How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Productivity
How did I get into all this productivity work? Basically, because I’m a big nerd. The 13th is Embrace Your Geekness Day, so why don’t we celebrate our nerdery together?
I started off at college with a degree in physics... mainly because I found astronomy fascinating. (No, not astrology!) Though in high school I was better at biology than I was at physics, but hey, science.
Maybe that should be my new tagline: Hey, science.
I went into finance after college and got my MBA at NYU. I spent the next 20 years or so bouncing nonlinearly around finance: I worked for a private bank, a mutual fund consulting firm, a major chemical company in their safety division as a financial consultant, a fixed-income software company, a life insurer, a regional wealth management firm and a local one. Then I left corporate America.
The last ten or so years I spent as a financial planner, and that’s where I started investigating neuroscience. That’s because I was getting into behavioral finance. Planning is not rocket science or neurosurgery – and not rocket surgery either. To paraphrase Elle Woods, the principles of financial planning are simple and finite.
We made sure that our recommendations were doable for each client and made logical sense in the context of their goals. Clients would agree with what we were saying in the meetings, but then not do the things. If they were operating purely rationally, as economic theory claims we do, then they would be following the suggestions.
But they didn’t. I wanted to understand both why and see if there was a way I could help them act rationally, which is how I got to neuroscience.
Even after I left financial planning, I maintained my fascination with neuroscience. I was doing some ghostwriting (as I still do) and I wrote some books and articles that required me to do some research on how the brain works. I got paid to learn, and what’s better than that?
I have always been productive and always able to get my work done. I usually get things done faster than other people do, but until I did all this research into the brain I didn’t know why. Simply put, I have always naturally worked with my brain in ways that the human brain prefers to work.
As I grew older, I became even more contrarian. (Everyone who worked with me in my 20s: is that even possible??) Increasingly, I resisted the hustle and grind culture and insisted on time for things *I* wanted to do, which had nothing to do with work.
All of that supposedly unproductive stuff (like sleep, friends, and hobbies) actually makes you more productive when you get in the office. Your brain, to paraphrase Tricky Dick this time, is tanned, rested, and ready after taking breaks.
I discovered that contrary to what an alarmingly large percentage of my bosses and supervisors wanted me to think, enjoying life is GOOD for you. There’s no reason to slave away for people who will lay you off whenever they feel like it. Even when you own your own business, it’s critical to take that time for yourself.
Having fun with friends and family, doing activities I enjoy, hiking outdoors, experiencing art, etc., not only make me a less stressed and happier person, but one that’s productive too.
Periodically, throughout my teens and 20s, I tried to be cool. But I, you know, completely failed at that. I eventually figured out that the trick is to find your tribe. They might not have the same interests as you do, but that’s OK as long as they’re embracing their inner geek too.
What’s your inner geek about? What can you monologue about, dive down the rabbit hole for hours, and hyperfocus on? Let me know!
Having trouble focusing? Find out your biggest Distraction Type and how to fix it here.