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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by saayoutloud@lemmy.world to c/casualconversation@lemm.ee

Share your best and worst productivity methods along with your personal experiences. Maybe it will help others in this community choose the right method for themselves based on our collective experiences.

I'll start by sharing the best and worst productivity methods I've tried, along with my personal thoughts:

Worst — Getting Things Done (GTD)

There's no doubt that GTD is one of the most popular productivity methods out there. Many of you might even consider it the best. However, my experience with it was far from positive. In my case, I found that this method pushed me to work non-stop, completely ignoring the importance of health and well-being. Personally, I believe it fuels a toxic productivity mindset that emphasizes doing more, without considering the quality of life. It pains me to remember how, in the past, GTD led me to experience severe mental health issues, including burnout, stress, and constant overwhelm. On top of that, I often felt like a failure whenever I couldn’t complete everything on my to-do list by the end of the day.

Best — Humane Productivity Framework

I came across this method earlier this month, but I can confidently say it’s the best one I’ve ever encountered. What sets this framework apart is its core philosophy, which focuses on managing energy and attention, rather than just time. The creator argues that while time is constant, our energy and focus fluctuate—and that’s what we should be managing. Since adopting this framework, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my productivity. More importantly, I no longer deal with the stress, burnout, or constant feelings of failure that plagued me with other methods. It’s been a game-changer for me. Also, it never pushed me beyond my limits like other methods due to its mindful and unique approach, which helped me stay focused and only do those things that are actually important.

I’m really looking forward to hearing about your best and worst productivity methods. I hope to learn something new from your personal experiences, as someone who's also on the journey of self-improvement!

EXTRA: I will add the link to the article here for easy access, just in case anyone else is interested in checking out Humane Productivity Framework.

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I started reading last year, mostly productivity stuff, but now I’m really looking to jump into fiction to unwind after a long week of uni, studying, and work. I need something to help me relax during the weekends without feeling like I’m working.

I’d love some recommendations for books that are short enough to finish in a day but still hit hard and are totally worth it. No specific genre preferences right now. I'm open to whatever. Looking forward to seeing what you guys suggest. Thank you very much in advance.

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I started reading last year, mostly productivity stuff, but now I’m really looking to jump into fiction to unwind after a long week of uni, studying, and work. I need something to help me relax during the weekends without feeling like I’m working.

I’d love some recommendations for books that are short enough to finish in a day but still hit hard and are totally worth it. No specific genre preferences right now. I'm open to whatever. Looking forward to seeing what you guys suggest. Thank you very much in advance.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

We both are perfectionists, but after reading the advice from everyone here, we are trying to be more flexible. Your advice is concise, but very helpful. Thank you very much.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

We're from Singapore and are going to Japan. I have found lots of helpful nuggets in your tip, so thank you very much.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

IT WON’T RUN YOUR TRIP. HOW THE TWO OF YOU DEAL WITH IT, DETERMINES IF YOU’LL HAVE A GREAT TIME.

This one hit hard.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

I really love that pro-tip that you have mentioned. I was too naive to make it perfect, but your tip has changed my perspective on this. Thank you very much for this pro tip.

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I'm going on my first overseas trip with my girlfriend since we started dating. I worked hard all last year to earn and save money for this trip. It will be our first international trip ever, and I want to make it perfect, memorable, and the best trip of our lives.

I've read countless articles online to ensure everything is perfect. It felt overwhelming to the point that my head started to hurt. Fortunately, I found an article that provided a detailed guideline, and it seemed like the perfect guide. My girlfriend and I have been following it, and it has been very helpful so far.

However, I decided to come to this community to seek additional guidance, advice, and tips from you all, just in case the article missed something important. My girlfriend and I would greatly appreciate any travel tips, advice, and guidance you have, as this is our first trip abroad together.

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I'm going on my first overseas trip with my girlfriend since we started dating. I worked hard all last year to earn and save money for this trip. It will be our first international trip ever, and I want to make it perfect, memorable, and the best trip of our lives.

I've read countless articles online to ensure everything is perfect. It felt overwhelming to the point that my head started to hurt. Fortunately, I found an article that provided a detailed guideline, and it seemed like the perfect guide. My girlfriend and I have been following it, and it has been very helpful so far.

