Ch 1 SWITCHING OFF AUTOPILOT MODE

Question 1

Deliberation

Answer 1

Most of us don’t deliberately plot out which element of our lives

We often arrive at decisions because of a confluence of events.

Question 2

Autopilot mode

Answer 2

Autopilot mode guides us through actions
As many as 40 percent of our actions are habits
which shouldn’t require conscious deliberation.

Question 3

What is worth making deliberately ?

Answer 3

Managing our attention !

Question 4

How do we typically manage our attention ?

Answer 4

We typically manage our attention on autopilot.
When we receive an email from our boss, we instinctively stop what we’re doing to respond
When someone has posted a picture of us online, we check etc
When we’re talking with someone=automatically focus on forming clever responses in our head before the other finishes

Question 5

One of most underrated skills

Answer 5

letting other people finish their sentences before starting yours

Question 6

How much of your time do you spend deliberately
and with INTENTION
deciding in advance what you want to do and when you’ll do it?

Answer 6

Little ! That’s why we should
SNAP OUT of AUTOPILOT mode,
we consider what we really ought to be doing and
make the effort to REALIGN our neurons to focus on that instead.

Question 7

Autopilot versus Deliberate Intention

Answer 7

Autopilot mode can help us keep up the pace of work and life,
Attention is our most limited and constrained resource.
MANAGE OUR ATTENTION WITH INTENTION= more focused, productive, and creative

Question 8

What is your most valuable commodity ?

Answer 8

ATTENTION
Because so many things in the environment are after your ATTENTION
Pay attention to INTENTIONALLY MANAGING YOUR ATTENTION
Or it will be highjacked

Question 9

What is the problem with managing your attention on autopilot mode.

Answer 9

The most urgent and stimulating things in your environment are rarely the most significant.
This is why switching off autopilot mode is so critical.

Question 10

We are what we pay attention to !

Answer 10

DELIBERATELY DIRECTING YOUR ATTENTION toward the most important object of your choosing— and then SUSTAINING THAT ATTENTION —
is the MOST CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION we will make throughout the day.

Question 11

What to focus on ?

Answer 11

two main criteria to consider when categorizing what to focus on: 
whether a task is PRODUCTIVE  (you accomplish a lot by doing it) 
whether a task is ATTRACTIVE  (fun to do) 
or UNATTRACTIVE (boring, frustrating, difficult, etc.)

Question 12

Four type of tasks

Answer 12

Necessary work includes tasks that are unattractive yet productive
Unnecessary work includes the tasks that are both unproductive
Distracting work includes stimulating, unproductive tasks = black hole for productivity
Purposeful work—the productivity sweet spot

Question 13

Necessary work

Answer 13

unattractive & productive.
E.G. meetings, quarterly budget
Usually have to push ourselves to do this type of work

Question 14

Unnecessary work

Answer 14

unproductive and unattractive
E.G. rearranging the papers on your desk or the files on your computer
Usually don’t bother with these tasks unless we’re procrastinating or resisting a task that is necessary & purposeful
Spending time on unnecessary work tasks keeps us busy, = active form of laziness

Question 15

Distracting work

Answer 15

Stimulating, unproductive tasks= black hole for productivity
E.G. social media, IM conversations, news websites etc = low-return distraction
Can be fun but should generally be indulged in small doses
The better you become at managing your attention, the less time you’ll spend in this quadrant

Question 16

Purposeful work

Answer 16

Productivity sweet spot.
Tasks we’re put on earth to do = most engaged in as we do them; tasks=> the largest impact
Very few tasks fit into this box
Most people I’ve encountered have three or four at most
E.G Chris Bailey’s most important tasks = writing books and blog articles, reading research to encounter new ideas, and giving talks.
In your personal life, your purposeful tasks might include ? …

Question 17

Perfectly productive person

Answer 17

would focus on only the first two quadrants of the above chart.
Every day, tasks from all four quadrants compete for our attention.
Working on autopilot=> falling prey to the unnecessary and distracting tasks ones
We often spend time on necessary and purposeful work only when we’re on deadline.