The 1-Step Plan For Super-Productivity - Tips - The 99 Percent

The 1-Step Plan for Super-Productivity :: Tips :: The 99 Percent
http://the99percent.com/tips/6954/The-1-Step-Plan-for-Super-Productivity
Search
/// TIP
/// BROWSE TIPS

Appreciate (634) Tweet (969) Comment (123)
The 1-Step Plan for SuperProductivity

by Jocelyn K. Glei
Categories
Discipline Execution See All
/// SPONSOR
THE COLOR OF IDEAS IN ACTION 99%'s spring color palette is powered by:
Get More Color
/// STAY UPDATED

Magazine RSS Feed Follow us on Twitter 71,914 followers
The 99% Newsletter
Your E-Mail Address
/// DAILY ACTIONS
When I interview creatives, I often ask them what advice they would give to the next generation, the up-and-comers. Curiously, theres one incredibly important habit that nearly all of them possess that is almost never mentioned. So what is the secret ingredient in their productivity regime? Its simple: They get up early.
/// SPONSOR
To take a (very) random sample of creative luminaries from the wonderful Daily Routines blog, Charles Darwin, Toni Morrison, Le Corbusier, Stefan Sagmeister, Benjamin Franklin, Emily Post, Gerhard Richter, and William Wegman all make (or made) a habit of getting up early. A recent study conducted by Christoph Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education at Heidelberg, backs up the theory that early risers tend to have a more proactive and thus productive mindset:
[Randler] surveyed 367 university students, asking them when they were most energetic and willing to change a situation. It was the morning people who were more likely to agree with statements such as I feel in charge of making things happen and I spend time
1. On Keeping It Simple
MOST RECENT
MOST APPRECIATED
1 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
identifying long-range goals for myself.
2. Phillip Toledano: Make Stuff That Matters 3. 9 Awesome Interviews with Creative Visionaries
The data makes sense: If youre getting up early, you probably already have a good idea of what you want to accomplish that day otherwise it would be hard to motivate to get up in the first place. Being an early riser also indicates a natural affinity for ritual and discipline both key traits of especially productive people. Heres none other than Ernest Hemingway on the merits of getting up early:
4. Don't Overthink It: 5 Tips for Daily DecisionMaking 5. Illustrated Takeaways #4: Yves Behar, Scott Belsky & Soraya Darabi 6. Fix Bad Habits: Insights from a 7-Year Obsession 7. How to Create a Captivating Presentation 8. When Bad Things Happen To Productive People 9. Required Reading: Creating Cults, Finding Randomness & Maverick Geniuses 10. Steve Leveen: A Tabula Rasa Is Peace of Mind
When I am working on a book or story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and you know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again. You have started at six in the morning, say, and may go on until noon or be through before that. When you stop you are as empty, and at the same time never empty but filling, as when you have made love to someone you love. Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again. It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through.
/// THE BOOK
"An Army Knife for Ideas."

JI LEE Creative Director Google Labs
Aside from lending some sex appeal to the early riser, Hemingway also makes an important point about the wonderful side effects of getting up early: You accomplish tons of meaningful work before most people even get started allowing you to coast through the rest of your day with a sense of achievement and significantly less anxiety. What if youre not naturally an early riser? Or just hate the idea of it? Ive talked to loads of folks who insist that their most productive time is late at night their creative energy naturally peaks when everyone else is asleep. And, to a certain degree, our ingrained biorhythms are a factor. Some of us are predisposed to late-night creation, while others naturally wake with the sun. Age is also a factor. (How many elderly people do you know that sleep in?) That said, if youre reading this article, youre probably: 1) working as a creative professional, which means you are in the business of being creative, and 2) looking to get an edge. As Randler argues in the Harvard Business Review post on his research: Though evening people do have some advantages theyre out of sync with the typical corporate schedule. When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards. Like it or not, most of the world works on a 9-to-5 schedule, which naturally provides the early riser with a certain advantage. In a great piece Cal Newport wrote on the habits of successful professional writers, he notes that they all get up early, adding: Several [writers] did mention that they might also be efficient working very late at night (and sleeping through the day), but that this seems incompatible with being a productive member of society. Certainly you can be a productive night owl, but when it comes to the business details we all have to attend to the emails, the scheduling, the negotiations there are definitely benefits to being on a daytime schedule. In a recent conversation with energy management guru Tony Schwartz, he argued
/// CREATIVE JOB LISTINGS by Behance Network

