What NFL Quarterbacks can Teach Us About Productivity
Jan 20th, 2011 by Carlos
It’s third down and goal, the Bears are down by five with 13 seconds left, and quarterback Jay Cutler takes one last look at the defense before yelling, “Hike!”
He fakes a handoff and steps back to pass and looks to his right. That’s the first option on the play he called in the huddle: it was designed for tight-end Greg Olsen to score the game-winning touchdown.
He fakes left—just like the play calls for him to do—and then looks back at the spot Greg Olsen is running to.
But there’s a problem: Greg Olsen is covered and even notoriously gun-slinging Jay Cutler can’t see a way to get him the ball.
Seeing that there is no play, he tucks the ball into his side, sits down in the backfield, puts his headphones in his ears, and jams out to a little Nirvana as the other team’s defensive linemen bear down on him.
This is how careless most of us are with our time.
When things don’t go as planned, we give up and do something unproductive.
This despite the fact that we all complain that we don’t just don’t have the time to do the things we want to do.
Commuting to Work
Lots of people try to be as productive as possible during the “dead time” they spend commuting to work. Some people catch up on email, others read a book, and some just stare out the window and daydream of a better, more fulfilling job to commute to.
Personally, I try to get as much writing done as possible.
That’s why I take my netbook with me everywhere I go—you never know when I’ll get a seat and have a chance to crank out some copy.
Most of us probably have things we like to get done when we’re on the train (or anywhere else), but what happens when those plans are interrupted?
What happens when our first option is blocked?
If I get on the train and can’t get a seat, there’s no way I can get my netbook out and type away (although it would be pretty entertaining to watch me try). And it’s really easy to just give up on being productive, listen to some Cee-Lo, and enjoy my ride.
But that’s not what professional athletes do and that’s not what you should do if you’re serious about being productive and finding the time to get things done.
Jay Cutler would never just put his headphones on and listen to some music—he would quickly check down to his secondary receivers to see what other options are available to him.
- Is Matt Forte open after pretending to take the handoff and blocking a couple of guys?
- Did Devin Hester find an opening in the back of the end zone?
- Oh look! The guy covering Johnny Knox slipped and fell.
Cutler fires it in and the Bears score with no time left on the clock.
Bears win…Super Bowl time!
The Lesson
Always be prepared. You need to have a backup plan at all times, and you’ll most likely need a plan C and plan D.
At some point, you’re going to need them all. Ask any new parent and they’ll tell you—preparation is key if you want to avoid some really terrible (and messy) situations.
This applies to anything that has to do with getting things done, whether it’s writing during your commute or getting errands done on the weekend.
Here is how I play it on my commute:
Plan A: Find a seat and open up the Netbook. Try to hammer out 1,500 words.
Plan B: Can’t find a seat? Take out my smart phone and catch up on emails at work, for my site, etc. The goal is to get through some email so when I get to work I don’t spend as much time on it and I can get other stuff done. It’s tough to resist the temptation to check scores, scope out the feed reader, etc. But you do it.
Plan C: Still can’t find a seat? Not many emails to get through? Take out my New Yorker magazine and get some reading in. I’ll typically find a couple of things that are interesting enough to write about later on. Underline anything I want to remember…otherwise I will forget.
Plan D: No seat? No emails? No magazine? Put on the headphones, stare out the window, and relax. Hey, sometimes we have to stop being productive, clear our mind, and take a break.
In order to be as productive as we can, we need to always be prepared, but we also need to know when to take a break and relax a little.
I could not agree more with the tone of this article. I am a firm believer in efficiency. I am always trying to get more done in the downtime. I only have to travel from the wellington stop to the quincy stop for my commute but I can typically read about 20-30 pages in my book which is almost always some flavor of personal improvement or business strategy. The thought being that by reading these types of topics, I can improve the time I do have to spend working at my job. Recently I came up with the great idea to learn to speed read. I already consider myself an above average reader but the thought of doing 1000 words a minute is amazing. I have been spending the first 15 minutes when I get home, after feeding the dog, practicing the speed reading drills.!!
When I used to get on the train with my clunky hardcover books it was sometimes hard to read. My backup was music. I recently upgraded to the kindle and now I dont need a backup plan. The kindle only requires one hand, its light, and the pages flip faster than a normal book. I am now able to read significantly more each morning and evening during my commute. This saves me time in the evenings to read the blogs that matter to me and contribute my thoughts!
One productivity booster that I’ve found is audio books/magazines from sites like Audible.com. I’m an avid reader but don’t have nearly the time I need to catch up on all the reading material that interests me. Using audio books to listen to in the car is a fantastic way to use that commuting time efficiently AND safely.
I’ve always wondered about speed reading…but since I enjoy reading fiction a lot (though lately it’s been impossible to finish a book), I felt like speed reading would make me enjoy it less…what do you think?
I listened to an Audible.com book and it was great! But it was definitely I different experience than reading a book. I think that for long rides or extended periods of “dead time,” it makes a lot of sense.
It’s not possible for me to use my netbook or even my phone when I’m commuting. So I usually just rack up some ideas while I’m travelling. I get my greatest ideas when I’m driving or commuting.