Break Free From 'Normal' And Watch Your Productivity Skyrocket
How to use Design Thinking principles to supercharge your productivity (part 3)
Design Thinking is a creative problem-solving approach that helps you understand people’s needs, think creatively, and produce innovative ideas. It’s like putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, exploring a problem from different angles, trying out new ideas, and learning as you go.
In this third article of five, we will explore another key principle and how you can apply it to make yourself more productive.
On to today’s article!
We often hear about why it’s important to build habits into our day, to get the most out of it and live the life that we want – looking at you here, James Clear.
But what happens when those habits become so samey, that they’re ineffective?
We get stale.
Sometimes we must go all out and try something different.
It can be anything.
Change the seat you sit at, at the dining table.
Go the opposite direction on your walk around the block.
Only flick the light switch on 2 times instead of 10 before leaving the room.
Whatever your quirk is, when it comes to getting stuff done, it pays to experiment and break the shackles of normal.
If you’re wondering what that looks like for you, let’s explore a reality that’s based on disrupting your normal thinking.
What’s it all about?
When you disrupt your normal thinking, you step out of your comfort zone to challenge your entrenched mindsets and assumptions.
This approach creates breakthroughs and uncovers novel ideas that wouldn’t emerge through routine ways of doing things.
Which in turn, can radically improve your personal productivity levels.
My personal journey with this principle
Back in March 2020 at the start of COVID, I had an idea for a business.
Selda of February 2020 would have thought this was crazy.
The world was locked down, no one knew if the pandemic we were facing was going to wipe out the human species, and Bean was an anti-napping, no sleeping, active kind of baby.
This was no time to start a business!
To assess whether this idea was going to work, I had to act fast.
I went from a draft idea to a physical product in my hands in three months, whilst nursing my 16-month-old baby around the clock, and not being able to go out of the flat we lived in because of lock-down.
Getting to a physical product so quickly was quite a feat, even by my standards.
I used three principles to drastically cut in half the time it took to set up a new business:
I started with the end in mind – I was very clear in my head about what I was trying to achieve.
I involved the right people– I surveyed over 100 of my target audience on the idea to see if they would buy the thing I had in my head. And,
I disrupted my own normal ways of thinking – I stepped out of my comfort zone by paying for a course to walk me through the process, and enlisting the help of someone who’s been there and done it before.
I wouldn’t have been able to create this business so quickly, if I hadn’t challenged my own beliefs and thinking around what was possible.
That’s great Selda, but how do I do it?
Here are seven ideas to help you get more done or work faster, by disrupting your normal thinking.
Challenge your assumptions.
Start by examining the assumptions you have about your own productivity levels. Ask yourself:
What do I believe about how work should be done?
What habits or routines do I follow without question?
Are there tasks or activities I consider essential that might not actually contribute to my goals?
For example, if you assume that productivity means working long hours or constantly multitasking, challenge this by experimenting with working in shorter, more focused bursts (using techniques like Pomodoro) or by focusing on one task at a time to see if it leads to better outcomes.
Consider testing alternatives that seem counterintuitive, like taking more frequent breaks or dedicating extra time to creative brainstorming sessions.
Switch up your environment.
Your environment and habits can significantly influence your productivity.
If you always work from a desk, try moving to a different location like a café, a park, or a coworking space.
Sometimes, a new environment can stimulate creativity and productivity by breaking the monotony and encouraging different ways of thinking.
Or if you always use the same tools or software, experiment with new productivity apps, tools, or even my favourite analogue methods (like paper planners). This can give you a fresh perspective on how you manage your time and tasks.
Design limitations into your day.
Constraints can often lead to creativity and innovation.
By deliberately imposing constraints on your work process, you may discover more efficient or creative ways to get things done. - Young Selda would use this idea all the time when she needed to finish her homework by a certain time, and be ready for another busy night working in the kitchen.
A practical way to do this is instead of working on a task until it’s “perfect,” give yourself a strict time limit (e.g., 30 minutes to draft a proposal). The constraint forces you to focus on what’s essential. And, you may even find that some tasks don’t need as much time as you think.
Invert your schedule.
Re-evaluate how you prioritize your tasks.
If you typically work a standard 9-5, experiment with shifting your most productive work to early mornings or late nights when there are fewer distractions.
Or try reversing the order in which you tackle tasks.
Deliberately put yourself outside your comfort zone.
If you typically plan your day meticulously, try working without a plan for a day and see how it affects your productivity and creativity.
Or, if you always work alone, try collaborating with others, hiring a mentor (I can help you here), or using crowdsourcing for ideas.
Seek unusual inspiration.
Open yourself up to the latest ideas and learning from unexpected places.
This can inspire innovative approaches to your work and challenge your current productivity mindset.
Personally, I love to read books, articles, or listen to podcasts from completely unrelated fields to get new ideas.
Reframe Challenges
Ask yourself provocative ‘what-if’ questions that force you to think differently about your productivity challenges.
For example, "What if I could only work two hours a day?" or "What if I had to double my output without increasing my working hours?"
These questions can help you identify creative ways to streamline your processes or eliminate non-essential tasks.
Also, shift your focus from how you do things to what you are trying to achieve. Ask, "What outcome am I really after, and what’s the most direct path to get there?"
Conclusion
To apply the design thinking principle of "disrupting normal thinking" to your personal productivity:
challenge your existing beliefs and routines,
embrace constraints,
change your environment,
prioritize differently, and
seek inspiration from unconventional sources.
The goal is to step out of your comfort zone and experiment with new methods to find what works best for you, which often leads to higher productivity and creativity.
I’d love to hear what ideas this article has provoked in you, please share them with me!
See you next week.
-Selda
P.S – If you found this article helpful, don’t keep it to yourself, share it with your friends, family and colleagues and let’s get everyone trying something new this week!
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how to build a life you love, here are a few ways I can help you:
Personal guidance and coaching to find more hours each day:
Double your productivity and do more of what matters to you:
🚀Supercharge Your Productivity: Take the stress out of your week and juggle all of your jobs without working yourself to death
⚖️7 Proven Strategies to a Better Work Life Balance: Spend less time at work and more time on the things you really want to do
Very interesting approach on how you actually Made it Work. Thinking how is difficult but putting in practice is actually the real challenge. Paying for a mastership to gain speed is the decision! Thanks Selda, as always
I have always found your articles informational. Thanks for sharing, Selda!