Dopamine Junkies

Look around, and you'll find hyperactive people, we are contumacious addicted to getting a shot of dopamine every time something pulls them in another direction.

We might not admit it, but we love distractions. We exactly like a Monkey jumping from one tree branch to another; we are jumping tasks in the name of multitasking and thoughts. We are behaving just like monkeys first checking our emails, then the social media and on the side indulging in some bickering with a friend online at the same time. By the end of the day, none of the tasks has moved anywhere from where they began.

How to get more productive is a question that many are looking for a response. At the same time, there is no magic wand that could do "Abra ka Dabra" and resolve your issues. So let's start things that might probably help bring focus and increase productivity.

Stop multitasking—it's just another form of distraction. Easier said than done, I know. Recently I consulted a PMP certified project manager who manages projects for many large multinationals. He's an expert in keeping people on task, so I thought he'd be the right person to ask.

Here are what he has to Say:

1. Put the Goal first and Work backwards from goals to milestones the to tasks. We wish to build a website ( which is what I am currently doing for my business), So Writing "launch company website" at the top of your to-do list is a sure way to make sure you never get it done. Break down the work into smaller and smaller chunks until you have specific tasks that can be accomplished in a few hours or less: Sketch a wireframe, outline an introduction for the homepage, write the About us, privacy policy, Terms of Service, FAQ's and then the Content, like written material, pictures followed by the video, etc. That's how you set goals and succeed in crossing them off your list.
2. Stop multitasking. No, seriously—stop. Switching from task to task to frequently does not work. One minute you are working on the content. Suddenly you are writing the company's privacy policy and the next second you are working on content because something came to your mind or you got an interesting mail. Changing tasks more than ten times in a day makes you dumber than being stoned. When you're stoned, your IQ drops by five points. When you multitask, it drops by an average of 10 points, 15 for men, five for women (yes, men are three times as bad at multitasking than women).
3. Be militant about eliminating distractions. In the current scenario, when we are all forced to work from home, keeping away distraction is like a nightmare, from the courier company to the kids howling, you have it all. A distraction can easily set you back by a house in case you are doing some creative work. Lock your door, put signup, turn off your phone, texts, email, and instant messaging. If you know you may sneak a peek at your email, set it to offline mode, or even turn off your Internet connection. Go to a quiet area and focus on completing that one task.
4. Schedule your email. Pick two or three times during the day when you're going to use your email. Checking your email constantly throughout the day creates a ton of noise and kills your productivity.
5. Phone. Call people instead of emailing, the platform isn't meant for conversations. Don't reply more than twice to an email. Pick up the phone instead. In case you closely observe the long mail chain on a subject like the Chinese viper either lose track or mauled to an extent and become political to a time that no one wishes to make a decision. The email bounces from individual to another.
6. Don't let others mail decide your day. Work on your agenda. Don't let something else set your day. Most people go right to their emails and start freaking out. You will end up at inbox-zero but accomplish nothing is executable. After you wake up, drink water, so you rehydrate, eat a good breakfast to replenish your glucose, then set prioritized goals for the rest of your day.
7. Remember School, Work in 60 to 90-minute intervals, if this formula worked in school and collages and got you here, it shall defiantly work now as well. Your brain uses up more glucose than any other bodily activity. Typically you will have spent most of it after 60-90 minutes. (That's why you feel so burned out after super long meetings.) So take a break: Get up, go for a walk, have a snack, do something completely different to recharge. And yes, that means you need an extra hour for breaks, not including lunch, so if you're required to get eight hours of work done each day, plan to be there for 9.5-10 hours.
8. Social media is for, after hours, I have seen people responding to WhatsApp chats, Facebook and Instagram Posts during meetings, and in the end when MOM which needs to go out, you have little or no information. Sometimes, lack of antennation on an official video call can incapacitate you to comment on the matter on mail.