Art Director (Platform Design) R/GA New York, NY Operations Manager The Africa Channel London, United Kingdom Web Developer Digital Kitchen Los Angeles, CA View more Jobs Post a Job
2 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
that less than 10% of the general population possess the unchangeable biorhythms of the die-hard night owl. In short, most of us can re-train ourselves to become early risers if were motivated. So how can you become an early riser? Getting up early is like most any habit that makes you a more productive creative: Its hard at first. Here are a few tips to get you started: 1. Set an exact time to get out of bed. If you normally get up at 11am, its unrealistic to start abruptly getting up at 6am. Think about what time youd like to be getting up in the morning, and work up to it. Try to wake up 30 minutes earlier every week, until you get to the desired time. 2. Move up your bedtime in sync with the time you plan to get up. Seven to eight hours of sleep is the recommended dosage for maximal productivity (with a few super-human exceptions). So if youre getting up at 6am, youll want to go to bed by 11pm at the latest. If you try to go to bed at midnight and get up at 5am, youre eventually going to run into some problems. 3. Get out of bed immediately. The moment that you start procrastinating read: hit the snooze button its very easy to convince yourself of a multiplicity of reasons why you wouldnt want to get out of bed yet. Dont even allow those thoughts to kick in just get up! 4. Expose yourself to sunlight. Sunlight is key to adapting your circadian rhythms. If youre having trouble getting up, dont close your blinds all the way, so you have some natural light as your wake-up call. Once youre up, a short walk (or run) outside helps reinforce the message with your body. 5. Develop a routine for your morning. Whether its taking in the sunrise, brewing a cup of tea and reading the paper, or walking to the caf down the street for a cup of joe, youre more likely to continue to get up early if you develop a brief routine that is, in itself, a reward. 6. Stick with it. Know going in that its going to take some time to adapt to waking up early probably about 30 days. Dont expect to feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from Day 1. But if you stick with it, getting up early is likely to become one of your favorite rituals. *** Its a lot better to sail into your business day feeling like youve already crossed a finish line, than to put off your vital creative work until after youve devoted your best energy to other peoples demands. As designer and early riser James Victore said in a recent 99% interview, I get more work done by 9am than most people do in a full day. -What Your Experience? When is your most productive time during the day? Have you tried getting up early - did it work for you?
3 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
Like
820
969
Appreciate tip
Comment (123)
Leave your own
Print
/// RELATED TIPS
Fix Bad Habits: Insights from a 7-Year Obsession
Moving The Ball Forward
When Bad Things Happen To Productive People
/// COMMENTS
Type your comment here.
Image
Showing 20 of 123 comments

Sort by Newest first Subscribe by email Subscribe by RSS
rayconteur 1 month ago

@Jocelyn - I appreciated reading your article; it certainly got my juices flowing. I especially enjoyed the checklist at the end for those looking to become "morning persons." On the other hand, I'm not sure I agree with the overall premise that just because "everyone's doing it" that you need to adjust to a "9-to-5 schedule," especially basing your logic on (a) college students not in the real working world yet, (b) Ernest Hemingway, someone who had endured multiple war experiences before PTSD was even a term, had three wives and committed suicide, and (c) not one single medical doctor (from reviewing the names quoted) is mentioned to support your thesis. As Dr. Randler responds to HBR in the article you referenced, this is not meant to be a simplification. There is a nuanced relationship people have with sleep and the reality they choose to attend to (see Rapt by Winifred Gallagher http://goo.gl/ZyWbi ). With the changes in a results-based work environments here in the United States with the ability to work-from-anywhere-anytime movement of knowledge workers (facilitated by technology and telecommuting programs), I see this pattern changing over the next ten years. The research outstanding with polyphasic sleeping (supported by ultradian rhythm research) also shows that we should pay more attention to our bodies and output than punching a time clock. Disclosure: I'm a morning person!
1 person liked this.
Milton Sols 1 month ago

