Craig Ballantyne, a fitness coach and author, designed the 10-3-2-1-0 productivity hack, I knew it needs to be tried and tested. I am big on productivity and swear by discipline. From the Pomodoro technique to Eisenhower Method, I have tried all and they worked, as did the 10-3-2-1-0 productivity hack.
What is the 10-3-2-1-0 Productivity Hack?
Let’s see what the numbers mean.
- 10 hours before bed – no more caffeine
- 3 hours before bed – no more food or alcohol
- 2 hours before bed – no more work
- 1 hour before bed – no more screen time
- Number 0 – times that you hit the snooze button
The idea is to follow a daily routine. Sticking to a daily routine makes your more productive because time slots get designated to every activity. The 10-3-2-1-0 productivity hack allows you to sleep quickly, remain asleep and wake up all raring to tackle the day.
Speaking Craig Ballantyne, Bedros Keuiline says: “Craig, the #1 lesson I learned from you was ow to dominate my mornings by blocking off my magic time and scripting out the first three hours of my morning the night before. This helped me overcome afternoon anxiety, gave me control of my day again, and helped create more time in the evening to enjoy my family rather than lay catch up. I no longer work in the evenings and that means that my work is of better quality because I think and process better in the mornings. I get a full 7 hours of sleep per night rather than 4-5 hours like I used to so that I dominate my mornings and have my to-do list knocked out by 10 AM.”
Is 10-3-2-1-0 Productivity Hack backed my Science?
We believe in science. There is a lot of science which backs up the 10-3-2-1-0 productivity hack. To begin with, the blue light emitted from electronics, research shows, disrupts sleep and impact performance the next day. There is many neuroscience research that indicates it is necessary to give brain a breather from work is not an indulgence but a necessity for maximum focus and productivity.
As per the formula, the reasons follow:
#1 10 hours before bed – no more caffeine
Why? Ten hours is the average time it takes a body to clear caffeine from the bloodstream and eliminate all its stimulation effects. You will notice that caffeine intake during night makes a person agitated, anxious and insomniac.
#2 3 hours before bed – no food or alcohol
Food takes time to digest. Never sleep right after eating as it gives rise to weight gain tendency. This is why nutritionists recommend eating light food in dinner to help quick digestion. Find dinner at least three hours before sleeping – this will help to avoid gastric reflux and interrupted sleep. Never drink alcohol and sleep because even though alcohol makes you feel sleepy, the nature sleep cycle is impaired and there is loss of deep sleep.
#3 2 hours before bed – no more work
This is a lifestyle advice. Constant work creates stress. You are never relaxed. It is not about reducing work load; it is about management. It is about compartmentalising personal and professional life. Stop taking phone calls, reading emails, thinking of tomorrow, reading reports or whatever gets you connected to your work. Stop them.
It will be hard to find the “off button” but you need to do a brain dump.
#4 1 hour before bed – no more screen time
An hour before bed, turn off all electronics because the light emitted from the devices, the blue light, make it difficult for you to fall asleep – the sleep is disturbed and interrupted. Use this hour to connect with your spouse, read books, talk to children or anything that keeps you away from electronic screens. A 15 minute meditation will also help.
#5 Number 0 – times that you hit the snooze button
Get up before the sun rises, maximum by six AM. Even though this is the last temptation but it hits the first thing in the morning. When we wake up to the sound of alarms, the first thing we do is hit the snooze button, and sleep more – you should not do this.
Sleeping after the alarm has gone off make you not only late for the scripted work but going back to sleep for few more minutes calls for more tiredness than what would have happened if you had started the day immediately.
Internalise that you have to wake up at a designated time daily. Keep the alarm clock across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off. Do not go back to sleep. Talk to yourself and internalise waking up early. Soon you will not even need the alarm clock.
Endnote
As Bedros said, “Making a lot of money is great but having the freedom to enjoy it without the feeling of stress and anxiety is happiness.” Try the 10-3-2-1-0 productivity hack and tell us how it goes.
It’s true that technology boosts our life but on the other hand, it creates troubles too. It is more than necessary to control our exposure towards technology and self-govern our mind to form a daily routine, not only for higher productivity but also for a better personal lifestyle.
If you think this does not work, take a look at Sir Richard Branson who stands by his long-standing habit of waking up at 5 AM or take author Tim Ferriss, for example, who tells his fans how much productive it is to make his bed each morning. Our life needs to have a structure and these productive hacks are nothing but ways to give life structure.
If the 10-3-2-1-0 rule does not work for you, no problem. Find our productivity enhancing ways.
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