035 • Productivity advice so basic I forgot all about it

Welcome,

For all the talking about productivity optimisation that I do in this newsletter, there's one point that I've not touched upon. And this point might even be the most important of all when it comes to getting work done.

Recently I've come down with norovirus and this has limited my ability to work, reminding me that feeling your best will help you do your best work.

Now I don't necessarily mean to say try not to get ill - feeling your best at its core might be avoiding sickness, but you can do more for further benefit.

Here's what I like to do to make sure I'm feeling my best...

Note that I'm not here to push any certain new activity upon you. It's worth pointing out that some of the greatest changes to your well-being are made when you simplify and give things up. That being said, here's what I like to do to make sure I'm feeling my best...

Diet and exercise

I keep things simple for my diet, eating only single-ingredient foods. Nothing processed, nothing unnatural. Beyond that, I have few limitations.

Even so, I still stick to the same few foods most weeks for the sake of routine. This frees up more capacity to think about creative work rather than what I'm having for my next meal.

I also try to avoid regular caffeine intake to ensure that a caffeinated state doesn't become my baseline.

For exercise, I also keep things simple. I lift weights four to six times per week and get cardiovascular exercise from football and a little running.

Again, I stress that you don't need to take all of this on.

Think of the physical activity and nutrition that makes you feel good and come up with a couple of ways that you can incorporate more of it into your life.

Cleanliness and tidiness

It would be very easy for me to roll out of bed in the morning and sit straight in front of my computer, but I don't.

Instead of feeling a little grimy, I clean myself up and put on a full outfit of clothes. This helps reinforce the idea that I'm starting a day of work, rather than lounging around.

The same is true not just with yourself but your work environment too. If there are things in places there shouldn't be, or too much random clutter in the way, you'll struggle to think about anything except setting it right.

Limit inputs

This helps to reduce the feeling of overwhelm, perhaps at the end of the day, or at any time you might be experiencing it.

Stay away from your inboxes and feeds, take a walk outside or just sit and breathe. Reducing the amount that your brain has on its subconscious plate can free up more thinking power in very subtle ways.

Over the long term, you can make sure your inputs are limited by deleting your social media accounts, unsubscribing (literally and metaphorically) from various updates and limiting the times at which you get to check what remains.

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That's all from me today. I've completed all but one of my university exams, with the last next Thursday, so look out for more content from me soon as more of my time frees up.

See you next week!