My fellow monkeys,
What do you do to keep yourself productive at work? I usually feel my productivity significantly diminishes after 3pm (even after my second cup of coffee around 1 ish at lunch). I try to drink tea in the afternoon to keep myself awake, or I just take 10mins to go for a stroll. However, the results aren't optimal and I wish I could have the energy I have in the morning so I could get more things done.
As a reference, I eat pretty healthy and clean. Also, I have a morning routine of waking up earlier to exercise for 7,8 mins and mediate for 10 mins. So, rather than dietary or exercising, please let me know if you do anything differently (what worked for you) to stay productive during the day with the long-hour work schedule. Much appreciated!!
How much sleep are you getting?
Probably 6 hours of sleep on average
For me, the main factor is desk time. If I am behind a desk all day, my productivity starts flagging around hours 6-7, similar to your experience. When I am in the field, actively running around, I can easily put in 12-13 hours days. Meetings have the opposite effect; if I have a day of back-to-back meetings, I get burned out very quickly.
Exercising a few days a week, keeping hydrated, and sleeping 8 hrs a night make me vastly more productive on average. When I sleep less than 7 hrs my productivity takes a huge hit.
Drink a decent amount of water. I also liked to avoid staying at me desk all the time. If your office allows you, try working standing. Otherwise, a stroll and fresh air is nice.
Anything to change your mind a bit helps. During my previous internship another intern and I would take a 10 min break around 4-5pm and play a quick foosball/table soccer game. Made the long hours somewhat more manageable.
Definitely agreeing with you on staying hydrated because sometime you just need to get up and use the bathroom haha
And let's face it, a bathroom break is still a break
How long have you been hobby mediating? Do you do civil disputes only or professional/business, too? Are you successful in keeping your clients out of court? Does exercising beforehand help with the mediation?
not nice
It's none of your goddamn business, Ricky. If you must know, Randy and I were rehearsing for a play for the Blandford Recreation Centre next Thursday.
Legit take conference calls while I run or ride my motorcycles.
I listen to darude - sandstorm on repeat
I sneak out to Equinox around the corner and take a 15 minute snooze on the couch. Does wonders.
I try to start around 6.30am (energy trading) as I hate working gone 5.30pm; gives me a chance to compile analysis/thoughts for the other traders
Also try and take a 10 minute walk around lunch to get some fresh air
The thought of not finishing my work and it piling up terrifies the shit out of me... so I force myself to stay productive.
StayFocusd offered by Transfusion Media. Block WSO for X hours.
Take as much sleep as you need to wake up without an alarm clock.
I take 5 minutes to contemplate how I don't want to live in a van down by the river. That usually seems to wake me up.
Mini breaks every 2 hours, to take a walk and organize your toughts. Good luck!
Awesome, lots of great ideas here. I think taking small breaks and remind yourself of why you are there (assume you worked really hard to get there) are some of the key takeaways here.
Ya.... Reminding urself why you are there works in theory, not in practice.
Water's huge, and the bathroom break point is great. We have more sedentary lifestyles than relief pitchers in a bullpen, so getting on your feet is huge.
Also, depending on how social your office is, try to have a quick 2-minute chat with colleagues who are good at banter. Banter is not gossip, you're looking for some laughs and some sharp dialogue, not bogged down complaining which leaves you more tired than when you started. I know some analysts hate it when people swing by, but honestly I'll rarely to never tell someone I can't talk for a minute unless there's an absolute fire drill; quick wit does wonders for keeping the mind sharp.
As a wise MD once said, "eat light, feel right." Don't eat 1,500 calories lunches and don't overdo it on carbs or you're going to crash in the afternoon.
Buy a nice water bottle and refill it 2-3 times a day.
Get off the desk as often as you can without raising any eyebrows. I try to make a lap around the floor once an hour. If you are drinking 36-48 oz of water a day, you'll have to pee this often anyway, especially if you're drinking coffee as well.
