3 productivity experiments

3 experiments that have shown to increase productivity

These experiments have shown increasing productivity for both myself and others. But why try to increase productivity? Isn’t that going to put more stress into the day?

If we increase productivity we decrease the time we have to work. So let’s say we got the same amount of money for doing the same amount of work we have done during a 40 hour week. But we do it in 10 hours and spend the rest of the time doing whatever we want. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Bu would that be possible?

In many cases, it would actually work. And that’s also what the first experiment is going to be about.

Productivity experiment 1 — Shrink the time for work

Microsoft has done an experiment where they took the five day work week and made it into 4 and 3 day work week for some of the teams. This change, among other things, gave up to 40% better productivity.

I do this every day, and it’s really easy to implement. If you want to try it, do this:

1. Write up the top 3 things you should get done for the day, in other words, the work you have to get done to make you satisfied with the workday.
2. Try to get these three things done before let’s say 11:00 am.
3. And after that, you can do what you want to do.

Try and see if it works for you! If you want some help, try to use a pre-made framework.

Productivity experiment 2 — Have a NOT-to-do list.

So if you’re really into productivity you’ve probably already read about this thing called “Not-to-do list” (I read it on Tim Ferriss’s blog). I had already implemented some of the things he mentions on his not-to-do list life before I even read it. Things like:

1. Do not answer calls from phone numbers you don’t recognize.
2. Do not go on the phone the first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
3. Do not have the phone close to you when working/studying.

If someone wants to reach you and you don’t answer, they probably send a text/email afterward to describe what they want.

Using the phone in the morning, evening, or having it near you all the time is something that steals more time and mental focus. Use a regular alarm clock in the morning and keep the phone in another room or a drawer when working/studying.

So try it yourself! Write your not-to-do list and fill it out with other things that you should stop doing.

Productivity experiment 3 — Daily Training

Training is a thing that makes the most for my productivity. How? I mostly work in front of the computer. In other words, I sit/stand still a lot. So it’s a way for me to take a break, stretch, and move.

I got the luxury that I’ve always enjoyed the training. Training makes me happier, it makes me stay alert longer, and it keeps me mentally and physically strong.

But why should I train more? Well, this experiment is something I just started for fun, to see the difference between training a little bit every day instead of 1-hour workouts 4 times a week.

So I don’t run 10k every day or do a hard workout every day. Instead, I have a bottom level I do every day, no matter what.

This bottom level is three different bodyweight exercises with ten reps in each exercise. And if I feel like training more, I do that. But I always keep the bottom level as the minimum.

The main difference I noticed was that I started to be more alert throughout the day. But I also made better progress in my training and felt more disciplined(or on top mentally).

I’ve never wanted to make training “my thing”, I don’t want to live inside a gym, and I don’t want to join a training community. I exercise to stay healthy, not busy.

Try this experiment, set a bottom level which you must to every day. Start very small, and have three days each week where you do more than your bottom level.

Check out the tool mentioned in the first experiment.