How to instantly cut 2 hours from your daily work and accomplish more

Oh, end of another bone-stiffening day.

You sigh, rub your misty eyes, and slump down on your soft bed to taste some ice-cream.

You’re tired and drained yet a part of your mind desires to push more.

But you direly feel like resting a little.

It’s vital to refresh your creativity and health, right?

As it slips around your tongue, you try enjoying the crispy texture of the ice-cream, but you can’t, because a bunch of work files are open in your mind.

And you think…

Can I ever get successful in enjoying the little pleasures of my everyday life?

Maybe you’re overambitious, maybe not. But you certainly require changing the approach you have for your work.

Fortunately, these mind-quickening points can inject fresh electric in you when you’re sucked up:

Forget work and talk about war

Rewind to June, 1942. German air force is bombarding England to hold sway over Europe.

The Commanding General of the European Theater of Operations for the US Army, Dwight Eisenhower is plunged among those whizzing planes of death in London to retaliate.

Stamping victory upon victory, curbing German army’s onslaught looks impossible. General has reached the edge of collapsing because he is working 15-18 hours a day.

To bust the pressure, Eisenhower orders his assistant Harry Butcher to find a “hideout” far from the domineering Dorchester (the hotel where he with other top dignitaries are assigned a suite). Butcher hits upon the unassuming Telegraph Cottage.

Here, to allay his worries, Eisenhower often slips to play golf, bridge, rides in the nearby park, and simply relishes country life’s humble pleasures.

Leaders turn sceptical – with such carelessness at such critical times, this general will be able to do anything even mediocre.

But …

Eisenhower becomes an accomplished leader of World War II.

What mystery unravelled?

Frequently moving away from work Eisenhower detached himself from work-worry which permitted him to survey the scenario from fresh angles.

If breaking off from work fetched that anxiety-torn general so mesmerising results, then imagine what it can do you.

But how to cool your feet in burning pressure?

Not simple to feel cool and restful when multiple layers of pressure are around your head. So see how other geniuses went across it:

• Albert Einstein took frequent hiking expeditions
• Charles Dickens walked daily for 12-15 miles
• Charles Darwin spent his afternoons walking in nature-rich farms

What this hints?

Regularly diving in deep play including long, rigorous physical activity helps us forget about the daily grind.

The problem

Since our childhood we’re drugged with the idea that excelling in any stream requires us to devote all our days and nights chasing it. Our productivity is in proportion with the time we bestow on our work.

But –

If despite those hiking trips Einstein can produce The Theory of General Relativity and publish great scientific works…

If despite walking daily for 12-15 miles Dickens can produce about a dozen top-class novels…

If despite spending afternoons walking Darwin can keep forth The Origin of Species and several stormy papers…

Then think what can it do to you.

Sweep away garbage

Our minds have more traffic than can be tackled. It thins our attention and concentration, and consequently our thinking gets blurred.

Here sweeping away mind-garbage gets more vital.

Pareto Principle dictates only 20% of our inputs produce 80% results. Cutting off the 80% fluff to make space for the 20% core works like magic. Generally the fluff is:

• Frequently peeping in our emails and social networks
• Firing up family/office/neighbourhood gossips
• Consuming news like a hungry hound
• Running and rerunning stories in our minds that concern not with the reality

Taking in garbage will inevitably make us produce garbage – garbage in garbage out. What thy sow thy reap.

To fortify myself against garbage, on the 100th day of 2018 I deleted Facebook from my life. Despite clamping ironclad rules to preserve my time, I averaged 5 minutes spending on that highly addictive network per day – which meant ruining about my 8 productive days every year.

Further, deleting news, gossips, excessive email-checking freed up my mind permitting me to focus on fruitful activities – meditating and chatting with my family.

The bottom line?

If you’re missing your priorities, you’re permitting irrelevant stuff.

Occasionally pondering to catch and cut off this fluff will make room for the essential 20% that generates results.

The soul-nourishing reward

Imagine you’re enjoying the soft sunset with that sweet feeling that your day’s work is done.

You’re eager to spent blissful time with your family and friends because you need not fret over work.

You’re not nervous to think about the next-morning work – you’re excited to attack it with full force.

After all, you’re sure that by evening you’ll again feel energetic and fulfilled.

Just start by embracing one of these advices and witness the change.

And though it sounds horribly cliché, the blood-tingling truth?

You can do it.