From Psychology Today’s website, an article listing 5 things you can do to be more effective.
• We don’t know ourselves as well as we think, so when we are not doing well at something, get feedback from others.
• If you are trying to solve a big problem, distracting yourself from it sometimes works best.
• We are more creative if we think about how others would solve a problem than if we think about how we would solve something.
• Get adequate sleep, although you can short yourself temporarily if you are on a roll.
• Time the type of work you are doing to be in tune with your body’s circadian rhythms.
In summation, the writer says:
it turns out that if you want to be most effective, letting go of the need for your own conscious mind to do all the problem solving might be the key. Let your unconscious do more work, whether through napping or distractions, and try seeing things through the eyes of others. Finally, quite counter-intuitively, perhaps others know more about us than we do ourselves.
5 Big Discoveries About Personal Effectiveness in 2012 | Psychology Today.