http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html

"Every thing you own takes energy away from you. Some give more than they take. Those are the only things worth having."

The great philosopher Socrates implored his students to "know thyself" in order that one would know the truth about the world. Knowing yourself is not only good for philosophical inquiry, it is also a powerful strategy for maximizing your productive output towards your goals.

How can you maximize your strengths and account for your weaknesses? What feels like work to you that to someone else feels like play, and vice versa? Answer these questions and you'll be on your way to living the life of your dreams.

One of my major weaknesses is productivity! Hence my obsession with it. But at times I focus too much on being productive and doing tasks, hence developing strong weaknesses rather than focusing on utilizing my strengths. By refocusing on my strengths, I can use productivity tools to maximize my genius and contribution without burnout or excessive stress.


Here are 7 ways you can learn more about yourself and boost productivity:

1. Know your type. There are many personality type models out there, but most are pretty shallow. For a deep understanding of type, check out the robust models from Linda Berens at 16types.com.

2. Enneagram anybody? The Enneagram provides another valuable type model, especially the work of Helen Palmer and Don Riso and Russ Hudson. I was introduced to the Enneagram at age 13, and rather than feeling like it put me into a box, it pointed out the box I was already in!

3. Peak into your future. A really useful exercise I have coaching clients do is to make a list of 3-5 "peak experiences" where you've felt out of this world, like "this is what life's about!" Write a short paragraph about each, and identify what you were doing, with whom, and what you were focusing on. Use this recipe to create a future with more peaks!

4. Know your altitude. Not only do you have certain personality tendencies, but you also are hovering at certain levels of development. No level is bad or wrong, but it can be helpful to see where you have still to grow. Check out Robert Kegan's book In Over Our Heads, the Spiral Dynamics model, and Ken Wilber's vast library of books for some deep level models.

5. What are you feeling and needing? Your emotions contain information about whether your needs are being met or not. Nothing interrupts productivity faster than unheeded emotions, or conflict with co-workers. Master emotional intelligence and empathy by studing Non-Violent Communication and the state management techniques of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (see The Emotional Hostage by Cameron-Bandler and Lebeau).

6. What makes you happy? Positive Psychology researchers have found that using your "signature strengths" and developing virtues is proven to make you happy. When you are happy, you are more productive, and who doesn't want to be happy? So how do you identify your signature strenghts? Read the second part of Martin Seligman's Authentic Happiness to find out.

7. Find flow. Ever felt "in the zone" in sports or at work? "Flow" is a state in which you feel fully immersed in what you're doing, time stops, and the sense of self drops away. It's the ultimate productive state! Psychology researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (or "M.C . Flow" as I like to call him) has identified the exact structure of this flow state, which makes it easier to reproduce on purpose. Of course, yogis have known about flow for 2,000+ years, but it's good to get some scientific confirmation. Read more on the wikipedia entry or in his wonderful book Flow.

Some of the things listed above may take years to study and master, so exercise patience! Self-knowledge comes slowly and with great effort, but it's worth it.