Uninstall These Sexy Habits From Your Life

If you want to revamp your life, look beyond eliminating distractions or multitasking

Life is like Aladdin’s lamp.

For centuries, we’ve been trying to unlock its secrets and tap into that magic for ourselves. We know the basics: eliminate distractions, get organized, and create a routine — but sometimes, there are deeper issues at play that can impact our life.

As a solopreneur, life can be challenging. Your job is never done. There’s always one extra thing you want to do daily besides your planned list.

And if that’s not achieved, that can lead to feelings of overwhelm, which doesn’t help productivity.

For two years, I worked haphazardly and burned out far too quickly. That’s when I started reaching out to people in my profession to learn about their working methods.

And this discovery was my biggest life hack that cleared up my calendar and helped me accomplish more than before. I also preserved my mental battery and sanity.

So, in the spirit of sharing and helping you improve your 2023, let’s begin!

{1}. Going Against Your Circadian and Ultradian Rhythms

I have always been a morning person. I wake up feeling energized and productive.

But no matter how early I woke up, I would inevitably feel fatigued by lunch. And I could hardly do any work afterward. The guilt killed me.

That’s when I learned about the different types of rhythms our bodies go through during the day, such as circadian and ultradian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms regulate sleep and wakefulness. These cycles control our alertness, hunger, and moods.

Instead of fighting nature, match your biological clock to your schedule. Create a schedule for waking up, going to bed, eating, exercising, and working.

Ultradian rhythms are biological cycles shorter than 24 hours. After 90–120 minutes, most of us feel tired. Don’t force this lull.

Our bodies are not meant to be productive all day, every day.

So, take a break every 90 minutes.

Relax ➡ Recharge ➡ Rewind

This will help you stay in tune with your body and ultimately stretch your deep work zone.

{2}. Hop Around Between Tasks

“Now-what” syndrome tormented me for years. I never enjoyed the process of completing a task because I was too busy switching between tasks.

The real problem with this habit is that you end up overworking yourself without feeling satisfied. It’s like running on a treadmill — you don’t get anywhere.

According to a University of California study:

“It can take a person up to 25 minutes to regain focus after an interruption.

Now that I’ve learned its negative effects, I’ve set aside specific times for different tasks.

Batching my emails, researching, making phone calls, social media posts, and similar tasks helps me stay focused on one thing at a time.

This also helps me set realistic expectations for myself, motivating me to work until I finish a task.

It also helps me stay focused and prevents my creative juices from drying up.

I also reward myself after completing an important task like a cheat meal, extra screen time, no work hours, etc.

Having something to look forward to at the end of a project will motivate you to focus on the goal in front of you. And it will prevent you from switching (incomplete) tasks.

{3}. Ignoring Repetitive Decisions

Every decision you make consumes energy and time — major ingredients of the productivity recipe.

Small decisions can quickly add up and make you feel overwhelmed.

Paying bills, ordering grooming products, and grocery shopping are repetitive tasks we repeatedly do. I used to waste time deciding on which bills to pay, which groceries to buy, and even what soap to use in the shower.

Now I’ve automated those decisions by setting up automatic payments for my monthly bills, ordering online subscriptions for my grooming products, and creating a grocery list that I stick to alternate week.

These small steps have freed up my time and energy for things that truly matter.

{4}. Magnifying an Issue

If I got a call from a client about pushing a deadline, my brain went into overdrive, figuring out all the worst-case scenarios.

It disrupted my deep zone affecting my focus, quality, and quantity of work.

When I noticed this pattern, I would ask myself these questions.

How will this affect my workflow?

What is the worst that can happen?

Okay, now what can I control?

Do I need to take any preventive measures?

When I can’t control a situation, I try to list down all the possible implications on paper. Not in my head. The reason is simple: I want to get the thought out of my head and move on.

It works like magic!

And I’ve noticed that 99% of the time, the issue is nowhere near as serious as I initially thought. Also, writing it on paper helps me separate facts from imaginative fear.

{5}. Going With the Flow

Ever felt like you were flying blind and hoping for the best?

Well, that isn’t something you want to do when it comes to productivity. Winging it may seem like a great idea at the time, but in the long run, it will always backfire.

I’ve seen it happen time and time again.

Some assume they can go with the flow and everything will work out, only to find out they weren’t as prepared as they thought. While some people over plan and try to micromanage every little detail,

I prefer to stay somewhere in the middle.

I create a monthly plan and break it down into four-week plans. This way, I can have a good sense of direction and make sure I am always moving toward the goal.

It also gives me room to make adjustments if needed.

{BONUS} Staying Indoors All the Time

The lack of fresh air and individual space can quickly make one feel overwhelmed, fatigued and trapped, leaving them feeling unproductive.

For many of us, who are used to social interaction in our offices or classrooms, staying indoors can become unbearable and zap us off productivity.

Finding creative ways to get out of this cycle is essential — even if it is merely taking a brisk walk around the block or stepping outside for a few minutes to marvel at nature and appreciate life’s small wonders.

Doing so will keep your morale up and push you to stay productive.

We can't imagine how much more we can accomplish than our capacity by making small changes in our daily routine and getting rid of bad habits.

Try out a few of these things I quit doing to see if it makes a difference for you too.

Let me know how it goes or what you would add to the list!

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Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this letter helpful.

If you’ve gained anything from this letter, I have some requests:

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   AND…and…and!

“PLEASE” do share your views on today’s letter.

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Lots of love and respect,

Darshak Rana