i was a midnight worker, yes go to bed about 2:00 am, but something was not ok, the day time was too short, so i decided to change my routine (a slow process) now i go to bed about 10:00 pm; results? i wake more early (6:00 am), feel energy all day (no sleepy or slow time), the mornings are super productive, more focus, more quietness workplace; for me was really a good change
Guest 1 month ago
4 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
@Jocelyn - I appreciated reading your article; it certainly got my juices flowing. I especially enjoyed the checklist at the end for those looking to become "morning persons." On the other hand, I'm not sure I agree with the overall premise that just because "everyone's doing it" that you need to adjust to a "9-to-5 schedule," especially basing your logic on (a) college students not in the real working world yet, (b) Ernest Hemingway, someone who had endured multiple war experiences before PTSD was even a term, had three wives and committed suicide, and (c) not one single medical doctor (from reviewing the names quoted) is mentioned to support your thesis. As Dr. Randler responds to HBR in the article you referenced, this is not meant to be a simplification. There is a nuanced relationship people have with sleep and the reality they choose to attend to (see Rapt by Winifred Gallagher http://goo.gl/ZyWbi ). With the changes in a results-based work environment here in the United States with the ability to work-from-anywhere-anytime movement of knowledge workers, I see this pattern changing over the next ten years. The research outstanding with polyphasic sleeping (supported by ultradian rhythm research) also shows that we should pay more attention to our bodies and output than punching a time clock. Disclosure: I'm a morning person!
Joenavoa 1 month ago

I get to work by 7:00 a.m., which means that by the time most of my coworkers arrive (around 9:00 or later) I have already made a good dent in my to-do list. I get 2 hours of work in before I start getting interrupted by calls, meetings, and drop-ins.
Jason Vana 4 months ago

Great article. I'm not normally a morning person - I get more energy and focus later at night as opposed to in the morning - but lately I have noticed that when I do get up earlier than normal, I have gotten a lot more done, been more focused and a lot less stressed. Definitely going to try making this an every day routine.
nightowl 4 months ago

I'll do a morning get up once every 6 months or so. I have been a 2 to 4 am passing out person and getting up around 2 to 4pm since I graduated high school 20 years ago. I get about 9 to 10 hours of sleep a day but sometimes I'll pass out hard for 12 hours or sometimes 14. Just depends how much sleep I get. Usually the later sleeping is because I only got 6 or 7 hours the day before and need to catch up.
I don't like how people try to 'force' others to be up during the day. There ARE night shift jobs out there, after all, and 11pm IS their 7am. The world is 24/7 after all. Those of us who are 3rd shift schedule people just do it. And yes, I can pass out easily at 7am and sleep til 4pm with my windows wide open. It is, after all, the normal sleeping hours for me.
Joshuabentrujillo 4 months ago

Interesting article about late risers. http://www.winnipegfreepress.c...
Big Rad 5 months ago

Sorry, you are fighting biology. Some people have a gene variant where they need less sleep. There is another gene where the number of copies determines your sleep time preferences. I seem to carry the late night gene, my wife is more efficient in the morning. That being said, General Colin Powell would get up each day by about 4 AM, read the overnight summaries of situational news and intelligence reports and be way ahead of his peers when they got in later that morning. But from the beginning he was aiming for a position in the Joint Chiefs. So getting up early is helpful, but you have to have a reason and or goal.
5 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
Chelsea 5 months ago

I read this article and made it my resolution for the new year. Its only been one week and I already feel happier/ more productive/ less stressed out during the day. Thank you for sharing!
Mike Corso 5 months ago

I used to think I was a night owl until I started getting up early. No going back. Mike Http://coolsiteoftheday.com
IC3D 5 months ago

Great article.
Joo Pedro Pereira 5 months ago

Well I'm one of those persons that find getting up a very hard task ! I won't promise that I'll follow your suggestions, somethings are stronger than me unfortunately, but they seem good ;)
Dmtyler 6 months ago

