If you follow my blog you may have noticed that I have “slight” productivity problems. So with or without intention, I try to pick up positive habits which help me get better at it.

The following three is from the ones which I definitely didn’t establish by will. I get to them by observation. When noticed that a specific event/thought made a positive change in my behavior to the extent which surprised me I tried to engrave it in my mind. Then when I was in similar situations recalled them and enjoyed the effect. Maybe it sounds crazy, but trust me I am normal, the voices told me. 🙂

So here are my top three productivity tricks which you can use too. Enjoy them.

The nagging voices of Mr. Money Mustache

Hey, I warned you that it will sound crazy and/or stupid 🙂 Yeah, it’s true. I was pulled into this PF sect by Pete’s blog, which similar to many others I read from cover to cover and had a helluva fun. Then checked a couple of interviews with him also. Then a strange thing happened to me.

It was on a Monday morning. I drowsily arrived to work one hour earlier than usual. Entered the building and pushed the button on the elevator. That was the first time I heard “The Voice”. His voice. He was laughing and jokingly asked if I would like to use a catheter and bedpan on the way up. Needless to say, I felt the shame and chose the stairs. It is just five levels after all.

Then it happened the next morning. And the following one. Then I heard it in the morning when I prepared for leaving to work and was thinking about my options to get there. These happened last spring. Long story short, since then I bike, walk or carpool to work, use the elevator only when it is absolutely necessary and if there is a task which I could handle myself I do it most of the times.

Try it out next time when you do something you know you should not. He could be very persuasive. Thank you, MMM, for this 😉

Move with the flow

I could be, but no, I am not talking about the miraculous flow state introduced by the famous Hungarian psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (hey, we Hungarians are everywhere). It is much more simple and maybe even an obvious one. I talk about music.

We know that it is scientifically proved that a persons heart rate adjusts to the rhythm of the music he/she is listening to. I assume this has an effect on our overall performance. I noticed at work when I am listening to music with characteristic singing voice and fast rhythm my brain is able to think more rapidly and I become more productive in my tasks.

That’s all, no rocket science here. I consume a huge variety of music, oftentimes from totally different genres. I don’t want to scare you away so will not list my favorite bands. You can get a hint about my preferences from my Pirates of the Cryptobbean article or from the tears which this epic post from I Dream Of Fire brought to my eyes.

To make it easier to use this trick I would add one track which often kickoffs my mornings and could be the hymn of the whole FIRE community. Thanks for the inspiration, Lzzy!

The most peaceful place on earth

This is the oldest of the three. I discovered this in my teenage years while reading one of the awesome novels from István Fekete(Steve Black :)) called Derengő Hajnal(Day Breaking). There was a description of a room in a house in a small village. Far away from the noise of the cities, without cars or other distracting sounds, there was that quiet peaceful room. In a house which walls were built from earth. The floor was of rammed earth too. If you have ever been in a room like that you know that there is a special comforting smell in there. The rest of the description of the room is hazy but imagine very minimalistic furnishing. It is day breaking, everyone is asleep in the house, and probably in the village too.

I felt back then and even today that place could be the most peaceful place on earth. When I struggle, am stressed, worried or just simply tired I close my eyes and imagine myself lying on the bed in this room. Nothing can disturb me and I just enjoy the perfect and complete silence. Spending a couple of minutes like that puts me at total ease. Or into sleep 🙂

That’s all for today. Hope you found it interesting. If you use some of these or got tempted to try out please let me know in the comments, I really want to hear about how do these working for others.