Below are a bunch of tips, systems, and devices for improving productivity. I don't mean to claim I know a lot about productivity—I think there is likely a lot of useful advice I am missing. If you are new to thinking about productivity, a lot of this stuff might be useful, though it is probably better to instead aim for the mindset that can generate these tips and habits for yourself. For this, I recommend attending a Center for Applied Rationality workshop, reading the CFAR handbook, checking out Neel Nanda's blog, and/or reading Rationality: A to Z (podcast form here).
My recommendations are in very rough order of how much I recommend them, based on how excited I am/would expect someone else to be to know about the tip (my top recommendation being Things 3 + Apple Watch). Though I didn't try that hard to order things in this way.
Table of Contents
TODO List: Things 3 + Apple Watch
Computer Restrictions: Cold Turkey
Sleep: Tips
Exercise: Tips
Phone Restrictions: ScreenTime or Freedom
Reading list: Instapaper
Device: Computer Monitor
Internet speed: Ethernet cable and good internet service
Things 3 (ETA: Mac required, making me recommend a Mac more than I would otherwise)
Can add todos, blog post ideas, projects ideas, any other useful notes from my apple watch with my voice very easily through my watch (takes two watch screen taps)
On the computer, can add stuff to your todo listwith akeyboard shortcut from any app
E.g. when reading an email, I can press ctrl + space, and this pops up in the middle of my screen. There is even a hyperlink to the email in the description of the todo
Move TODOs to specific dates in the future such that they appear in your inbox on that date
I use this at least once per week, surprisingly useful
Useful for things like things you want to apply to but the application doesn't open for months, people you want to reach out to when traveling to a new place, bumping an important emailafter a week if there is no reply, etc
Have lists for things other than todos
Mistakes or bugs
Blog post ideas
Project ideas
People to talk to
Things to learn
"Someday" todos
Apple Watch (ETA: iPhone required, making me recommend an iPhone more than I would otherwise)
Be reminded of all calendar events with wrist buzz
Add to-dos, blog post ideas, project ideas, etc. easily with voice
I don’t know the ScreenTime passcode, and it is written in a notebook that I never look at
When I need to edit the ScreenTime settings, I have someone else type in the passcode and show them the notebook
App store blocked
Deleted all apps except utilities, reading list, and podcasts
Calendar
Todo list (Things 3)
Safari (heavily restricted)
Google Maps
Uber
Instapaper (reading list)
Podcast App
Uber Eats
Financial apps
Audible
Music
Other utility apps
Blocked all websites except necessities
Wikipedia
Google searches
Health-advice websites
Car repair websites
Restaurant review websites
Airline related websites
Financial websites
Advice: when traveling or doing anything other than very routine work-life, unblock everything
Reading list: Instapaper
Instapaper app, program, and extension
Easily add any URL to your reading list
Read from phone, iPad, computer
Read at meals
Instapaper is one of the only "fun" things on my phone
Device: Computer Monitor
Makes a number of tasks faster and easier
Less cluttered screen
According to a study (sponsored by a monitor company), people using a 24-inch screen were 52% more productive than those using an 18-inch screen (link).
Internet speed: Ethernet cable and good internet service
Ethernet cable for computer plugged into your router
Get better internet service — I've never actually bought service, so would be happy for someone to give a recommendation
Device: Mouse
Significantly faster than a trackpad (for me)
Even if it isn't at first, it should eventually be faster I think?
Miscellaneous tips
Using bookmarks and bookmark folders in google chrome
Move your phone to a hard to reach place to make it less distracting
For tasks you are avoiding, instead of doing the task, just think about doing it in detail
Eg "First I would find webpage A, contact information B, write the introduction sentence of an email, ..."
Accountability bets
Make commitments with your friends of the form "If I succeed/fail at X, then I have to/get to Y"
Try leveraging an irrational fear
Leveraging a rational fear means that the losing condition is actually bad, but an irrational fears coming true is likely not "actually bad"
Eg I found that making the losing condition be "eat a bowl of cereal" was much more motivating than "pay $300 dollars" because I am irrationally afraid of cereal
Your environment shapes your actions a lot
Have a different place for different activities:
Sleeping
Working
Eating
Reading
Socializing
Wearing different clothes when you work is an example of another thing that might help you be more in the productive mindset
Your brain infers what behavior it should employ based on the environment
"I'm wearing nice clothes must be time to work"
Vitamins
Iron, B12, Omega 3, creatine (might improve cognition, apparently. Feel free to source in comments)
Have a sugary multivitamin so you actually take all of your vitamins
Practice taking all of them at once
Faster and no time cost to adding a new pill
Though micromorts from the possibility of choking?
Iron, B12, Omega 3, creatine (might improve cognition, apparently. Feel free to source in comments)
In the Four Hour Body, Tim Ferriss asserts that more Iron is correlated with higher mortality and suggest that you should rather do blood donations to reduce the amount of iron then to take supplements for it.
Have a sugary multivitamin so you actually take all of your vitamins
This ignores the question of whether taking a multivatamin provides benefits and most studies of multivitamins don't find benefits.
I think it's highly questionable to override your bodies sense of what vitamins it wants with sugar in the case of multivitamins because your body might have a good reason to get you to avoid a product that's unhealthy for you.
I love the sound of Cold Turkey. I use Freedom for my computer, and I use it less than I otherwise would because of this anxious feeling, almost certainly exaggerated but still with a basis in reality, that whenever I start a full block it is a Really Big Deal and I might accidentally screw myself over - for example, if I suddenly remember I have to do something else. (Say, I'm looking for houses and it turns out I actually need to go look something up). But Cold Turkey, I'd just block stuff a lot more freely without the anxiety - I'll know if I really need something I can unlock it. All while having the calm that comes from Twitter not being immediately accessible.
I also find the Freedom interface really terrible and that trivial inconvenience can keep me from starting blocks.
How often would you say you spend time-you-don't-endorse after unlocking something with the N random characters? Is it pretty effective at keeping you in line?
[Read bolded words to skim]
Below are a bunch of tips, systems, and devices for improving productivity. I don't mean to claim I know a lot about productivity—I think there is likely a lot of useful advice I am missing. If you are new to thinking about productivity, a lot of this stuff might be useful, though it is probably better to instead aim for the mindset that can generate these tips and habits for yourself. For this, I recommend attending a Center for Applied Rationality workshop, reading the CFAR handbook, checking out Neel Nanda's blog, and/or reading Rationality: A to Z (podcast form here).
My recommendations are in very rough order of how much I recommend them, based on how excited I am/would expect someone else to be to know about the tip (my top recommendation being Things 3 + Apple Watch). Though I didn't try that hard to order things in this way.
Table of Contents
TODO List: Things 3 + Apple Watch
Computer restrictions: Cold Turkey
Sleep: buy anything that can improve your sleep
Exercise: Find a fulfilling form of exercise that you will do consistently
Phone restrictions: Screentime (iOS) or Freedom
Reading list: Instapaper
Device: Computer Monitor
Internet speed: Ethernet cable and good internet service
Device: Mouse
Miscellaneous tips
Tracking device usage: RescueTime or Toggl or Forest
Useful programs/apps/sites
Useful browser extensions
Device: MacBook (borrow first)
Password Manager: Dashlane or NordPass (free?)
Other products