I'm an early-to-work person. Guess what it gets me? Rather than getting started on my agenda, I get hooked into helping everyone else who arrives early and find themselves stuck with no one to help. For example, the person who arrives to teach a class but discovers something is amiss with the AV equipment. That person is a guest and isn't expected to know the equipment, but still has to be ready to teach a class at 8:00. It's 7:15 - I'm there but the AV person isn't. It's very annoying to arrive and be ready to hit the ground running only to have my agenda hijacked - By the time I get to my agenda, it's 45 minutes later and the usual office hubbub is in full swing. As a support person, I'm at the mercy of every other agenda in the building - no matter what time I get there.
Maicon Sobczak 6 months ago

There was a time that I woke up early and definitly this had influenced strongly in a positive aspect. Nowdays I'm a late riser, but after read this article, I'll return to wake up at 7am.
Carmine 6 months ago

As a lifetime late riser, I'm always amused when someone says, "Just get up early!" As if it's a matter of choice. I've had corporate jobs that required me to get up early, and have even been in the armed forces (where you really rise early), but those experiences never changed my biological clock. I was foggy upon arising, and still didn't feel the need to go to bed earlier. After being laid off, I found I reverted to my "natural" schedule almost immediately. I've seen a poll that stated 25% of us are night owls, but whether it's 10% or more, the fact remains that some people naturally rise early with a cheery "tackle the world" disposition. Others do much better rising later, and really come alive late at night. Why that's even a topic of discussion has always amazed me.
5 people liked this.
nightowl 4 months ago

Amen to that and fully agreed. Even if I stay up all night, sure, I may pass out at 10pm but I still sleep til 2pm the next day because that is my sleep/wake schedule as I posted far above. I can get up at 7am and go to sleep at 10pm and poof, again, sleep til 2pm.
6 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
I don't care. I'm a ''third shifter'' and that's who I am. It's like telling someone who wakes religiously at 7am and goes to sleep religiously at 10pm and saying 'YOU'RE WRONG, GO TO SLEEP AT 6AM AND WAKE UP AT 3PM BECAUSE THAT IS RIGHT.". Same concept. Yet the early risers seem it's okay to do that to us 3rd shifters. I don't get it. It's rude.
Brn Skn 6 months ago

I agree with the old adage of early bird takes the worm (although I fight sleeping in sometimes). I actually feel less productive if I sleep in late (past 10/11 per se). Even when I'm not at my internship, I still train my body to wake up around the same time in the mornings. It makes me feel like I'm taking charge of my day.
Jordan 6 months ago

I do believe that it's a rather subjective matter, but for me, rising earlier would be more beneficial in that more people that can distract me aren't awake that early. That would be the sole key benefit for me, and it's a big one! I feel like I'm more productive at night, but that's only if nothing and nobody else is there to distract me. And something is ALWAYS there to distract me. So here's the solution I came up with just now: late-night is idea time, and early-morning is producing time. Let's give it a shot!
Lachowski C 5 months ago

Jordan touches a point. Nights are for mental breakthroughs and early mornings are for their consolidation. at night the mind is tired enough to think in less structured, more out of the box thinking, while very early morning it is fresh to see clearly the bigger picture and put the thoughts on paper or screen - its the productivity time. later in the morning the hubub deprives us from chance to concentrate deeply for more than fleeing moment; still later - the mind is too tired Not long ago, having to design complex product and put it on CAD files to communicate with others, I could observe these on mysels
Gina 6 months ago

This has been on my mind so it's no coincidence that I came to read this post. Thanks so much Jocelyn for your insights and bringing this goal of mine to the front of my mind once again. This time I will succeed at it! Much gratitude!
Reactions
natewalton 6 months ago
From Twitter The 1-Step Plan for Super-Productivity: http://bit.ly/9B6VFW
runjake 7 months ago

From Hacker News
7 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
All these productivity gimmicks and schemes are self-defeating. I used to pay attention to every latest one, until I realized the issue was me, not how I organize.I do use many lightweight facets of GTD, but really my productivity mantra has fallen back to a simple 1980s marketing blurb from a shoe company: "Just Do It". Alternatively, if I'm feeling particularly whiny and lazy: "Just F-ing Do it!".
clistctrl 7 months ago

