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You know what I love? Being productive.
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Being productive isn't hard. It just takes a little thought.
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So first off, if you don't have a Life Map for 2016, make that right now.
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This is your big picture. It's your goals, and your dreams, and everything you hope to accomplish in the new year.
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Next, you're going to break down each of those things into executable actions.
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I do this with all of my big productions. It's where you list each step
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that needs to be taken in order to accomplish your goal.
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Now, taking these steps is not going to be that hard.
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But focusing on taking these steps probably will be.
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This is when you have to learn how to work smart instead of hard.
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And distribute your energy and efforts to the tasks that are going to bring you the most reward.
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For example, I used to riddle my To-Do List with meaningless tasks
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like clean the cat litter, or do laundry. Simply because I was addicted to the feeling of accomplishment that I got
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when I crossed it off.
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Oh. That feels good.
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(excited shudder)
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Plus, even if I didn't do the most important things I had to do that day
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I still felt good seeing that I did something.
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But if you only write down imperative tasks--the ones that would create some real progress in your work you'll notice exactly how much you're getting done.
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Or not.
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Some people also find writing a To-Not-Do List helpful.
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This helps remind them that they don't want to succumb to time-wasting tasks like refreshing social media or watching TV at least when it's not scheduled break time.
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The best thing you can do for long-term productivity is to create a Daily Ritual
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That way you're productive on auto-pilot.
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Next, learn how to say no. This is something that I still personally struggle with.
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You know, I want to do everything. I want to take every opportunity – you never know what's going to lead to what!
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But remember the Life Map.
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Keep your eye on the prize. If you say yes to a bunch of projects that don't give you great results
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that's wasted time.
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Stop multi-tasking!
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Multi-tasking is just a fancy word for being bad at everything you're doing.
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Don't neglect exercise and healthy eating.
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That's your energy.
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Kill distractions!
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If you really need to write, I recommend going out of the house and turning off your Wifi.
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And there are plenty of programs online that you can install that will block social media sites
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for certain hours of the day.
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Now this is all stuff we know, right?
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Spend less time on the internet, get more done – this isn't new.
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But sometimes it's good to hear.
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It's good to have that reminder of all the things we know we should be doing.
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I mean you probably clicked on this video because you wanted to sort of feel like you were kinda doing something.
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Right?
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Wrong!
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So get off Youtube, and get to work.
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Thank you for waiting.
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And thank you to Audible for sponsoring today's episode.
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Audible.com is the leading provider of audiobooks.
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With over 180,000 titles to choose from
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across all types of literature.
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I like listening to audiobooks when I'm commuting to the hospital or washing my lab coat at the end of the day.
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Currently, I'm listening to "Getting Things Done" by David Allen
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because I want to increase my productivity on diagnosing patients like yourself
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while simultaneously juggling my ground breaking cancer research
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Right now Audible is offering a free 30 day trial
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for people like you to give you a chance to try out their service.
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So I'd like you to go to Audible.com/Anna to download a free trial and start listening.
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That's Audible.com/Anna
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Just what the doctor ordered.
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(chuckling)