On Weird Productivity Tactics
In Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, authors Chip and Dan Heath write compellingly about effective behavior change. One particular example caught my eye.
Dan Heath struggled with online distractions while writing Switch. His solution? He bought an old laptop with no wireless card and used it to write the book.
Heath is a professor at Duke—a high achiever. Why would such a person need to resort to an extreme tactic like using a ancient laptop with no internet access?
Here’s what’s surprising: among high achievers, extreme productivity tactics are actually quite common. Top producers are bold about changing their environment to support their best work. It’s the rest of us who are too timid to do what needs to be done. Perhaps we don’t want to seem “weird”—I worry about that sometimes.
When it’s time to work, work. Turn off your wifi, put an out-of-office auto reply on your email, or at least close your door. Take whatever steps are necessary to produce the best you possibly can.
In other words, be weird. You’ll be in good company.