#2 Productivity with Spencer Li - Part 2
So, what is productivity? Based on the explanation from wikipedia, “__Productivity describes various measures of the efficiency of production. Often, a productivity measure is expressed as the ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production process, i.e. “output per unit of input, typically over a specific period of time”.
Since I’ve been reading and studying “How can a person (me) be better”, the underline part of productivity really got me thinking. If the output is one’s creation or contribution and the period of time is one’s life. What should be the input? In productivity hacks, what matter is the input which should be 100% determined and/or influenced by the output (goal) and time. However, when the productivity is put in an uncertain, unspecific and totally unknown subject like life, how do we define the output and time?
Well, time is the easy part. No one can predict when exactly that the're going to die (except you're going to kill yourself for the sake to challenge this sentence) so let’s assume we can have the average life expectancy. I was born in Taiwan and according to World Population Prospects, The 2015 Revision released by UN, the average life expectancy for male is 76 years old. (I’m fucked!) Let’s also assume I’m 36 and I’ll have 40 years left to produce some “outputs”.
Now, what’s gonna be my outputs (goals)? This seems easy for people who’re aiming for rich because they’re not rich and most likely they won’t be rich (statistically) but come on. Who doesn’t want to be rich? I think it’s extremely hard to figure out what do I want to do in my life especially for people including me who’re having ok life because we don’t have an urgent and crucial everyday life situation to survive. Food, water, entertainment and sleep are not a problem. Sure, the food might distasteful sometimes, the liquid in the drink might diluted too much, long working hours and the pay might suck with a jerky/bitchy boss but this life is just not painful or deadly enough for us to make a substantial change.
When you don’t know what to do with your life, laying on the couch watching Netflix while stuff processed food into your mouth is probably the most “rational” thing to do but it’s the worst. According to Jordan Peterson (if you don’t know him, I won’t say “WHAT! Are you fucking kidding me? Holy shit…” but I’ll very much recommend you to listen or watch his lectures.), the life is like a map but you’re the one to draw it.
Let me give you an average guy’s example. If you have ever played any roll play games such as Final Fantasy (My favorite!), the map you see in the beginning is very blur and unclear or most of the map is grey or dark that’s basically invisible to you but if you start to walk around, explore things, the map becomes clearer as you go on. So, when you don’t have a goal in life, you need to go to goal.
Alright. Let’s hypothetically say I’m lost and I don’t have a clear goal but now I know I need to “keep going, keep exploring” to goals so I can make this “keep going” as my “output/goal” until I find more specific ones. What’s the productivity hacks around that? It sounds hard to answer but it’s not because now I have a “goal” and everything gets much easier and clearer.
- In order to “keep going”, four elements that I think are most essential. The 1st one is no doubt, the most essential resource, time. No matter how “productive” I am, if I only have 24 hours, I can’t do much about it especially when I’m not the fucking Jack Bauer.
- The 2nd one will be my physicality. If I’m sick all the time, I can’t have a sustainable exploration. After all, this is my own map. Can’t have someone else to draw mine and it’s always better to do it yourself including but not limited to eating, drinking and making love.
- The 3rd will be my brain which absorbs knowledge and learns from failure and success so I can have more educated guess to decide which way to go, which one to choose or figure out more productivity hacks along the way.
- Mind is not your brain. Mind is the controller or commander of your brain. For example, when a doctor bring your arm up, you'll say "my arm moved". When that doctor asks you to move your arm, you'll say "I moved my arm". The states in these two are very different. The first one is your brain recognizes the movement and the second one is your mind (but not brain) initiates the movement. This is an important realization for people to "use their brain" instead of being used by the brain.
During the podcast, we talked about some key points that I think it’s help for me or anyone who wants to keep going.
- Don’t spend time on what to eat, wear and watch. Average adults in the US spends 6 to 7 work weeks in a year to decide those according to Annie Duke’s talk on a16z. Those decisions don’t make much difference for your future. Do you remember anything positive or negative occurred to you 3 weeks ago because of what you ate, watched or wore?
- Reduce what you have: It can increase your productivity in a long run because more stuff you have, more choices you have to make. Psychologist Barry Schwartz shares this insights brilliantly at TED Talks about Paradox of Choice.
- Do things that suck: This pretty much follows the quote “What doesn’t kill you will only make stronger” and David Goggins is the greatest example of that and I borrowed this from JRE (Jesse Itzler's Crazy David Goggins Story)
- Eat healthy: Your physicality allows you to move around in the physical world. Even though there are many different diet methodologies and conspiracy theories about the food industry, it’s no harm to try several ways to optimize your body including your brain. I’m currently referencing Genius Foods for my diet.
