Physics Of Productivity
Life lesson from physics
1.2. Newton’s 2nd law of motion
Before this, I have been going by the book to try and explain about the concept of physics and how we can benefit from them. Luckily, this time I have found a good examples of life lesson from physics which is from the website.
I love how he perfectly explains the language of physics and manifests it into a concept which can be applied to our daily life. Let’s get started.
So here we have the 2nd Law of Newton:
“Second Law of Motion: F=ma. The vector sum of the forces on an object is equal to the mass of that object multiplied by the acceleration vector of the object. (i.e. Force equals mass times acceleration.)”
Let’s explore what can we learn from Newton’s 2nd Law.
The force, F is a vector which involves two things; magnitude and direction. Magnitude can be described as how much work we can put in on an object with its respective direction.
In other words, if we want to get an object accelerating in a direction, then the size of the force we apply, and the direction of that force will together make a difference.
Guess what? It works the same way in reality. If we wanted to be productive, it takes a combination of effort and the direction of where we want it to be. This is true not only for big decisions, but also for small decisions in our life.
To put it simply, you only have a certain amount of force to provide to your work and where you place that force is just as important as how hard you work.
So, let’s take a look at the formula again: F= ma
We have explained about how F is a vector. Now we are going to discuss about the 2 important points that go hand in hand with vector, which are:
1 . Proficiency, which can be built upon. It’s very significant to be proficient in what we want to do.
2. Speed or Frequency over time. How many times are we willing to do the hard work in studies?
Let me show you an example of how this could work. Colonel Harland Sanders is a dropout of the seventh grade who has tried many ventures. He started selling chicken when he was 40. Long story short, his recipe got rejected for more than 1000 times before he finally got the approval to open his franchise. Now, Kentucky Fried Chicken or widely known as KFC, is enjoyed all over the world.
The point is, we should never give up and if you truly want something, do the best you can; avoid procrastination as much as you can.
Sometimes, we will need to fail as much as we can before we can gain the biggest wins in our life.
No matter how much we fall, smile and keep moving.
1.3 Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion
Let’s start with a brief reminder on what the 3rd Law is.
“Third Law of Motion: When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction upon the first body. (i.e. Equal and opposite forces.)”
To be completely honest, we all have that average speed that we go by in our daily life. Our typical level of productivity and proficiency are often a balance of the productive and unproductive forces in our life — a lot like Newton’s equal and opposite forces.
There are productive forces in our lives like focus, positivity, and motivation. There are also unproductive forces like stress, lack of sleep, and trying to juggle too many tasks at once. These are all reality.
It’s all in balance, for now. Or maybe not.
So, if we want to be more productive. We need to produce something or at least do something. Here, we have 2 options on how to be more productive.
First, we need to add more productive forces. This force can come in a lot of forms. This is “the power through it” attitude. It can be in the form of motivation or maybe in a form of a supplement. We toughen it out, drink a cup of coffee and work harder. This also explains why some people take drugs that help them focus whilst others find motivational quotes and videos to help pump themselves up.
It’s all in the effort to increase our productive forces over the unproductive forces.
Of course we can’t always push ourselves harder because it will cause us to burn out. We can be completely drained of our energy. So, here comes the second way. Eliminating the unproductive forces.
Opposing these negative forces is something that needs to be trained. Time to time, people will sometimes lose their footing. By simplifying our lives, learning how to say no, being assertive and disciplined will help to reduce these unproductive forces.
As we can see, just by reducing the opposing forces, our productive forces will glide forward naturally.
I personally believe that reducing the unproductive forces is a much more effective way, especially for the long-term gain.
Habit. This is a very important point that can help us through our social life, career and with our family. It’s something worthy for us to improve.
Newton’s Laws of Productivity
Newton’s laws of motion reveal insights about how to be productive.
1. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Find a way to get started in less than 2 minutes.
2. It’s not just about working hard, it’s also about working on the right things. You have a limited amount of force and where you apply it matters.
3. Your productivity is a balance of opposing forces. If you want to be more productive, you can either power through the barriers or remove the opposing forces. The second option seems to be less stressful.
There is a long list of successful people who work hard and smart in achieving their dreams. They lead a productive lifestyle which finally grow fruits in their life. George Soros, who is now a business tycoon, survived the Nazi persecution, became a broke student in London and even worked as a waiter and a train porter. He did all of that to support his studies in finance and now, he has made a name for himself. His success in the financing world is widely known, especially to people that study finance.
All in all, to be successful is something possible if we only maximise our time for productive activities such as building up our knowledge, exercising for a healthy body and having a positive mindset.
Of course, rest is important. Don’t end up breaking your ankles trying to do more or carry more than you can. Be smart.
Start small and grow big.
That’s all. Lead a better life with wisdom.
text Мuhammad Idham Hadi bin Muhhamad Zamri
edited by Reshma Durai
