A productivity system that maximizes happiness

I used to be a productivity guru kind of guy. I had a million different projects and hobbies to the point where I could barely get out of bed in the morning due to the insane workload I put on myself. If I didn’t wake up with a lot of energy the whole day would be ruined. All the meditation, the cold showers, and the journaling were just pre-work, after all those rituals came the “real” work, writing a book and or on this blog, trying to actualize myself in the world. All this while still doing volunteer work plus my actual day job just left me inflated. Uh, and I still had to work out. It was a lot. So I decided to downsize and only focus on what’s important, while not stressing over every little thing. 

There are ways to be productive without burning yourself out. This post is about a small little system to make your life a little bit easier while optimizing for happiness. The system is also fun and feels a lot like a game. It’s based on keeping a score in your head or on a piece of paper. It’s reminiscent of football (soccer). You simply give yourself a point every time you do something good, let’s look at examples. 

I woke up on time today and did not snooze 1-0 for me. I went to the gym before work to get a quick workout in 2-0. I said no to a donut at work 3-0 and I did manage to read a bit before going to bed 4-0. 

The above is just an example. The score will vary on your goals and priorities. You can write them down on a paper or your phone, making it fun to compare with other days or you could just keep score in your head. 

If you want you can add negatives into the system. I overslept 0-1, but I did go workout 1-1. and so on. You should only use negatives if it doesn’t bother you. Starting the day behind on points can be crippling and make you feel down, or it could motivate you to get ahead in the score, that’s how I use it. If you end your day being down 0-12 it’s clearly not worth it and you should re-prioritize your goals and standards.

The system should Ideally adapt to your own preferences and lifestyle. What you choose to give yourself points for will also vary a lot. I give myself a lot of points since I find it fun to do stuff and get ahead during the day. You can experiment all you want. Remember the goal is to get stuff done and feel good about it.