one such proposal at a 2018 shareholder meeting, said on Friday, “I am pleased that they met our demand from 2018, which was a bare minimum that should have been easy to do immediately.”

Evaluating managers on diversity goals is becoming more commonplace. McDonald’s Corp on Thursday tied executive bonuses to diversity.

(Reporting by Paresh Dave; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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