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Do not cut the woodworker by mistake

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Editor’s note: We often fall into a misperception in our lives, focusing on apparently productive work, and then silently ignoring important and invisible work, but the latter is clearly the former. An indispensable guarantee of success. The author lists 7 habits that seem to be lazy, but in fact they will do more with less and increase efficiency. I hope it will help you in your future work, life and study. This article is translated from medium, written by Scott H. Young, and titled 7 Habits that Seem Lazy (But Actually Let You Get More Done).

In 1850, French economist Claude-Frédéric Bastiat published the famous article “Ce qu’on voit et ce qu’on ne voit pas”. In the book, he opposes the “bad economist” only looking at the initial effects of action, without considering its further consequences.

Bastiat cites an example of breaking a shop window. To repair the windows, the shop owner had to hire a glass maker. Now that glass makers have money, they can use it to buy more things, forming a positive cycle. So breaking a piece of glass has improved the economy, hasn’t it?

But this view only describes what is visible-spending money, hiring glass workers-not invisible situations, such as other things you can buy with this money. A bad economist reasoned on the surface that we should break the window to stimulate the economy. And smart economists know that breaking things makes things worse.

It’s not surprising that breaking windows can be counterproductive. In our working lives, however, many people are precisely the bad economists warned by Bastiat. When we focus on clearly productive work, we tend to silently ignore important work that is invisible.

Think of those who stay late in the office every night and show everyone how teamwork he is. But he won’t tell you it makes him sleepReduce and make him slow. He missed time with his colleagues, who could have recommended him for projects and promotions. He never had time to think, so he couldn’t come up with a good idea to take him one step further. Although he did put in a lot of effort, the lack of progress only made him feel that he was not working hard enough.

Today, I want to consider the issues raised by Bastiat from a work perspective. What invisible factors affect our productivity and make things seem lazy productive?

1. Get enough sleep

Efficiency enthusiasts are obsessed with getting up early. Getting up at 7 in the morning is not enough. You need to wake up at 6 AM, 5 AM, or even 4:30 AM.

Each of us has different natural sleep times, so getting up early may be right for some people. But for many others, it forces us into an unnatural rhythm, which results in less sleep.

Sleeping is a classic example of seemingly lazy but actually improving efficiency. Not only does sleep consolidate memory, enhance cognition, and improve mood, the consequences of lack of sleep are catastrophic. Because of lack of sleep, many people think they have “adapted”, but the fact is that our cognitive ability is constantly declining.

A good night’s sleep will make you work better.

2. Take a long walk for thinking

In our work, seeing things that are more important than seeing them is another consequence. We reduce the time we spend thinking. Since outsiders don’t see what we’re thinking, usually those who stare into space or “take a break” are considered lazy.

In fact, long walks for thinking are one of the most productive things you can do. When Albert Einstein conceived the ideas behind General Relativity, most of his ideas were germinated during long walks. If he is forced to publish mediocre papers constantly giving the illusion of efficiency, then our entire understanding of the universe willAnd become impoverished.

3. Gossiping with colleagues

You think gossip by the water fountain is lazy, but it’s not.

In the book “Enigma of Reason”, researchers Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber believe that humans did not think independently during evolution. Our reasoning, logic, and insight are used to win debates, not to determine truth.

However, this means that when you only consider your own problems, it is difficult to find the right solution. In the process of communication, you will use your rational ability in a creative way. Therefore, in chat, the spark of thinking will burn in the collision.

4. Take a nap

Sleep is important. Especially at night, you can go into a deeper sleep stage and strengthen your memory.

But sadly, our lives do not always allow for perfect sleep. Sometimes we find it difficult to stay awake at work and make little progress. In this case, napping should be seen as a way to increase efficiency, not a laziness that wastes time.

The problem with taking a nap at noon is that you sometimes oversleep by accident, and then you feel groggy (not to mention wasting time). Therefore, you can consider holding a spoon in your hand while sleeping. When you sleep too heavily, your muscles will relax, the spoon will fall, and the sound will wake you up.

Alternatively, you can have a cup of coffee before taking a nap, which will also extend your awake time. This combination works especially well because the adenosine that makes you feel sleepy is eliminated from the body after taking a nap, and the caffeine you take in early will also work after you take a nap to keep you awake.

5. Say “No” to most opportunities and tasks

“If you want to accomplish something, give it to a busy person”, oldThat’s what Huaxiang said. I think this sentence actually hides a meaning. Busy people are those who have a hard time saying no to those who take up their time. And that’s why they are busy.

I like the approach of Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman. Climbing the peak of physics is hard work. As Feynman admits, “To get high-quality physical results, you really need a considerable amount of time.” His solution is to avoid people from bothering him with busy work and telling them that they are lazy and irresponsible :

I made up another myth for myself-I’m not responsible. I told everyone that I didn’t do anything else. If someone asks me to join a committee responsible for admissions, I will say no, I am an irresponsible person.

Efficiency does not mean doing the most, but getting the most out of what you do.

6. Regular vacation

“If you love your work, every day is a holiday.” This sentence is theoretically good, but it is bad in practice. Even if you love your work, you need to get rid of it and put your mind elsewhere, so as to break the habitual pattern that keeps you stuck at work.

When journalist Ezra Klein and economist Tyler Cowen discussed travel, Klein said he was often tired from traveling. Cowen replied that he can travel frequently because he treats business as seriously as most people do about work. He didn’t want it to be a leisure, but to see it as an opportunity to expand his knowledge.

I agree with Cowen. Travel is not the only way to broaden your mind, but often going to new places—both physically and mentally—is the key to avoiding getting into old habits. Your daily work will ultimately prevent you from discovering creative new solutions. Observing and discovering new things prevents your thoughts andIt is vital that action becomes rigid.

7. Stop doing the work you hate

Sometimes, the hardest and most efficient person accomplishes the least. This is because their tolerance for errands prevents them from giving up unrequited work.

Almost everyone who has done something valuable has done work that is meaningful and enjoyable to them. They don’t necessarily completely abandon jobs that are meaningless or disliked, but there is absolutely no harm in minimizing these hours.

To really do what you love, sometimes you need to stop doing what you hate.

Translator: Hi Soup