However, I decided to come to this community to seek additional guidance, advice, and tips from you all, just in case the article missed something important. My girlfriend and I would greatly appreciate any travel tips, advice, and guidance you have, as this is our first trip abroad together.

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[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

I've tried lots of things, but nothing worked, due to which I became hopeless. Then my girlfriend found that article and shared it with me. And it worked like magic. Nowadays, I'm a little bit tight on money because my girlfriend and I are going on our first overseas trip later this month; otherwise, I would have donated him at least $10.

A few months ago, things got so bad for me due to phone addiction that I had to go to a therapist, but he was asking for hundreds of dollars to help me. I still cannot believe that it is available for free, and only a few people have supported that article writer. I think either this person is too stupid to not make money from this or maybe he is too kind. 

I hope more and more people support him for changing the lives of so many people.  

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

It always help.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 32 points 4 months ago

I didn't want to bore anyone with details; that's why I never shared everything. But here is the link: A Practical Guide to Overcoming Phone Addiction

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

I'm sharing this story with everyone so I can inspire others to work on their phone addiction before it takes over their lives. Phone addiction ruined my life, and I don't want anyone else's life to be ruined due to this.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

Thank you very much!

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

I absolutely agree. I was wasting time doom-scrolling through social media apps. It started to cause lots of problems for my health and relationships. Other than that, I felt like I was wasting time on things that didn't deserve my time, but I wasn't able to control my urge to pick up my phone. I'm very lucky that my girlfriend helped me through this hard time. If your friends or anyone else ever needs help overcoming their addiction, then let me know, and I'll share that article with you that has helped me overcome my phone addiction.

[-] saayoutloud@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago

I'm happy to know that my post has put a smile on someone's face. Nowadays I've got a got a summer break from university, so I don't use alarms. But I'll definitely buy an alarm clock for me when my university starts again and I've got to wake up early. Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful tip.

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TL;DR: In four weeks, I’ve cut my average screen time from 8 hours and 55 minutes to 1 hour and 28 minutes on average.

I know no one cares about this, but I still wanted to share it here just in case someone is facing the same problem and looking for motivation.

I recently finished my semester and got a summer break. My girlfriend and I planned our first big trip abroad, something we’d been looking forward to for more than a year. But after getting free from studies and exams, I got addicted to my phone, spending hours scrolling social media. My addiction started to ruin our plans and our excitement for the trip.

More than a month ago, my girlfriend spent a weekend finding resources to help me. She found an article with practical methods for different levels of phone addiction. Inspired by her effort, I decided to give it a shot.

Week 1 saw my screen time drop to 7 hours and 35 minutes on average, which made me very happy because I never thought anything would help me with my phone addiction. Even though I started with no hope, seeing this result gave me hope.

Week 2 brought it down further to 5 hours and 12 minutes on average. The key was a fun challenge my girlfriend and I did together to stay off our phones. Having her as my support system made everything so much easier.

In Week 3, I tried a $23 timed locker my girlfriend got from Amazon. It worked wonders, cutting my late-night screen time and improving my sleep. I ended the week with an average of 4 hours and 3 minutes on average. Despite a slight setback over the weekend due to feeling down, I’m happy with my progress, even though it was very little.

In the last week of this challenge, I kept up the same habits but added a new twist suggested by my girlfriend. We signed up for swimming classes and started going daily because we always wanted to learn swimming. It’s been fun, and I’m loving every second of it. I also started locking my phone for an hour in the morning using the timed locker. This helped me bring down my screen time to 1 hour and 28 minutes. While my initial goal was 1 hour or less, I’m proud of myself with my progress.

Honestly, I couldn't have achieved this without my girlfriend’s support. I’m incredibly grateful to have her in my life. Dating her was the best decision I've ever made. I want to write a big thank-you paragraph here, but I don't want to bore anyone.

Here is my screen time screenshot before I started: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JQVQaI1q7xgLUpojzx6osRci8zwwGWoJ/view?usp=sharing

Here is my screen time screenshot from the previous week: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TjBWCJyLDX29fdgdaq-UJ21X3osVcBhx/view?usp=sharing

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TL;DR: In four weeks, I’ve cut my average screen time from 8 hours and 55 minutes to 1 hour and 28 minutes on average.

I know no one cares about this, but I still wanted to share it here just in case someone is facing the same problem and looking for motivation.

