Productivity for a 19-year-old

It was March 2019. And the lockdown had just begun. I could not have foreseen the transformation that took place for me. From a studious kid to an advocate of educational reform.

For most of my school years, I’d just been going along with what the adults encouraged me to be good at — school. But what school teaches is inapplicable, later I learned.

Everything started with reading. But reading was not all it took. I took action, too. From dystopian to the classics, I gorged down on one novel after another, revelling in beautiful prose.

Then, I stopped by fiction. This book in particular turned my worldview upside down, my default beliefs inside out. Deep Work by Cal Newport. In it, the author explains how valuable skills are high in demand in today’s and the future economy, exemplified by iconic figures throughout history. And that sustained focus is the key to unlocking your untapped potential. Which, to me, did not sound convincing enough at first. Then I extrapolated — how skill-less I would be in a few years with the conventional education at school as the main source of knowledge. And that I should start developing highly valuable skills as soon and effectively as possible.

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High school had not taught me anything applicable. That wasn’t going to change any time soon. (Yes, this is partly a rant.) So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. The fear of living under mediocrity drove me to set aside time each day to work on developing skills — writing, then later programming and public speaking.

I streamlined my “work” routine and switched priorities from schoolwork to deep work. Even as I sidestepped academic work, my grades went up, due to an increase in productivity and time-management skills. In my second to last high school year, I passed with flying colours, further leading to a scholarship for my final year.

Now in college. I’m reiterating the deep work routine to achieve even more. This information is for those in high school or college who, in one way or another, have realized that the education system they’re in is not equipping them with the necessary skillset for future careers. For those who see a better alternative. (I’m not suggesting that you drop out).

The routine I’ve refined over the past year includes 7 core principles and habits: Deep Work, Deliberate Practice, Application, Project-based Learning, Creation over Consumption, Zettlekasten, and Consolidation over Novelty.

Following are the tools and examples of how I’m applying them.

1. Deep Work

To create something of value (be it an article, a YouTube video, a novel, a comic strip, or a music composition) you need two things. A distraction-free environment and a mind that’s focused only on the task at hand. With an ever-shortening attention span, focus has become almost a scarcity, a rare gem. Build it and you’ll have a comparative advantage. In a distracted world, focus is your comparative advantage. Facilitating deep work requires you to train your mind to focus on one thing at a time, for an extended period of time, with breaks in between.

Shallow work is convenient. Browsing social media aimlessly is an easy task. Creating content to put out is generally not. Composing articles like this requires my time and undivided attention. I set up a work environment conducive to uninterrupted focus — phone put away, ear plugs in, timer set to 1.5 hours. Then I roll on.

2. Deliberate practice.

In the book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool present an ideal practice method for achieving expert performance, backed up by extensive research. To build your chosen valuable skill, you need not only a strict work routine (using deep work) but also the most effective way towards getting better at it.

Conventional advice given to aspiring writers: read more to write better. But Benjamin Franklin walked the extra mile to craft a practice routine out of his favourite articles, which included feedback and repetition. This was the type of practice that placed him in the pantheon of iconic American literary figures. This goes in parallel with deep work which lays the foundation for focused attention. Deliberate practice demands focus, feedback, and repetition. Check out how I’ve been applying the principles of deliberate practice in programming.

3. Application.

You don’t practice for the sake of practice. You practice so that your real-life performance levels up. All the accumulated practice hours would mean nothing if your improvement were not tested. This was one of the biggest mistakes I made: I was not applying what I was practising. I call it the “practice fallacy.” Because you’re logging in practice sessions in a row, it’s easy to assume your improvement without proof. I assumed mine during the deliberate writing practice stint. I would practice after the fashion of Benjamin Franklin. But unlike him, I did not produce content anywhere, thinking that my skill was not good enough yet. Currently, in my programming journey, I make sure not to repeat the same mistake. I now build projects that solve real-world problems and serve as real-world solutions. Which actually brings us to our next point.

4. Project-based Learning (PBL).

If application is the bread, PBL is the butter. When you practice a piano song, that song is the project to which all your practice will amount. It is the aim. You focus on the snippets that trouble you the most. You practice finger drills and techniques that are complementary to the snippets and the song. If you practice those techniques just for the sake of practice and without a project in mind, what gives? You’re accumulating skills, but where are they being applied to?

