Talismans of Productivty.

I have read many life-hack articles on how to be more productive and how to be more effective, how to work efficiently and get things done.

• Make a three point focus zen-list.
• Close all apps other than your text editor / word processor.
• Work 30 minutes, play the next 30 minutes; repeat.
• Only allow yourself to have x number of tabs open in a browser at once.
• Install a word processor that imitates a typewriter, so you cannot easily delete and fiddle with the font, all you can do is write.
• Use a text editor to write

All these tips and tricks, all these earnest people so enthused by their new found productiveness, their newly discovered talismans of productivity.

And I read them and understood them and I even fiddled about with some of them, but never really engaging with them, not grasping the nettle of working hard. And I still felt buzzy and easily distracted.

And then I decided to stop drinking coffee and maybe have two weak black teas a day. I did this as I was eating too many cakes and buns with my coffee and was finding the down from the coffee-high was too soul-destroying in a boring desk-job.

And now I don't worry that I need productivity talismans to enable me to work. I am able to rise above the normal distractions that working in an office provide and just concentrate on what I need to do .

It's simple guys. Give up coffee and tea. Don't flagellate yourself over it. Don't invent terribly strict rules to try to govern yourself with a rod of iron. Give up caffeine. Cool your heels, calm your brain, avoid those depressing downs and then watch yourself. Make a daily focus list if you must. Have lists of tasks to do in your email client if you must. Work out what tricks work with you. I am not giving you a tightly worded prescription, iron-bounded rules.

All I ask is this. Try going without caffeine for a month. And when you have, then write to me and tell me if it did or didn't work.

There are no magic tricks for productivity.

But you are what you eat and drink and this colours your mood and your ability to concentrate more than you might think.

Updated: 12 January 2011

Contact: nickluft@gmail.com