I keep a bottle of Muscletech multivitamins at my desk and take one each day after each meal. Might be a placebo effect, but I think they do help my energy remain more consistent throughout the day.
I put a picture of the Cleveland skyline in my cubicle with a note above it saying, "if you don't pickup the pace they'll ship you off to the Cleveland office."
Hahaha nice
LMAO
A lot of people in my team took adderall to stay productive ... like 30% did for sure. I found out when it was too late. I tried some and hated it, but perhaps this is the secret that many are not sharing. I realized that perhaps I wasn't less productive - others just had an unfair advantage given their drug use.
How to be productive and focused on the trading floor (Originally Posted: 08/24/2013)
Hey guys, I just started at a sales trading division of a boutique in the city. However, I am still struggling with how to remain very productive during the day as people walk around and make jokes and laugh all the time. And if I don't go and talk to them and have some face time, I feel like I am missing out and can't do my job perfectly.
What are your tips for staying super productive on the trading floor? Moreover, since I just started the hours haven't been great and sleep deprivation is taking a toll on me so I am kind of half sleeping the whole day. There are weeks in which I have to go out to drinks with the desk and other people till midnight too.
Would love to hear all suggestions since I know I am not doing a good job at all considering I just started.
Thanks guys.
Get good headphones with a microphone.
It's not possible, at least if you are doing quant analytics.
Post on WSO during the day and get your work done after the close after everyone has gone home.
Focus a lot of your energy during the early mornings / late evenings when things are not as rowdy and/or people have cleared out.
Or just get some decent headphones, preferably the noise-cancelling big ass kind.
Is it okay to wear headphones? I feel like the interacting with co workers are also vital to the job so if I wear headphones I won't be able to interact and not making any good relationships?
During trading hours you have to be available i.e., be able to hear when people shout for you across the room. After, go nuts on headphones. Also, I try to do all menial part of my job (e.g., modelling, organising things...) during trading / busy hours and intense reading of illegals etc. after.
What is your job exactly? Wtf is face-time, seriously....? No 80% of the time it is not really ok to wear headphones unless you are doing quant analytics or so and can sit in a corner.
After 1 week you start to learn to phase out the noise and crap, unless you care about face-time wait in trading no gives a crap about face-time, never use that term again.
I'm against headphones--you need to be aware of what's going on the floor during market hours and it's pretty disrespectful. You can't be productive 100% of the time but when you have downtime, read internal research, keep up with what's going on in the market, play around with Bloomberg terminal or self-study whatever financial math/topics are germane to your desk. Shoot the shit with the senior traders but don't be that guy on youtube whenever everyone else is working.
Beat me to the punch.
From time to time, if you have a really important deadline, headphones are fine. It should be the exception, not the rule.
Part of the value-add of being on trading floor for your career is keeping apprised of what's going on. The market buzz you can get from being there is quite valuable.
Honestly adderall is a game changer
Are You Always Productive? (Originally Posted: 03/22/2014)
I'm an extremist in every sense. I overdo absolutely everything: school, work, drugs, alcohol, every hobby I've ever had, etc. But I can't seem to maintain it.
I find myself constantly in a cycle. I go through a few weeks of extreme productivity. I'll go all out at school and at work. I'll eat healthy and work out. I'll spend all of my free time learning, reading, or doing something else productive.
And then, I'll go weeks doing the bare minimum at school and work, working out maybe twice a week, eating shit, drinking every day, and wasting way too much time dicking around on the internet. Hours will go by and I will have done nothing but rotate between tabs and refresh and watch TV.
Somehow, despite countless somewhat serious fuck-ups, I've built a decent resume, am in good health, and am in a pretty good place in life overall. But I want to make the most of myself. Not to sound like a cunt, but I know that I have a lot of potential. With every decision, I see forks in the road. I could be mediocre and just slide by, or I could spend every single minute doing something productive and bettering myself and be a fucking jedi by the time I'm 40.
