PRODUCTIVITY
How I Became Super-Efficient
And how you can do it too
It was 29 November 2019, at 8 pm. I could feel my heart beating through my chest. No, I was not working out. I sat in my chair (or as I call it, my throne!) staring at my laptop screen, which displayed the following.
Please click ‘Submit’ when you are ready to submit your thesis.
I paused and contemplated, have I eliminated all the typos? What if I missed something? Then mustering up all the courage on the planet, I clicked ‘Submit’. I had just submitted my doctoral thesis, a culmination of three years’ worth of hard work. In this story, I discuss the factors contributing to my becoming a productive machine and hopefully enriching your life.
My goals for 2019 included finishing my thesis, finding a job, and improving my fitness levels. Two critical factors are worth considering, to gain context regarding these targets.
- I was a self-funded Ph.D. student. The funds included savings from my previous jobs and a generous contribution from my loving parents. I only had sufficient funds to last me till the end of 2019. If I could not secure a job by then, I would have to go back to India and move in with my parents (I am 30 and living in the UK).
- A was undertaking a scientific Ph.D. Commonly, this would include three years of experimental work followed by a year of thesis writing. Due to my financial constraints, I had to compress four years’ worth of work into three. A sizeable proportion (say 45%) of my work eventually needed to be done in 2019. My planning indicated that I would need to start writing my thesis as early as January and finish all the experimental work by July. No pressure then!
Let’s take a look at the ingredients that enabled me to scale this mountain.
CrossFit
CrossFit has changed my life. I started CrossFit as an experiment to see what all the fuss was about, but it became so addictive. CrossFit is challenging, and hence, attracts positive personalities. Negative personalities do not thrive in such raw and grueling scenarios. They either become positive or leave. The influence of surrounding myself with such positive people made me feel like an amalgamation of the roadrunner and the Hulk — fast and unstoppable. I carried this newfound energy into every aspect of my life.
I was also amazed at my cognitive sharpness. Indeed, the scientific literature indicates that intense workouts can significantly enhance our brain function, mainly when they include HIIT or heavy weightlifting. Primarily, key lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups have been known to promote the generation of healthy brain cells.
In August, I became the member of the month at the box — Winner! A perfect companion to my CrossFit exploits was yoga.
Yoga
2018 ended on a difficult note. At the beginning of 2019, I turned to yoga for the primary purpose of emotional healing. However, as time went on, the practice became so much more. I joined a yoga studio and tried all types of classes. These included yin yang yoga, ashtanga yoga, vinyasa flow and my new favorite — hot yoga.
Hot yoga had a profound effect on me in the initial days. For newbies, hot yoga includes performing an active vinyasa flow in a heated room. This practice has a few benefits, a key being the increased flexibility, which was terrific for me. Yin yang yoga became another favorite. The class commonly was split into two parts, yang (energetic vinyasa flow) followed by yin (long-held stretches). For the latter, I had to hold the poses for a long time (around 5 minutes each). These long stretches had two benefits.
- Staying in the same position for 5 minutes can be challenging, particularly for someone filled with all the CrossFit energy. Hence, this practice has a meditative component that helped me increase my ability to concentrate.
- Such long-held poses don’t only enable the stretching of the muscles, but also lengthen the fascia and connective tissue. This practice helped me recover from my CrossFit workouts, creating a very fulfilling circle.
Social Life
During 2019, I had a thriving social life. During the working week, I was commonly in a CrossFit box or a yoga studio, meeting and joking with people. Additionally, I hung out with other friends during the weekend. Before 2019, I spent time with as many people as possible, but not all of them enriched my life. Some of my acquaintances were very negative. They were unhappy in their own lives, and that negativity influenced me greatly. Come 2019, and I ensured that I only surround myself with positive people. These people were genuinely happy and driven in their own lives, and served as a source of inspiration for me.
During one of these weekends, a friend asked me
Nikhil, this is the final year of your Ph.D. How come you are here hanging out with us, instead of working on your thesis?
I replied — this is my outlet. I need these evenings to unwind and relax.
I didn’t convince my friend. Upon returning home, I thought to myself — I feel great after hanging out, no guilt — why? I ventured into the literature again. I found that laughter and happiness can help our nervous system recover from stressful tasks. Additionally, research has also indicated that happiness leads to an increase in productivity.
Takeaways
- I would strongly recommend everyone to join CrossFit and Yoga. Incorporate both these practices into your weekly routine and stick with it for at least six months. I promise you will not recognize yourself.
- Only surround yourself with positive people. It is crucial to have a few friends who enrich your life and inspire you to become better every day.
I did not dedicate every living second of 2019 to my thesis and job search. Instead, I created a very positive environment around myself which promoted me to new levels of productivity. When going to CrossFit, yoga, or socializing, I was technically not working on my primary goals for the year. However, these activities contributed significantly to me achieving all my objectives. I sometimes look back and think, what if I had never joined CrossFit? What if I had caged myself in a room with my desk and laptop, would I have done any better? Honestly — I don’t think so.
Once I submitted my thesis, I relocated to Aberdeen to start my new job, and so began a new chapter in my life. I hope my experience can inspire you to become a better version of yourself.
