How to be more productive

I. Quotes

Read the following quotes. Do you agree or disagree with them?

• “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss
• “The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings.” – Thomas Sowell
• “Stressing output is the key to improving productivity, while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.” – Andrew Grove

II. Your Personal Productivity

Which of the following factors badly affect your productivity, either in class or when you work at home? Why?

• procrastination
• deadlines
• multitasking
• lack of a daily plan
• noise in your work environment
• cell phone notifications
• meetings
• breaks
• cluttered desk or space
• interruptions from coworkers
• social media

III. Gap Fill

Fill in the gaps with correct prepositions (choices: in, to, of, for)

1. Kyle takes his work seriously and is sensitive ___ criticism.
2. We need a system to keep track ___ all our expenses.
3. They are extremely fortunate to have such a professional as Richard ___ charge.
4. Pay attention ___ what she’s saying because she won’t explain it a second time.
5. The first few months he was running the company, Randy didn’t really feel ___ control.
6. Remind me ___ this conference because I’m likely to forget about it.
7. She wanted her money to be used ___ the benefit of poor children.

IV. Video: Top 5 Tips

Complete the following list of the productivity tips that Charles Duhigg shares:

1. When you are on your way to work in the morning, __________ your day. Tell yourself a __________ of what you want to occur.
2. Look for choices that make you feel __________. That will generate __________.
3. When writing a to-do list, always start with your most important, over-arching __________. Underneath, a sub goal or a __________ goal.
4. When you’re in a meeting, __________ who speaks and how often.
5. When you want to remember something, force yourself to __________ it to someone else.

V. Video: To-Do Lists

Comprehension Questions:

1. What do most people do wrong when writing to-do lists?
2. What is a stretch goal? What examples did Charles Duhigg give?
3. What are SMART goals?

VI. Homework Questions:

1. Which of Charles Duhigg’s tips seem most helpful?
2. Will you use any of these tips in the future? Which ones? Why or why not?
3. What are some ways that you increase your own productivity when you work at school or at home?
4. During the quarantine, has your productivity improved? Or has it been difficult to focus?
5. What advice would you give a friend who is struggling to focus and has problems with low productivity?