In my mind, there's no middle ground. I think that's why I go through these cycles. But I think that might be unrealistic. So how much of your day do you guys spend doing useless shit? How close are you to living what you'd consider your ideal lifestyle for maximizing your present value? We can quantify this shit if you want, with 0% being doing the bare minimum to stay alive and employed and 100% being every minute of your life being spent productively.
Do you have a history of bipolar disorder or depression in your family? This sounds Bipolar Type II.
I'm at 500%. Beat that.
How do you measure yourself as a person?
Same as you OP. Made it through banking and I'm on the buyside now.
Haha I do this shit too.
I am the same way, and Dedline's post basically nailed it in terms of my personal experiences and perspectives.
@"Dedline" Right on, one in the same.
On top of that, every time I am in a period of low productivity and stress I question how much value I add in my position and wonder how I am even worth paying - flip side, during periods of insane productivity I come up with innovative ideas and finish work so efficiently that I wonder how I am not considered of higher value and being paid more.
The whole thing is fucking wild.
Good to see I'm not alone with my crazy rollercoaster trips
I am very similar but do not hit either of the extreme ends of the scale that you described. In low periods of productivity I am still more productive than many of my friends/ the general uni populace but I only do what I am committed to do such as my uni work, my paid work and my extra curriculars. I then get smashed both nights of the weekend and do very little exercise and play lots of computer games.
On the other end of my scale I do that of which I am committed to do but I start exercising a lot more, stop drinking, uninstall computer games and start reading/looking for intellectual things to fill my time with.
I'd love to find a balance, the source of which I think is to phase activities out or in over time (not that I have tried yet); that is to say I am currently in a productive phase that has just begun, so in about 4 weeks time I will likely phase alcohol back in for 1 night a week and then maybe a bit later phase in computer games on the weekend.
How to Increase Productivity and Enjoy Life More (Originally Posted: 01/01/2012)
Sleep.
Maas, who also consults on workplace sleeping and productivity at Harvard, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock, points out longterm benefits of napping, too. If regular, naps can reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Studies have also shown that chronic drowsiness during the workday can cause slower reaction times, an inability to concentrate, and difficulty remembering information over longer periods of time.
Full Read: http://www.inc.com/articles/201108/sleeping-on-the-job-should-your-empl…
15 Minute naps are key
Stop Eating Lunch at Your Desk - Start Being Productive (Originally Posted: 10/16/2017)
Here's the scenario that always happened when I was in banking. We're slammed with a deal. Whole team grabs a quick to-go lunch and eats at their desk. Everyone is holding a sandwich in their hands while trying to adjust a model, slide deck, etc. No productive work gets done, but we all look really busy.
Maybe, we were just poor multi-taskers, but how much work can you really do effectively with a sandwich in your hand? Maybe, you can read through some e-mails or review a pitchbook for errors but other than that not much is getting done or at least not done well.
Unless absolutely forced by my team, I would always try to have a lunch away from the desk. I'd make it quick, just 15 minutes will do. If I could, I would try to have it alone at least a couple of times a week. I spent 80 hours plus a week with my team - just getting a little time to yourself really helps your sanity in IB.
What I found was that my productivity shot through the roof. I didn't work while eating but as soon as I got back to the desk, I was refreshed. Within the next hour after lunch, I would always get a ton of work done - it was like a second wind during the day. It's crazy what just 15 minutes can do. Give it a try and see what you think.
Did you use your extra 15 minutes to write this post
Ha good one! But no, not in banking anymore....am living the good life in an exit-op. Hence, the lunch time post.
Increased Productivity (Originally Posted: 11/06/2016)
According to this article , three ways tips to increase productivity are to know your limits, take breaks, and to set reasonable expectations for work.
Wondering if there are any tips which you have that make your work more productive at work and at school.