My initial approach to learning to program was to learn topics and solve related exercises. Which, although looks like practice on the surface, I’m not being practical. True mastery comes from tackling project after project, not from solving textbook problems. This is akin to how students cram information for the exam, retaining nothing and not applying it anywhere once exam season is over. So, having a project as the goal makes sure that you don’t stray away from your learning journey.

5. Creation over Consumption.

When you consume content with the aim to produce something, the scope of your consumption narrows down to the most important sources. This organically cuts down consumption in terms of quantity. Along my programming journey, I look for resources (tutorials and books) that align most with the projects I plan to build. I don’t randomly go on YouTube and start watching the most eye-catching tutorials. I specifically search for content that promises to deliver the knowledge I’m seeking for.

Amid the sea of boundless content on the internet, a creator has no time to hunt for every single fish, but only the largest ones. What you consume will be of greater quality as you learn to filter out garbage content. So, if you’re looking to cut down on social media usage, video games, etc., start by trying to create something which you consume a lot. A personal example: I’m writing these productivity blogs as a realization of my own consumption in this genre and medium.

6. Zettlekasten.

How do you create better and more content? Using the Zettlekasten. It’s a handwritten note-taking approach used by Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998), a German sociologist and researcher, who managed to produce around 70 books and 600 academic articles throughout his career. The method may seem intimidating at first glance. But it only involves 3 main types of notes cards:

i. Literature/Bibliography cards. As you go over a material (a book, a video) jot down your thoughts — what you agree or disagree with the author. You do this for citation purposes as well as for knowing which exact piece of content to visit if more clarification is needed. They are just snippets of ideas provoked by what you’ve consumed.

ii. Main/Permanent cards. From the short notes in the above card, pick the most significant ones (a recurring theme, etc.). Elaborate more on those ideas in these cards. Develop your arguments, provide concrete examples, and link to other cards.

iii. Index cards. As the name suggests, these are the indices of your note-taking system. When crafting your main cards, choose what words are worth being an index. For example, “productivity” can be a keyword that represents or relates to any idea that talks about, well, productivity.

Overwhelmed yet? Totally alright. My first attempts weren’t smooth either. But hear me out. It is in the act of linking cards that the strength of the Zettlekasten lies. Two or more referenced ideas come together to form one original idea. This is how I’ve been fueling my creator journey. One note card at a time.

7. Consolidation over Novelty.

Consolidating what you already know is powerful, even more so than going after something new. What do I mean? When you keep learning new topics without solidifying old but essential ones, it’s almost a waste of time. Sure, it’s better than nothing. But we’re talking about efficiency here. The quality of your learning progress over time. I’m not saying to be closed off to new topics and discussions. I’m suggesting that you dedicate more time towards focusing on the essentials by practising more of them.

In programming, consolidate (and refactor) your previous projects if you want to build projects at a much grander scale. You rise to a much better position this way than following a hundred more tutorials. 10 solid projects over 100 decent projects. When it comes to consumption, it’s more worthwhile to go over the same piece of content again until it’s stuck with you. What we tend to do is jump between many pieces, whatever grabs our attention. Sounds familiar?

If a YouTube video really hits home, save it for later. Watch it the next time you log on, instead of browsing through your feed. Likewise, reread books. Focus on applying the principles outlined by the author. Test them, glean what works and leave what doesn’t. Only then, reach for the next book.

Rewatch videos.

Rewrite your content.

Reinforce what you already know.

Repeat whatever it is that you’re doing.

Be open to new experiences and ideas. But make sure to pay more attention to the ones that really speak to you.

These habits and mindset transformed me as a teenager and have helped me achieve my current peak.

· Deep Work teaches you the importance of sustained focus

· Deliberate practice is how you improve your skills

· Application is a test of your improvement

· Project-based Learning underpins Application

· Creation-over-Consumption gears you with a creator mindset

· The Zettlekasten note-taking approach helps you create

· Consolidation-over-Novelty helps you create better.

Keep in mind that they are mere tools. And tools don’t apply themselves. If you enjoyed reading this, make sure to apply at least one of the seven tools. Just one, nothing more. And see for yourself how far you go.