The Extreme Efficiencies Thread

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Using the best tools > Being the best at using your tools

In all endeavors, I'm constantly looking for every little hack, trick, and tool to get an edge. I'm notorious for scouring Product Hunt and Kickstarter for early versions of revolutionary new products, and always try to give a few a spin weekly.

There have been many tools, tricks, and hacks I've picked up over the years. It's a real passion...
They'll make anyone more efficient and effective, regardless of what your background is.

I can't be the only one who's obsessed with this, so use this as a brain dump!

I'll go first...

 

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[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Since everyone here uses a computer, I think it's most appropriate to address technology tools first. In no particular order, here's what's made me more efficient and effective.

Shortcuts.
Regardless of what software you use, get to learn some of the most common shortcuts you use for your daily tasks. Seriously. If you think about it, a mouse pointer is a very slow user input device, whereas shortcuts allow you to have many of the things you need literally at your fingertips. In the long run, it'll become muscle memory and you'll work much faster.

Computer/OS.
While not perfect, Macs are great for efficiency. Mainly because the operating system is built for the hardware (less risk of random failures / bugs), and because there are mousepad expressions that allow you to breeze through and rearrange pages very easily. There's less distractions and things run much smoother. For me, I'm still running a refurbished Mid-2012 MBP that I tune up every now and again. It still runs like a beast.

Browsers.
Every browser you use is not likely to be built for work. They are built for consumer browsing (hence the name). If you've never tried a productivity browser like Sidekick or SigmaOS then give it a go. It takes a bit of a learning curve with the shortcuts and UI, but after about a week you'll be zooming through your work. Personally, I use Sidekick because it's Chromium based (lots of extensions work - I'll come back to that later), and there's some built-in checklists I use in there as well.

Mail Client.
If you're using the default web apps for Outlook / Gmail, it's going to be a slog. Use Superhuman and learn the shortcuts. Pay the $30. It's hard to describe just how smooth working with it it is.

ChatGPT.
It goes without saying how useful ChatGPT is, it's the swiss army knife of productivity. There's too much ChatGPT material out there for me to add anything useful here, but I will go back to GPT-powered apps that are very useful for their applications.

Note-taking.
There's a million note apps, and the one I use the most is mymind for a few reasons. First, the idea is to have one place to throw any note you want to jot down without the need to organize it. You also have a browser extension where you can save a whole page or simply highlight text and "right click + save to your mind." Then, instead of "searching" for what you wrote, you can simply type a ChatGPT-style prompt into the search bar and mymind will interpret and serve up what you wrote in natural language. It's really powerful and intuitive.

Learning anything.
Need to get up to speed in any subject? You don't need to read a book or take a course. Use TutorAI. It will generate an entire course for you, and all the written course material within it. Combine with mymind note-taking and you're off to the races.

News.
I don't follow any news outlet. Instead, I use Clarity. This app compiles stories from many news outlets, distills the text, and re-interprets it using GPT to present the information to you in as non-biased as possible. This solves a HUGE problem, and I hope it becomes more popular.

More to come...

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

This is a bit of a continuation of the technology tools I use, but health-specific.

Protecting your Eyes.
If you're using a computer for long periods of time, the eye strain will cause you to need glasses far sooner than others. I use Intermission, which blacks out your screen every twenty minutes and reminds you to look off somewhere else. I've noticed my eyesight improving quite a bit since using it (less blurry when off the computer). I also use the Dark Reader extension which turns every website into a dark theme when activated (very easy on the eyes).

White Noise for Focus.
I use Endel for background music when I need to focus. I've made playlists for productivity and sometimes find it too distracting. Endel's soundscapes are faint and unspectacular enough that it's great for focus, plus it's backed by studies.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

To-Do Lists.
My secret weapon for many years has been LifeUp Pro. It's a gamified to-do app that will track your activity by category and assign experience points to it, like a real-life RPG. If you're familiar with Tony Robbin's "Wheel of Life" concept, this has helped me objectively track my progress across life dimensions.

 

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[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Easy Article / Education Consumption:
Although I haven't tried it yet, I'm planning on using Audioread text-to-speech to convert TutorAI's courses into audio podcasts I can listen to when on-the-go. If I'm learning something new and don't have a starting point, I often search for podcasts on the subject to get up to speed. However the results are either subpar or non-existent (especially more niche subject areas).

UPDATE: I now use this consistently. Allows me to blaze through 5 pages of wikipedia articles in 30 minutes.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

The Coffee Nap.
Another secret weapon of productivity over the years. In an energy slump? Make an espresso, knock that shit back, hit the bed, and wake up in 20 minutes a new man. 20 minutes is all you need to produce restfulness without grogginess, and around the same amount of time it takes for the caffeine to hit your system. Two birds with one stone.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Building Strength with Kettlebell + Grease the Groove
You don't need a gym, get a 50lbs kettlebell and use ChatGPT to build you a workout based on your goals. It's very versatile. If you can get a dedicated workout in a few times weekly then great. If not however, a few simple movements spread out over the day goes a long way. This is called Greasing the Groove (GtG), and is a great way to get reps in if you just can't get around to it or want to chip away at your workout a little bit at a time.

 

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[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Better Breathing for Sleep & Workouts.
No such thing as getting too much air when sleeping at night, especially true if you're known to snore / suspect you have some apnea. Get some breathe-right nose strips or nose dilators that you insert into your nose before you go to sleep. You can even use it when working out for better exercise performance.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Ergonomics
Invest some cash into ergonomic keyboards, mice, and a sturdy laptop stand. They'll just make you feel better and help you work faster. You don't want to be slowed down by joint/neck pain etc.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Managing Energy, not TIME.

Ask yourself, what's better?

Knocking out your work in 30 minutes when you're fresh
or...
Slogging through it in 3 hours when you're feeling in a rut?

A big concept from the book "The Power of Full Engagement" is that managing your ENERGY, not TIME, is the key to high performance. The sooner you can give up the notion of white-knuckling your way through a stack of work, the better.

Here's the truth. Your energy will go up and down throughout the day.
Managing your time assumes the quality of that time is uniform throughout the day (it is not!).

Therefore, think about what your cycles are like.
When you feel down, what do you need?
Water? Glucose? Rest? Caffeine? A Break? Vitamins?

Try to correct your energy levels by first cutting out BS from your diet, and then very carefully paying attention to what your body needs.

I imagine managing energy is somewhat like surfing. You can't force a wave to come. You just position to ride it when it does. I don't try to force productivity, but I *do* make the environment as productive as possible when I'm feeling a swell. Then, I "ride the wave" and can get a whole day's worth of work done in a fraction of the time.

 

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[NathanN]

Tons of great info on this thread here, thanks!

 

[MaxT]

Thanks a lot Mike for share your tips, you've learned me two nice things I'll try Monday. Thanks a lot.
Just for share, during the pause I practice music or reading for make a good pause for the brain. I think it's a good for relax and be refreshed for a good productivity.