Improving your productivity

There are many inputs into personal productivity. If you're a student, you can increase your productivity substantially by developing good study habits and better prioritizing what to learn. This page addresses other inputs into productivity.

There's a good amount of material at Less Wrong about increasing personal productivity. There's been little systematic research on which suggestions work well, and some of the practices discussed could decrease productivity for some people. However, it's worth reading what other people have found helpful to get ideas for practices that you could implement in your life that might work well for you.

Two books that people have recommended on Less Wrong are

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. This book has a very favorable rating on Amazon with 1,000+ reviews.
• The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done. The suggestions in this book are backed by academic research. The book is summarized and reviewed by Luke Muehlhauser on Less Wrong here and here)

Some Less Wrong posts where people have discussed their own experiences are below. Many of them center around overcoming procrastination specifically.

• Akrasia Tactics Review

• The mechanics of my recent productivity by So8res

• Working hurts less than procrastinating, we fear the twinge of starting

How I Am Productive by Peter Hurford

• The Power of Pomodoros by elharo

• My workflow by Paul Christiano

• How to Beat Procrastination (to some degree) (if you're identical to me)