1398: The Gentle Art of Hacking Your Productivity by Dr. Jenny Brockis on Increasing Personal Efficiency

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Work Daily Episode 1398, The Gentle Art of Hacking Your Productivity by Dr. Jenny

[00:00:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Brockis of Dr. JennyBrockis.com. And I'm Dan, I am your host of the show and we're going to jump

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: right into our post now as we hear from one of our regular authors, Dr. Jenny, and optimize your

[00:00:17] [SPEAKER_00]: life. The Gentle Art of Hacking Your Productivity by Dr. Jenny Brockis of Dr. JennyBrockis.com.

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Hacking is a strange term and it's enjoyed a number of different meanings over the years.

[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_00]: As an asthmatic child growing up in the UK, it wasn't unusual to experience several bouts of

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: bronchitis accompanied by a nasty hacking cough over the course of the winter. On Sundays we would

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_00]: often enjoy a nice roast dinner with all the trimmings but only my father was allowed to cut

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: the meat because he disliked anyone else hacking at the joint. Here hacking was something people

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: did and made a mess of things. In the equestrian world hacking meant going from one place to

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: another on your horse. The saying I can't hack this anymore meant you had reached your absolute

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: limit describing the level of exhaustion and frustration experienced from feeling overworked

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_00]: out of your depth or having to continually deal with difficult people. Today hacking includes

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_00]: the mischievous computer hacker or how we can hack a particular way of thinking or behaving to

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: get a better outcome. Let's look at a couple of ways you can hack your productivity that doesn't

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: desecrate the lamb roast. Number one, ask why? Why are you undertaking this task? Is it

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: relevant, important or just a quick tick off the to-do list? We've become very good at creating

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_00]: work for ourselves through lack of filtering. That horrible feeling of overwhelm when you've got too

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_00]: much to do and too little time elevates stress levels and effectively reduces access to your

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: prefrontal cortex the part of your brain used for conscious thought, planning, organizing,

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and regulating emotion. While we know it helps to prioritize our tasks, paradoxically our

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: ability to do this shrinks as the number of tasks waiting to be done increases,

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: heightening our inefficiency. Just like decluttering your cupboards, emptying out those drawers of stuff

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: that you don't really need frees you up to allocate the time required for what really matters.

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Two, stay right here. We think all day long and when not actively focused our mind likes to

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: disappear on a little mind wonder. Sometimes we're thinking about the plans we have for

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_00]: future. Sometimes we're thinking about what's happened in the past. It's been estimated we

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_00]: spend 47% of our awake time at a place other than in the present moment, meaning we're not actively

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_00]: engaged with the task at hand. This is where undertaking a daily meditation practice of 10-15

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: minutes can help keep you focused, less stressed, and more productive. Three, cancel bad feedback.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Performance reviews have taken a bit of a hammering recently and with good reason

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: as they were often linked to a significant drop in productivity and performance. Because those very

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: words, can I give you some feedback, creates an enormous threat response in the brain.

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_00]: But here's the thing, we like feedback when it is delivered in the right way. So ask for it.

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Research by Gallup and others has found that weekly feedback that is self-initiated

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: leads to higher engagement, helps us to quickly work out what isn't working so well,

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: and find a solution. Little and often is the way to.

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Four, the two-letter word to use more often. No. I was in a gift store recently that was

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: selling bright red no buttons. In fact, I think I might go back and get one. Because we're not

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: always very good at saying no, we can end up taking on more than we're truly capable of delivering.

[00:03:34] [SPEAKER_00]: So next time someone asks you to stay back late or to take on extra work,

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: instead of automatically saying yes because you don't wish to offend or appear self-centered,

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: check in with yourself first. Will this extra work make it harder for you to fulfill your other

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: duties? Does it mean you'll be late getting other work to your colleagues who are depending on and

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: waiting for your input? Is this going to cost you too much time and energy that you simply

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: don't have right now? If yes, say no and offer to help out another time.

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Five, get out of the office. Overthinking fatigues brains quickly. Getting out of the

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: office for a short 15 to 30 minute break, at least once a day, provides the brain with

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_00]: the pit stop it needs to refresh and re-energize. Choose to go for a walk, go to a cafe for lunch,

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: or meet up with a colleague. Taking time out for unfocused work allows your subconscious to get

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: on with all that background work needed to solve those tricky problems, create more insight,

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and preserve your cognitive stamina. And six, go home on time. While there will always be

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: those times where you have to stay late for a particular job, working too hard for too many

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00]: hours leads to a productivity nosedive, especially if you're working more than 48 hours a week.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Time spent elsewhere, especially when with family and friends, is essential to cognitive health

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00]: and well-being, elevates mood, and boosts performance. You just listened to the post

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: titled The Gentle Art of Hacking Your Productivity by Dr. Jenny Brokis of Dr. JennyBrokis.com.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. We're all marveled at how quickly kids learn and that sense

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_00]: of wonder meant they have while doing it, but as adults sometimes we lose that curiosity.

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Well if there's something you've been wanting to learn, know that therapy can help you reconnect

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: with your sense of wonder because your back to school era can come at any age.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And make no mistake, therapy is for everyone. Whether or not you've been through significant

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_00]: trauma, therapy can be a great tool for setting boundaries, learning new skills,

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and ultimately becoming the best version of yourself. If you're thinking of starting therapy,

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00]: give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible,

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_00]: a licensed therapist and switch therapists any time for no additional charge.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Rediscover your curiosity with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com

[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_00]: slash workdaily today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P,

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_00]: dot com slash workdaily. And as always I want to thank Dr. Jenny for providing us with a great post.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_00]: As a keynote speaker she has presented to and worked with thousands of people

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: to empower them to cultivate their own thriving mind. What gets her out of bed in the morning

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: is the opportunity to impact someone else's world, seeing that spark of insight in their

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_00]: eyes when they see what they can do for themselves. As a voracious reader and prolific

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_00]: writer, she continues to indulge her curiosity and has just published her fourth book which is titled

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Thriving Mind, How to Cultivate a Good Life. And as a board-certified lifestyle medicine

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: physician and best-selling author, her vision is to enable everyone to be a happy,

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: thriving human. And her site is definitely worth your time, check it out, she's got a lot

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00]: to offer there. Simply come by drjennyrocus.com, that's D-R-J-E-N-N-Y-B-R-O-C-K-I-S for a lot more.

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_00]: That is going to wrap up our Monday edition of O-W-D, hope you enjoyed it and that you'll

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00]: be back here with me tomorrow for The Tuesday Show where your optimal life awaits.