How a freelancer to work less and get more done

Shorten your working day

The need for an eight-hour day is a myth. According to The Most Productive Countries in the World: 2017, people in the most productive countries work 4-6 hours a day.

The quality of labor is much more important than the quantitative factor. Most people in the workplace spend no more than half an eight-hour day on business, and spend the rest of their time on social media and procrastination.

How did you find out Is interval training the magic bullet for fat loss? Scientists, short, intense exercise is more effective than long, moderate exercise. High tension, followed by quality rest and recovery, produces the best results. The same applies to mental work. 1-3 hours of maximally focused activity followed by rest will be more productive than 8 hours of relaxed work.

This is because rest is part of the job.

It is during a break, when the brain is not focused on one thing, that Characterizing reflective practice in design comes up with the most unusual ideas. Therefore, to achieve the best results, you need to spend 20% of energy on labor and 80% on rest.

But do not forget that relaxation must be of good quality. If you are not at work, then forget about everything related to it. According to the research Workload and procrastination: The roles of psychological detachment and fatigue, people who know how to psychologically disconnect from work during rest, then work harder and suffer less Psychological detachment from work during non-work time from mental health problems.

Do most of your work in the morning

Many people devote their mornings to recovering: drink coffee, do exercises, check the news and social networks. According to Your Brain's Ideal Schedule, psychologist Ron Friedman, you shouldn't do this, because the first three hours after waking up is the time of the highest concentration. Provided you get enough sleep, of course.

This is due to the fact that in the process of sleep, the subconscious and consciousness are in free flight and rest. Immediately after waking up, they are most prepared Morning-evening variation in human brain metabolism and memory circuits for creativity and mental stress. This is the best time to spend those same 3-5 hours on the most focused activity.

Don't overwhelm your morning with activities that are not conducive to your productivity.

No social networks, meetings, calls. Even physical exercises are better left for later: it is more logical to spend the morning energy on work. Make sure that no one and nothing distracts you, except for very emergencies.

Take care of your body

It's not obvious, but outside work is also important for productive work. Research shows that regular physical activity significantly slows down Exercise may slow brain aging by 10 years for older people and increases self-reported sitting time and physical activity: interactive associations with productivity.

Therefore, do not forget about the rest of your life. Your body and mind are one system. Changes in one part of it ultimately affect all the rest.

If you want to achieve high efficiency, then you need to get rid of everything that harms your body.

What you eat and when, what time you go to bed and what time you get up, whether you drink alcohol or smoke, how much you exercise, all of this affects your productivity.

It takes willpower to change your life for the better. Many people think that it depends on the ability to control oneself, but this is not the case. In fact, willpower comes from confidence.

To gain it, you need small victories, which will then add up to large ones. One of the Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement ways to become more confident and healthier at the same time is to replace bad habits (eat fast food, overdo it with sugar, smoke) with healthy ones.

The fact is that you cannot completely get rid of a habit. If a person abruptly stops doing what has already become a part of his lifestyle, then a "gap" appears, which he immediately seeks to fill. As a result, either the old habit returns, or a new one appears - just as harmful.

Therefore, habits must be deliberately replaced by others. For example, if you want to eat healthier food but regularly return to fast food, then promise yourself 20 squats every time you want a burger or pizza again.

You can also think through contingency plans. For example, if squats are inappropriate, take five deep breaths and drink a glass of water. It doesn't really matter what exactly you do. The main thing is to distract the brain from the old template. In the minute you spend on these actions, you will remember your goals and objectives and the desire to do something harmful will disappear.

By regularly defeating bad habits, you will gradually become more confident. It will become easier for you to control yourself, there will be faith in yourself and the conviction that you can achieve your goals.

What is the bottom line

To become more productive, you need to spend not 8 hours a day on work, but 3-5.
The rest of the time you need to have a good rest - not do anything at work and not even think about it. This will increase your efficiency.
You need to work in the morning. The first three hours after waking up are the most productive.
Health and self-confidence also affect productivity, because mind and body are one system.
To gain faith in yourself and at the same time improve the quality of life, you need to replace bad habits with good ones.
Each victory over the urge to return to the habit will make you more confident in your abilities. This will help you to be in better control of yourself, improve your mental health, and increase your work efficiency.