Wednesday, January 09, 2013

The Science of Productivity, Animated

"Studies have found that the most elite violinists in the world generally follow a 90-minute work regime, with a 15- to 20-minute break afterwards."

After their illustrated primer on the science of procrastination, the fine folks of AsapSCIENCE are back with a look at the science of productivity — including studies confirming that willpower is an exhaustible source and habit is the key to everything, and specific, actionable strategies for boosting your own efficiency, like crafting a good daily routine and keeping a notebook.

Shockingly, when we look at some of the most elite musicians in the world, we find that they aren't necessarily practicing more but, instead, more deliberately. This is because they spend more time focused on the hardest task and focus their energy in packets — instead of diluting their energy over the entire day, they have periods of intense work, followed by breaks. Not relying on willpower, they rely on habit and discipline scheduling. Studies have found that the most elite violinists in the world generally follow a 90-minute work regime, with a 15- to 20-minute break afterwards.

Previous episodes have covered such scientific curiosities as what alcohol does to your brain, the science of lucid dreaming, how music enchants the brain, and the neurobiology of orgasms.

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