One Size Fits None: Productivity for Different Personalities

You've probably heard the term “one size fits all!” Usually, the phrase is used to describe clothing or something that is meant to be used by anyone. But, let's face it. This is counter productive because we all know that no one is the same. No one looks, talks, walks, understands, or works the same as anyone else.

So, why do we try to tell each other how to work productively? Let's look at several ways that some personality types might work differently.

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Practical Productivity Tips: Start your day with a cold shower

I’m now over 120 days into taking a cold shower every morning— a full cold shower from start to finish. The kind of shower that you literally have to count down from 5 every morning to step into and then deal with the shock of the cold (and question your sanity a little bit as to why you do this).

Well, one of the biggest reasons for me starting the cold shower habit is that it’s one of the healthiest and most productive things I do for myself every day. I actually can’t recommend it enough— it’s changed how I start my days, and how much I get done in the few hours after stepping out from the shower.

A lot has been written about the health effects of taking cold showers— it’s supposed to help your immune system, increase your metabolism, improve your body’s thermoregulation, improves your mood, and way more. Today I want to focus on some of the intangible benefits— the emotional benefits of taking a cold shower every morning.

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Creative Ways to Increase Productivity: Doodling!

Every once in a while I get writers block. (Okay fine, it happens often). I do a variety of things to break down my writers block. Sometimes I stare off into space and let my mind wander while I listen to music until it settles on something I can write about. Other times I have to simply start writing and see what happens. Those techniques work most of the time. When they don't, I have to resort to more drastic measures: doodling.

No, you didn't read that wrong, I did say doodling. I doodle to literally get my creative juices flowing, as well as getting my brain in the mood to focus. It allows my mind to relax and open up to new ideas that may pop up.

You don't believe that it works? Here are three riveting facts about doodling:

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Creating Accountability as a Freelancer: 3 Tips & Tricks

When I first started as a freelancer, I quickly took to the life style of being able to control my own hours. I absolutely love the freedom that comes with being able to work on my own— no one is setting a schedule for me, or expecting me in at work at a certain time, or telling me I can’t take vacation whenever I want. Honestly it’s one of the best perks of the job.

However, as with many other things in life, there’s a downside to this kind of freedom: it comes with a lot of personal responsibility and accountability. That was a struggle for me early on in life, and one that I have worked on through the years. Thankfully now I have years of experience behind me. Hopefully I can help someone starting out now with accountability as a freelancer.

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What is Productivity anyway?

We talk a lot about productivity and being a “productivity hacker” or “productivity guru”. As a culture, we spend a lot of time working to increase our productivity and always selling the next best thing to get you there. What exactly is productivity though?

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productivitySamer Abousalbi
Time sheets made simple: Why we made TimeTag

Time keeping should be a relatively simple process. If you strip away all the frills, time keeping is as simple as a start time and a stop time. The activity then can be described later, and time sheets can be put together with all the check in and check out times.

That was the origin story of our TimeTag - Time Management app. We felt that with all the other time keeping apps out there, they asked too much of you when all you wanted to do was start a timer—especially if you were in a hurry to start your activity, like starting a call with a client. That’s why our app features “The Big Green Button” at launch, making it simple to start the timer and immediately exit the app. Coming back later is simple and you can add the tag/description at any time. That was the original vision of the app, and today we’re still committed to that.

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