Helping someone out might be just what you need to boost your productivity. In Eric Barker's book, Give and Take, he notes that helping others will not just make you happier, but also more successful.
“Then I looked at the other end of the spectrum and said if Givers are at the bottom, who’s at the top? Actually, I was really surprised to discover, it’s the Givers again. The people who consistently are looking for ways to help others are over-represented not only at the bottom, but also at the top of most success metrics.”
The biggest problem with helping others is how willing you are to sacrifice your time, especially if free time is already a scarcity in your life. The trick is to do this in a way that doesn't take up all of your time and resources, or leave you more overwhelmed.
Try the 'Five-Minute Favor." Do something nice for a friend, colleague, or even a stranger every single day, if it takes less than five minutes of your time. This good deed might seem like just a small gesture to you, but it might provide a huge benefit to the recipient.
The next tactic is the "100-Hour Rule." In one year, you should be able to say you've spent 100 hours helping other people. This only amounts to about two hours a week. Looking at it that way, it doesn't seem that time-consuming at all.
So, stop worrying about how much time it's going to take to help someone out. Not only will it help them, it will do wonders for your own life.
