A surefire method to break myself out of a productivity rut is by finding some way to get third party pressure or reinforcement. Having someone or something help prod me along or complete a portion of the work is sometimes exactly what I need.
Using a third party has also been incredibly impactful in areas where I need to get something done that might not be exactly what I love doing or am best at. Here are some examples of third party pressure or reinforcement I’ve used:
- Announcing public deadlines
- Working directly with someone else
- Hiring someone else to work with me on a project
- Working in a more open environment where people see what I’m working on
- Telling people I respect about what I’m doing.
- And, I love this example of hiring someone to watch how the person was working.
I’ve used sites like upwork and fiverr to find people who love doing the part of the work I might not. Sure, I do plenty of things that I’d love to source smarter, but having the knowledge of how to and following through on getting some things done in alternate ways really helps maximize my productivity.
What’s the thing you’re working on right now that could use the help of someone else?
