GQ_Australia_-_February_2017

86 GQ.COM.AU FEBRUARY 2017

I.

PRODUCTIVITY ETHICS

LACK OF SLEEP COSTS THE US $552Bn IN LOST PRODUCTIVITY AND 1.2m WORKING DAYS A YEAR, A STUDY BYTHINK TANK RAND EUROPE FOUND.

EXPERT ADVICE

Europeis going

through a tricky

divorce, Putin is

spoilingforafight

and America is doing

god knows what, but

that’s no reason for

youtogiveupon

your career in 2017.

As the wider world

loses its collective

shit,it’stimetoseize

the moment, clean

up your professional

act and make the

right moves.

Just as mid

January sees

personal plans for

betterment still

movinginapositive

direction, now’s

alsothetimetodrill

down on where you

want your career

to be in 12 months.

So,forgetkale

diets and flossing for

asecond(andlet’s

definitely forget

flossing with kale)

andtakeacloser

look at resolutions

that aren’t just

personal, but

professional.

Withafew

simple and specific

changes, we’ll help

show you how to

get ahead, to land

where you want to

be,strikeabalance,

and be the best

professional version

ofyourself.Evenif

that means taking

astepbackwards

to go forwards.

Ready? Make

this your year

– no excuses.

To-do lists have a

tendency to be long

andcluttered.Thisapp

is based on the idea that

you should focus your day

on achieving one big thing

and one big thing only.

Free; iOS

Thephoneisitsownworst

enemy when it comes to

productivity. Forest helps

you focus by countering

excessive usage. When

youopentheapp,itplants

alittledigitaltreeandif

you leave it alone, the tree

grows. Use your phone

foranythingelseand

the tree dies.

$2.99; iOS, Android

Like Evernote, but with

coloured labels. Take

notes, set reminders,

andrecordaudiothat’s

automatically transcribed

as text. And it connects

to Google Drive, allowing

for accessibility across

multi-platform devices.

Free; iOS, Android

A note-taking app

whereyoucanorganise

material via hashtags.

It also lets you move

your on-screen cursor

with a swipe bar,

so your fingers can

stay on the keyboard.

$7.99; iOS

Things is right – it

does everything. With

expansive functionality,

this is a task manager

that aids focus and

organisation without

cluttering up a calendar.

Worth forking out for if

it gets you off Snapchat.

$14.99; iOS

E

achmorningDonaldTrump–multi-

billionaire businessman, reality TV

star and now leader of the free

world–wakesupat6amandis

presentedwithapileofarticles

about himself carefully cut out

fromtheday’snewspapersbyhisassistant.

It’s a habit he’s practised for decades, in part

tohelpkeepabreastofwhattheworldissaying

about him and, according to his biographer

ProfessorMichaelD’Antonio,toprovideanearly

morningegoboost.“Inonewayit’sastrange

routine, but it gets him going and keeps him

sustained,” D’Antonio said. Whatever you think

ofthemanhimself–andinthiscaseGQ’s opting

outofthatdebate–forminghabits,however

unusual, rather than simply meeting one-off

goals,isatraitofmanyasuccessfulman.

Sinceschoolit’salwaysbeenaboutsettingand

meetingtargets.Thinkaboutwhereyouwantto

beandwhatyouwanttoachieve–listthose

goals,breakthemdown,then,oneday,enjoythe

factthatthishardworkledtoabackyardpool

with swim-up bar.

Ifonlyitwerethatsimple.Thatsaid,itmightn’t

bethebestwaytoachievedesiredlevelsof

professional success.

This rather strong play against engrained,

goal-led convention is central to the work of Jay

Papasan,abusinessexecutiveandco-authorof

The New York TimesbestsellerThe One Thing.

Papasanbelievesthatthekeytosuccessisto

build better habits.

“Therealityisthatalmosthalfthepeopleyou

know will make a New Year’s resolution, yet only

eight per cent will succeed,” says Papasan. “What

are the minority doing that the rest are not? They

tackleonething,keepitsimpleandstickwithit.”

Sothethinkinggoes,thatbydevelopingsmall

habits, long-term goals come to fruition.

“The most common resolution is to lose

weight,”addsPapasan.“Thetrickistomake

astandaroundonekeyactivity,sayeating

smallerportions,andturnthatintoahabit.

Whenthathabitfeelsformed,youmoveon.”

Perth-based psychologist Dr Marny Lishman

agrees,sayingthatit’saboutnotoverwhelming

yoursystem.“Andthenit’sbreakingitdown

into behaviour.”

Thisshouldbeaspecificactionthatleadsto

you gaining something positive, she stresses,

rather than depriving you. By way of example,

she advises reframing losing weight into getting

fitter and adopting new healthier habits that

bringmoretoyourlifesuchasmorningwalks.

Whilebustingoutthenewmovesinthe

officemightnotsnarethatpromotion(saveit

fortheChristmasparty–ornot),theapproach

is easily transferable.

Want more colleagues to appreciate and like

you?Thensingleoutthoseyouwantonsideand

engage with them daily. And listen to what they

havetosay,beinterestedandalsoaskfortheir

opinions in meetings and in front of others.

Wish to secure more indirect facetime with the

boss? Well, golf’s still a good option (if clichéd),

so, too, reading every piece of industry news

each morning, because that opens the door

to small talk, if nothing else.

And realise productivity is easily increased by

adheringtotwoofthemostbasicandeasily

executed daily habits – unclutter, clean the desk/

officeandemptyoutyourinboxofthe

unnecessaryeachandeveryday,ideallybefore

yougosoeachdaystartsfreshandclean.

American writer Will Durant said it best:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,

then, is not an act, but a habit.”

And so it’s now time to ditch the goals and

embrace the process.

SHATTER

WELL-WORN

PROFESSIONAL

WISDOM ABOUT

GOAL SETTING

TO ACHIEVE

INCREASED

LEVELS OF DAILY

PRODUCTIVITY

AND SUCCESS.

FORGET

GOALS;

FORM

HABITS

SYDNEY’S MACQUARIE