PRODUCTIVITY

How to Be More Productive

than Ever Before
Chris Bailey’s Year of
Productivity
 hese are
t
the words of
Chris Bailey,
productivity
experimenter
extraordinaire. At
barely 24 years old, he
has barrelled head-
first into the world of
“I want productivity hacks and
time-management
to make techniques. He runs A
Year of Productivity, a
other website dedicated to
his year-long pursuit
people as of elevated energy,
boosted output,
productive and a more holistic
perspective of his goals.
as possible.” “It’s this way where I
can throw a bunch of
ideas at the wall,” he
says, “and see what
sticks.”
He experiments
extensively: He
meditated for a total of
35 hours in one week.
He watched 70 hours
of TED talks in another
week. He lived without
any social interaction After graduating
for ten days. business school, Chris productivity hacks need
got down to business
Chris aims to aid people answering that question place.
who want to reach their in May 2013 when
own productivity goals. he launched his site.
He keeps the site up-to- While he has unique
date with posts about ideas of his own, he
productivity that include claims that some of
scholarly research and the best productivity
first-hand experience. tips are the ones we’ve
all heard of already.
The project grew “The boring things
out of Chris’s
that seem so cliché
are the things that are
passion for
productivity and
going to make you the
most productive,” he
the value he places says. “Like exercising,
like eating well, like
on time. “There
was a point when
meditating.”
I realized, okay,
I only have so
Those aren’t empty
words. When it comes
many years on this
to eating, he really does
reject empty calories.
earth, and I have Instead of mindlessly
guzzling down all
so many hours
nourishment in sight,
every day to do Chris views food as
stuff with,” he says.
fuel that powers him
“How do I know if through each day and
forms the basis for
I’m doing the best any other attempts at
things in the firstimproving efficiency.
place?” Without a decent diet,
he believes, you won’t
have the energy that
to succeed in the first
Chris’s diet centres on “a ton of vegetables and proteins,
very, very frequently.” Fruits, nuts, grains, and little bit
of dark chocolate are his favourites, and when he eats
carbohydrates, he makes sure that they’re veggies or whole
grain. Foods fuel focus – so eating well is critical.

n addition as a springboard intention behind them.

i to what he
consumes,
Chris cares
to a higher level
view of your work –
It boosts your energy.”
He maintains that those
who meditate reap real
about what he does with doing nothing for rewards, but the practice
his body, and that means awhile can spur is often overlooked
exercise. After rising at because its benefits are
5:30 am each morning, your efforts to do nuanced and long-term.
he jolts over to the gym anything later on.
for a crack-of-dawn “Meditation is Discerning the intention
workout. His conception behind action is
PRODUCTIVITY the most powerful
of productivity holds important for Chris, and
staying in shape as thing you can do his meditative mindset
a core component of to become more paves a path for goal-
success. “If meditation productive,” setting acumen. After his
or exercise came in pill early-morning gym trips,
form, every single person he says. he sits with pen and
on the planet would take paper to plan out his key
it,” he says. Committed meditation goals for the day.
brings tangible results. “I start off by reducing
Indeed, he believes He stresses its ability the day to the three
that everyone should to cut down stress and essential things that I
meditate. increase focus. He also have to get done,” he
says that it “allows you says. “Then I go out and
For Chris, to step back from your do them.”
meditation serves actions and see the
 ven as his underlying philosophy remains rooted in

E
these basic concepts, Chris explores new areas of
productivity and posts his thoughts
Chris values a to his site.

focus on essential As his year of productivity experiments winds on, Chris has
outcomes because developed a number of strategies, tips, and techniques.
Alongside those hacks, he has embraced new mindsets and
overarching goals are insights that herald better productivity and a better quality of
necessary for good life.

time management. Yet he doesn’t assert that his findings represent universal
wisdom. Yes, he wants to make other people as productive as
Time is wasted, he possible. Yes, he built his website as a way to communicate
argues, when you his experiences. But he acknowledges that each individual will
forge their own approach.
do something that
“People really need to throw a bunch of these tools at the
you didn’t intend proverbial wall, see which ones of them stick, and then keep on
to do, when you do doing that and incrementally improving how they work until they
become as productive as they want to be,” he says. The mission
something that fails of A Year of Productivity is to help people do just that.
to further your goals.
That’s why seeing the
INTERNET Required

intention behind your Andrew Urevig is a freelance writer from

actions is key. Minnesota. When he’s not experimenting with
words or complaining about the cold, he can be
found arguing at debate competitions.

PRODUCTIVITY