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Weekly Digest #114: Productivity

Today we've gathered some resources for you on how to be more productive. At first this might seem like a contradiction to our previous posts on work-life balance and burnout. However, the research on productivity shows that we tend to be more productive when we are happier, take breaks, and take advantage of vacations!

1. The Case for Vacations: Why Science Says Breaks are Good for Productivity by Derek Thompson for The Atlantic @TheAtlantic

This article gives a nice introduction to the research on breaks and productivity. The most productive people aren't necessarily the ones staying late every night. Giving yourself time to take breaks and recharge can be beneficial not just for your mental health, but also for your job.

Image from Pixabay

 

2. The $1 Trillion Link between Mental Health and Economic Productivity by Carmen Nobel for Working Knowledge (Harvard Business school)

"People feel more mentally healthy when they feel a strong sense of agency in their lives... And when people feel healthier, they’re more productive, too."

3. How a Hobby can Boost Researchers' Productivity and Creativity by Julia Rosen for Nature

This article provides some examples of academics who take time to explore their hobbies and how they feel it helps them with their research.

Image from Pixabay

 

4. Goal Setting Research by Happier Human

A lot of research on goal setting and productivity has been done by positive psychologists - psychologists whose research focuses on the positive aspects of human behavior and well-being. Here is a list of research on goal setting with brief descriptions going back to 1974.

Image from Pixabay


Every Sunday, we pick a theme and provide a curated list of links. If you have a theme suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Occasionally we publish a guest digest, and If you'd like to propose a guest digest click here. Our 5 most recent digests can be found here:

Weekly Digest #109: Burnout

Weekly Digest #110: Creativity in Unlikely Places

Weekly Digest #111: Nutrition and the Brain

Weekly Digest #112: Critical Thinking

Weekly Digest #113: Achieving Work Life Balance in Teachers