This may give you some inspiration: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/ped-gpas-should-get-an-asterisk
Maybe also look into an app called "Focus@will"
Productivity when traveling.... (Originally Posted: 11/30/2016)
With the upcoming holiday season, a record number of Americans will be out and about traveling and visiting family and friends
I recently came across an article article regarding tips to get work done more efficiently when traveling. Three tips the author gives to be more efficent are:
For me, I realized that getting your more difficult tasks done right before you start to travel makes you more productive and efficient. I am wondering what tips you guys have to stay more productive when traveling.
I thought it was fairly well established at this point that the ppl with the inspirational quotes at the bottom of their email are all serial killers.
WTF is productivity? (Originally Posted: 07/18/2012)
Hey WSO,
I've been struggling with something for quite some time. I can't focus. Unless it's something that greatly interests me, I can't force myself to do anything. This has hampered my performance in many areas of life and I can't seem to get a grip on it.
Before some of you simply tell me to stop slacking off and do some work, I'll say that I really do find it difficult to get things done. I have a general lack of ability to plan at times, have a short temper, and generally derive way too much enjoyment from cheap thrills and momentary pleasures. I've been able to perform well at my jobs, but it takes a monumental effort on my part that usually culminates with me having to take a day or two off every month (due to being blacked out, physically incapable of getting to work, in trouble, etc.). Sometimes, that could just be way too long (like if I got a real job).
Have any of you ever sucked at being productive? I tend to be able to focus on only one thing in my life at a time, and being well-balanced has never been something I could honestly say about myself.
Any general thoughts or experiences like this?
Yeah, I sort of like my job but am not thrilled with actual 'finance' stuff and can't focus on studying for my exams. I literally have to set a clock and make sure that I do a certain amount of work / time. Some subjects...politics or global affairs...I can look at until my eyes are bloodshot. I've torn through dozens of CRS reports in an afternoon and can literally call out the debate points (and beat them) of public figures in real time when I watch C-Span, but can't finish one model without getting up to get coffee or ADD some way. This shite is boooooooring.
Methinks a career change is coming, sometime next year. Bye bye excel, so long bloomberg, adios mind numbing numbers. Hello large concepts and human interaction.
.
Stop slacking off and do some work
Advice? Yes:
I find having little distractions makes it impossible to focus. Also, take little breaks every so often. That means turning off music, flipping your phone face down, and exiting all internet tabs that aren't crucial to what you're doing. It also helps to be in a quieter place, so if your bullpen's a noisier one, maybe find an empty conference room for when you're trying to focus. I try to do about 25 minutes of work, followed by 5 minutes of dicking around, and then repeat the cycle. The hardest part is probably keeping your breaks to just 5 minutes, but in the end, it just comes down to forcing yourself to do it.
Stick your head down and work, or change careers and do something you like. There is heaps of other people willing to step in and take your job who will love it, or pretend to love it.
Otherwise go get an ADD diagnosis and an adderall script from a doctor.
I totally empathize. I consider myself really intelligent, smarter than most of my classmates, but most of them have "done" more things than me, simply because I just find it so hard to motivate myself to go out and do things that I'm not required to do. Yet I'm able to spend hours reading about current events, reading the Economist, etc.
This same thing has been hindering me for years. I've taken meds for 6+ months now, and my whole life has turned around; med school to IBanking (and this website), school is a breeze. It's like Me 2.0. At the very least, go to a legit doctor (or 2) and see what they say. So that's my bit.... and what do I know. Compared to all these guys on this site, I'm infantile. Take what I say with a grain of salt, and good luck. I can say that I for one know what you're going through... it's obnoxiously frustrating to look at the world around you and know that you have more mental capabilities than everyone; and yet you cannot harness them for everything (i.e. Marko's post above^). Don't give up, you'll figure it out. PM me if you'd like to talk about it..... I'd love to hear what you do as I might be able to learn from your experience.
So you started taking adderall?
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