I am a global nomad (lived and worked in New York, Abu Dhabi, Cyprus, Dubai), marketing business consultant, travel blogger, 3 apps co-founder, an avid reader and a serious networker.
Here are my top 8 productivity hacks.
Keep everything organized
This includes my room, work space, bathroom, desktop, closet, Dropbox files and important documents, receipts etc. I believe that operating this way enables me to save so much time of my day and keep my willpower for some more serious tasks. Watch this funny video about willpower to get motivated to try out this mode of functioning. I never have to lose time to find my passport, earplugs or anything else or that matter. Moreover, I have a zero inbox policy and I immediately either reply, delete or if it is something I need to address more time, I just put it in standby box that gets cleared every night. My morning routines include juicing, preparing my smoothie and the moment I’m finished I wash it and put it back. I do all these things automatically without even thinking about it, so after some time it becomes a habit. A very good one, for that matter.
Journaling
I’ve been actively journaling from age 5 and I have large collection of amazing notebooks, journals, sketchbooks where I expressed my thoughts, fears and dreams. For me it is the best way to clear your thoughts before bed or right down your plans in the morning. By writing I believe we realize things about ourselves and the world, we wouldn’t necessarily figure out by solely talking about it.
Reading
I was an avid reader from the young age. My love for reading was especially demonstrated through my elementary school, where my favorite professor was actually our school librarian. In the beginning she didn’t trust me that I really read all those books I borrowed. Once she realized that I was in fact doing so, she would carefully prepare books for me to read on weekly bases and we would afterwards discuss it. I won many writing competitions in elementary school and several poetry ones as well. These competitions weren’t as important for me as the knowledge I gained from those books. I could understand so much more about subjects we were learning in school, but also I could engage in meaningful conversations with people much older than myself.
Minimalism
Moving a lot to foreign countries, I learned to appreciate being a minimalist. This movement I grew found of was a life changing experience for me once I started it. Now, I need 15minutes to pack for 1 year move to another country and I am so grateful I learned that skill. I never keep things I don’t wear, books I don’t plan to read again, makeup that I don’t use or anything I don’t need for that matter. I really think I have a rich life now, with much less stuff than ever. If you are interested to learn more about this globally popular movement, check out this TED talk by The Minimalists or this blog Zen Habits by Leo Batuta.
Also, this one is a must! One of my favorite bloggers Mark Manson.
Sleeping
I go to bed at 10PM no matter where I am in the world. I wake up at 6AM and I am energetic, happy and in good mood. For the last few years, I’ve completely stopped going out after 10PM. I do not enjoy clubbing, I hate smoke and I don’t drink alcohol so for me, clubbing is a waste of time and energy. I’d much rather spend my night with friends planing our next vacation, learning about IoT on Coursera or listening to TED talks. Arianna Huffington was a big inspiration for me when I started with this lifestyle a few years back. If you’d like to hear more about it check out her talk The Third Metric. I wrote about her in the new issue of Cosmopolitan Serbia about her books Thrive and Sleep Revolution.
Exercising
Honestly, I don’t know a successful person that doesn’t have a training routine. For me for many years it was tennis, skiing, swimming, yoga, kickboxing etc. I love to switch up my training routine from time to time and right now it is Yoga and pilates. Great people like Micael Pupin, Serbian scientist and humanitarian always stressed the importance of physical activity in his life and he kept saying that a man who neglects his health and fitness for work won’t be truly successful in life.
Automate your processes
I am such a automation nerd. My friends say I’m extreme with this one, but heck as long as it works for me, who really cares. Basically, what I do is plan my meals, exercises, social activities, spare time to a crazy point, so that I don’t have to waste time during the week thinking about what I’ll be eating or wearing. To me, those things aren’t my life priorities. Nonetheless, I do want to look always suited up, elegant and to eat the healthiest food for my body. So, how do I do this without obsessing over it on daily level? I always eat the same breakfast at the same time for example and I always get my lunch from the same place. When I go shopping for clothes, I invest in the highest quality classical pieces I can afford that always look great on me and last for many years without looking cheap, washed out and average. I don’t put my energy into dressing up well, I just buy high quality, customized clothes that fit perfectly and I invest in great pair of shoes, bag and watch and the look creates itself on daily bases without me having to think what matches what. I mostly wear black, navy and white, so whatever I chose to wear in the morning will look good.
Here are 3 areas I believe you would really have immediate benefits automating: morning routine, meals, exercises. Try it out and let me know on Twitter @joxynyc how did it go.
Don’t postpone anything ever
People get quite surprised when they see how much I really stick to this. When I tell someone I’ll send them a link or something, I do it immediately when I reach my laptop, always that same day. For me that shows respect of that person’s and my time as well. When you want to do something later, keep in mind: Later usually becomes never!
I really hope this helped you become a more productive person!
Let me know!
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