This was a question someone requested from me on Quora yesterday, so I wanted to share it with you too.
Q: How do successful people stay productive working long hours?
A: Mustafa, this is a great question. You may have noticed that successful people have not only mastered the art of focus, but they also have abundant energy!
While most people get tired and drained as they go through the minutes of their days, successful people seem to pick up steam as they complete task after task, handle meetings with cool and clear judgement, and yet have time to relax and spend time with family and friends.
So what is their secret?
From my observation, personal experience and the experiences of my clients, super-achievers who are successful in the long run and not only shine bright for a season and burn out, invest heavily in themselves:
- They invest in developing the mind that allows them to focus one-pointedly for long periods of time. My favorite method for developing focus is focused meditation. It really achieves several benefits at once:
- Develops mental muscle for concentration
- Builds resilience to distractions
- Unlocks internal energy (also known as kundalini in Hindu & Buddhist traditions, Ki in Japanese traditions, and Chi in Chinese traditions).
- While it energizes you, it also relaxes you and eliminates stress.
- With practice, as you learn to significantly slow down and eventually stop thought, you clear the slate of your mind. It’s like a mental shower – never leave the house without it. (smile)
The form of focused meditation that I learned from my Buddhist teacher and now teach, I call Diamond Mind Meditation. Here’s a link to where I talk a little bit about the concept of Diamond Mind: Why Diamond Mind? – Diamond Mind International
- They practice mindfulness and staying in the present moment. As you may know, there’s a form of meditation called Mindfulness Meditation. This is NOT what I am describing here. Rather, it is the awareness of a meditative state of mind as you go through your day. While you are fully present in the HERE & NOW, whether you are working quietly, driving, or having a business discussion, you are also connected to your relaxed, yet focused state of mind that you access during your meditation practice. You then also apply pragmatic strategies to your tasks and interactions with others. I called this form of pragmatic mindfulness Mindfulness 2.0. I used the image for this article that represents Mindfulness 2.0 – as I envisioned it, and how it fits in the big picture.
- They invest in developing the mind that allows them to focus one-pointedly for long periods of time. My favorite method for developing focus is focused meditation. It really achieves several benefits at once:
Practicing Mindfulness 2.0 during the day, allows you to not only save your energy, but also INCREASE it. You see, at every moment we either gain or lose energy. If you learn focused meditation and practice Mindfulness 2.0, you become very efficient with how you use your energy. You will be able to use the currents of life to increase it instead of losing it – in a similar manner, surfers use the waves, snowboarders use obstacles and the airplanes use air as it takes off AGAINST the wind (not with it).
- They set a daily ritual consisting of morning and evening routines that allows them to maintain balance. They also know when to break their routines to stay in the creative flow.
- They have goals, broken down to daily tasks. They use an effective time-management system. I talk about using time blocking in my other answer on Quora. You can find it here: What are the upsides to working on multiple projects spread out over bite sized pieces versus being single minded and focused on projects in series?
- They prioritize their tasks based on importance to their goals, not urgency.
- They take good care of their body through fitness, nutrition and sleep.
- They do take time to play and enjoy life. Because their minds are more efficient, they are more productive and seemingly have more time than most people. They don’t burn out. They enjoy time with family and friends. They spend time in nature. Culture and adventure keep them in the zone of brilliance and creativity.
Of course, there’s much more to this than I can write in a quick post. If you find this helpful, check out my LIVE webinar that I have coming up in just a couple of days – July 12th at 8:00 PM Pacific Time. You can reserve your free seat here: Webinar – Productivity Rockstar
Would like to hear your thoughts.
All the best!
Mila
