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The Productivity Tricks and Daily Habits of Famous People
Famous visionaries often develop a reputation for having a few eccentricities1. However, for many people, these small eccentricities are part of a larger group of daily rituals that help them to be at their most productive and prolific2. While not all these tips, tricks, and rituals will work for you, they help to shed light on what some of our most beloved cultural icons3 and historical figures are willing to do in order to stay on top of their demanding workloads4.
Writers
1. Addicted5 to Notecards: Vladimir Nabokov used 5- by 8-inch index cards to compose and order the scenes in his novels. This allowed him to experiment with the order of the chapters before transcribing6 the final manuscript.
2. Slow and Steady: Stephen King has explained that he always writes 10 pages a day, every day of the year (even holidays). His slow and steady approach to project management has ensured that he has a steady stream of new works entering the marketplace, and he is one of the most prolific modern authors working in America today.
3. Get Up Early: Writers like Mary Higgins Clark and Sylvia Plath started writing at 5 am and 4 am each day, respectively. Both women had small children, and those early moments in the day were the only time they had to pursue their writing careers. Writer Denison Hatch forced himself to write just 500 words per day before starting his day job, and ultimately sold three novels.
4. Get Centered With a Favorite Book Passage: Some writers need to go through the ritual of touching7 base with a favorite literary totem. For example, Somerset Maugham would read Voltaire’s “Candide” before starting work, while Willa Cather read the Bible.
Businessmen and Entrepreneurs
5. Be Impulsive8: In business, if you have a good idea, you need to move quickly to keep ahead of your competition. In the words of Bill Gates, “When you find a good idea act on it right away.”
6. Get Ahead By Making It Personal: “Big businesses will always try to crush small upstarts. To beat big businesses, use the strengths of being small. Big corporations are impersonal10; staff are often not treated well. At a small company, you can make sure your staff are proud of working for you and then they’ll work hard to be successful. And small companies are more nimble.” – Sir Richard Branson
7. Work Long Hours Now, Reap the Benefits Later: Ben Franklin knew the benefits of working long hours, as well as being known among his peers as being a person who worked long hours. This work ethic11 was essential for growing his printing business. He also had a routine of asking himself questions during the day. Ben Franklin asked himself each morning (at 5 am), “What good shall I do today?”; every night before bed (around 10 pm), “What good have I done to-day?”
Thinkers and Artists
8. Get Extreme: Architect Bernard Tschumi avoids procrastination12 by working at one of two extremes. “I work best either under pressure or by emptying my brain over the weekend,” he explains. “That blank state is helpful. It is like an athlete before a competition.”
9. Force Yourself to Stay Focused: Greek orator13 Demosthenes would force himself to stay focused on composing his orations9 by shaving off half of his hair, making him look so ridiculous that he wouldn’t be tempted14 to procrastinate15 by leaving his home. Victor Hugo would do something similar, forcing himself to meet his daily writing goals by having his valet hide his clothes. Yup, the guy who wrote “Les Miserables” liked to work in the nude16.
10. Never Take Your Eyes Off Your Competition: Playwright17 Henrik Ibsen would work at a desk decorated with a portrait of arch-rival playwright August Strindberg. Try keeping a picture of your competitors face or company logo on your desk to spur you to new heights.
11. Use Caffeine (But Don’t Abuse It): Mathematician18 Paul Erd?s used the last 25 years of his life to devote 19 hour days to the pursuit of higher math. To stay alert, he amped himself up with 10 to 20 milligrams of Benzedrine or Ritalin (along with strong espresso and caffeine tablets.) “A mathematician,” he said, “is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.”
12. Blow Off Some Steam: King Otto, ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1913, shot a peasant every morning to start his day. Thankfully, his two advisors19 were kind-hearted: one gave the king a rifle filled with blanks, and the other dressed as a “peasant”, acting20 out death throes when he was “shot”. While shooting people is absolutely NOT okay, never underestimate the stress relief you can get from a few rounds of Call of Duty.
Conclusion
These examples of the daily routines and productivity tricks of famous people may not be ideally suited for your busy lifestyle, but they are certainly worth keeping in mind the next time you are stuck on a project and need help powering through. And seriously, don’t pull a “King Otto”. That would not be cool.
点击收听单词发音
1 eccentricities | |
n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 );反常;怪癖 | |
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2 prolific | |
adj.丰富的,大量的;多产的,富有创造力的 | |
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3 icons | |
n.偶像( icon的名词复数 );(计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的)符号,图像 | |
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4 workloads | |
(某一人或组织)工作量,工作负担( workload的名词复数 ) | |
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5 addicted | |
adj.沉溺于....的,对...上瘾的 | |
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6 transcribing | |
(用不同的录音手段)转录( transcribe的现在分词 ); 改编(乐曲)(以适应他种乐器或声部); 抄写; 用音标标出(声音) | |
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7 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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8 impulsive | |
adj.冲动的,刺激的;有推动力的 | |
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9 orations | |
n.(正式仪式中的)演说,演讲( oration的名词复数 ) | |
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10 impersonal | |
adj.无个人感情的,与个人无关的,非人称的 | |
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11 ethic | |
n.道德标准,行为准则 | |
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12 procrastination | |
n.拖延,耽搁 | |
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13 orator | |
n.演说者,演讲者,雄辩家 | |
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14 tempted | |
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词) | |
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15 procrastinate | |
v.耽搁,拖延 | |
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16 nude | |
adj.裸体的;n.裸体者,裸体艺术品 | |
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17 playwright | |
n.剧作家,编写剧本的人 | |
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18 mathematician | |
n.数学家 | |
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19 advisors | |
n.顾问,劝告者( advisor的名词复数 );(指导大学新生学科问题等的)指导教授 | |
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20 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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