I recently finished my semester and got a summer break. My girlfriend and I planned our first big trip abroad, something we’d been looking forward to for more than a year. But after getting free from studies and exams, I got addicted to my phone, spending hours scrolling social media. My addiction started to ruin our plans and our excitement for the trip.

More than a month ago, my girlfriend spent a weekend finding resources to help me. She found an article with practical methods for different levels of phone addiction. Inspired by her effort, I decided to give it a shot.

Week 1 saw my screen time drop to 7 hours and 35 minutes on average, which made me very happy because I never thought anything would help me with my phone addiction. Even though I started with no hope, seeing this result gave me hope.

Week 2 brought it down further to 5 hours and 12 minutes on average. The key was a fun challenge my girlfriend and I did together to stay off our phones. Having her as my support system made everything so much easier.

In Week 3, I tried a $23 timed locker my girlfriend got from Amazon. It worked wonders, cutting my late-night screen time and improving my sleep. I ended the week with an average of 4 hours and 3 minutes on average. Despite a slight setback over the weekend due to feeling down, I’m happy with my progress, even though it was very little.

In the last week of this challenge, I kept up the same habits but added a new twist suggested by my girlfriend. We signed up for swimming classes and started going daily because we always wanted to learn swimming. It’s been fun, and I’m loving every second of it. I also started locking my phone for an hour in the morning using the timed locker. This helped me bring down my screen time to 1 hour and 28 minutes. While my initial goal was 1 hour or less, I’m proud of myself with my progress.

Honestly, I couldn't have achieved this without my girlfriend’s support. I’m incredibly grateful to have her in my life. Dating her was the best decision I've ever made. I want to write a big thank-you paragraph here, but I don't want to bore anyone.

Here is my screen time screenshot before I started: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JQVQaI1q7xgLUpojzx6osRci8zwwGWoJ/view?usp=sharing

Here is my screen time screenshot from the previous week: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TjBWCJyLDX29fdgdaq-UJ21X3osVcBhx/view?usp=sharing

44

TL;DR: In four weeks, I’ve cut my average screen time from 8 hours and 55 minutes to 1 hour and 28 minutes on average.

I know no one cares about this, but I still wanted to share it here just in case someone is facing the same problem and looking for motivation.

I recently finished my semester and got a summer break. My girlfriend and I planned our first big trip abroad, something we’d been looking forward to for more than a year. But after getting free from studies and exams, I got addicted to my phone, spending hours scrolling social media. My addiction started to ruin our plans and our excitement for the trip.

More than a month ago, my girlfriend spent a weekend finding resources to help me. She found an article with practical methods for different levels of phone addiction. Inspired by her effort, I decided to give it a shot.

Week 1 saw my screen time drop to 7 hours and 35 minutes on average, which made me very happy because I never thought anything would help me with my phone addiction. Even though I started with no hope, seeing this result gave me hope.

Week 2 brought it down further to 5 hours and 12 minutes on average. The key was a fun challenge my girlfriend and I did together to stay off our phones. Having her as my support system made everything so much easier.

In Week 3, I tried a $23 timed locker my girlfriend got from Amazon. It worked wonders, cutting my late-night screen time and improving my sleep. I ended the week with an average of 4 hours and 3 minutes on average. Despite a slight setback over the weekend due to feeling down, I’m happy with my progress, even though it was very little.

In the last week of this challenge, I kept up the same habits but added a new twist suggested by my girlfriend. We signed up for swimming classes and started going daily because we always wanted to learn swimming. It’s been fun, and I’m loving every second of it. I also started locking my phone for an hour in the morning using the timed locker. This helped me bring down my screen time to 1 hour and 28 minutes. While my initial goal was 1 hour or less, I’m proud of myself with my progress.

Honestly, I couldn't have achieved this without my girlfriend’s support. I’m incredibly grateful to have her in my life. Dating her was the best decision I've ever made. I want to write a big thank-you paragraph here, but I don't want to bore anyone.

Here is my screen time screenshot before I started: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JQVQaI1q7xgLUpojzx6osRci8zwwGWoJ/view?usp=sharing

Here is my screen time screenshot from the previous week: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TjBWCJyLDX29fdgdaq-UJ21X3osVcBhx/view?usp=sharing

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saayoutloud

joined 4 months ago