From Hacker News So many ways people come up with to boost productivity! yet they all forget the point. If you want to be more productive, you have to produce more. Granted tiredness, and other distractions can reduce focus, but lets be honest if properly motivated these shouldn't be huge issues. I'd like to think that getting work done is similar to being a boulder on the edge of a cliff. while its staying on top work is getting done (work with me here) but if its tumbling down... thats distraction, and that means no work is getting done. I can only speak for myself, but what I've noticed is that when these distractions interrupt my productivity, its because I was barely on the edge anyways. If you really want to boost your productivity, you have to find what motivates you about doing your work.Recently I found myself in a low productivity spiral, I tried everything, changing my sleep schedule, disconnecting from the internet, EVERYTHING. I found even with distractions gone, my productivity didn't boost. So I quit my job. The work i'm doing now interests me again. Productivity is at all time highs almost to the point I was at when I first started my career, and did the 16 hour work day (i'm doing 8 hour days now though... i now know about "burnout")
cshekhar 7 months ago

From Hacker News mhd, I believe that these articles wont help anyone until he is self motivated. These articles are merely helpful for peoples who need a push for doing anything.Many times things obvious to some people are need to tell explicitly for many peoples. :)
mhd 7 months ago

From Hacker News A study of students, who basically have to get up early isn't exactly that applicable to all walks of life. It's also a very broad categorization. For students, does it mean that you spend a longer period of time before studying/lectures begin? Which would also work if you get up at noon, but don't start work until two or threeAlso, is the total amount of preparation the same for all those students? Let's say you're prone to partying, and thus it isn't just that you get up late, it's also quite likely that you didn't spend too much time on your studies in the evening. Never mind that this might just be a correlation, and being proactive/productive and getting up early follow from the same disposition, not that one is the cause of the other. Quoting Hemingway and an "energy management guru" doesn't exactly make this much better. Why are we so prone to self-help advice articles here? Fear of failure with startups? Age?
stevek 7 months ago

From Hacker News For most people on HN I suspect this would be more like:1. Close your IM, email and browser
gogogooding 7 months ago

From Twitter RT @elainethebrain: The 1-step plan for super productivity: get up early. http://bit.ly/9B6VFW -- I work better b4 lunch. Love a sunrise.
nthnryn 7 months ago
8 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM
From Twitter "...There is an undeniably high correlation between getting up early & being successful." http://bit.ly /9S8YDM (via @The99Percent)
elainethebrain 7 months ago

From Twitter The 1-step plan for super productivity: get up early. http://bit.ly/9B6VFW
frozentoy 7 months ago

From Twitter The 1-Step Plan for Super-Productivity. Getting up EARLY! hm. http://www.the99percent.com /tips/6954/the-1-step-plan-for-super-productivity
Comments powered by DISQUS
Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

Thomas Edison
At 99%, Behance's think tank, we focus on what happens after inspiration researching the forces that truly push ideas to fruition. Our profiles of proven idea makers, action-oriented tips, best-practices sessions, and annual conference are all designed to help you transform ideas from vision to reality.
Behance Network
The Leading Platform for Creative Professionals
Take a Tour
ProSite
Build a Custom Online Portfolio Site in Minutes
Joblist
View & Post Creative Jobs
The Served Sites

Browse Fresh Work Curated by Industry
The 99%
About Us Consulting Masthead Contact
Articles, Tips & Videos on Making Ideas Happen

Explore
Behance Conference
Behance's Flagship Event on Executing Ideas
Newsletter Twitter Facebook Team Blog
Action Method
Task Management for Creative Thinkers
Sign Up
Behance Outfitter
Buy Paper Products and Creative Tools
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Copyright 2006-2011 Behance LLC
9 of 9
6/24/2011 10:10 AM

The 1-Step Plan For Super-Productivity - Tips - The 99 Percent

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

The 1-Step Plan For Super-Productivity - Tips - The 99 Percent

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The 1-Step Plan For Super-Productivity - Tips - The 99 Percent

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The 1-Step Plan for Super-Productivity :: Tips :: The 99 Percent

/// BROWSE TIPS