Hacking Productivity

There’s nothing better for productivity than asking people to set deadlines for you.

I used to never be able to hold myself accountable. I started things I never finished and told myself “I’ll do this tomorrow” but never did. We’ve probably all been there before. There was only one area of my life that I knew I could hold myself accountable for: swimming.

The Senior Team

I’ve always been an active swimmer, and hope I always will be. In high school, I had the opportunity to train with a group of athletes that were not just committed to the sport but also to each other. When you’re in an exclusive group, you feel like you belong. When you succeed, so does the team; when the team places well at a competition, you are entitled to a share of that success as well. None of that is possible without practice. Missing a practice meant letting the team down. Of course, everyone gets sick from time to time and there are always unavoidable emergencies, but you couldn’t simply miss practice because you had a lot of homework to do that night.

My strongest character traits of accountability, commitment, and discipline were all cultivated by being part of a community of people who had similar goals to mine and wanted to work together to achieve them. While I trained hard and swam tough, the reality was it could have never happened if not for the people doing it with me. Sure, you swim in your own lane at the meet, but I’ll be damned if my teammates aren’t the loudest squad on the pool deck cheering me on to the finish. This experience — which is possible because of community — can, and in some ways should be replicated for people who want to achieve anything.

Learning by Doing

When Enlight wanted to better understand how curious minds used our platform for their learning and enjoyment, we launched a program that unintentionally began to create an exclusive community revolving around learning to code. As it turns out, when you ask people to complete projects together and attend live events which offer an opportunity to interact, you begin to instill in them a feeling of responsibility and even obligation to each other. There’s nothing better for productivity than asking people to set deadlines for you.

Combining that with the strength in the numbers of our community, I understand that this is why Enlight Cohorts are so powerful. Our content is good, but it’s not the only reason learners enjoy the experience. It’s the fact that there are others who have embarked on the same endeavor as them is what makes the experience so exciting and unique.

“_____” is a Lifestyle

Whatever it is that you do, do it with others in some way. At first glance, reading books appears to be completely solitary, but think about it: there’s an author who crafted the very words you’re reading in your mind and a whole world of people who have read that same text as well. Doing things with other people is the best way to make sure you will continue to do them.

For me, swimming is a lifestyle — I thrive on the fact that I can swim, race, and celebrate with other people just as excited about it as me. So is building the community of learners and makers at Enlight. If not for the people who make it what it is, it couldn’t be a lifestyle for me.

Everyday Productivity

This brings me back to the premise of accountability. Being accountable means starting today and not tomorrow by finding a community of people who have the similar goals as you. As a student, it sometimes feels impossible to have any motivation to complete assignments. That is why I rely on the things I am passionate about to give me a reason to overcome any obstacle I face. In high school, I knew that I couldn’t let my team down so I learned how to manage my time impeccably so I wouldn’t have to.

Take advantage of what you love by finding people you can do that thing with and use it as a tool to be the best version of yourself.