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11 Genius Productivity Tips You Need to Try
Two Minute Tasks
If you have a pending task that requires no more than two minutes of your time, don’t waste time writing it on a to-do list. Just get it done.
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Key Ideas
Make a Brain Dump Plan
When you’re in concentration mode, you need a way to quickly record and store any passing thoughts that are important but unrelated to your current project.
Track Your Time Relentlessly
Consistent time tracking keeps you honest about your own productivity and reveals opportunities for improvement.
If you discover that you’re spending too much time on projects that don’t matter to you, or too little time on those that do, you can make deliberate adjustments.
Try Single-Tasking
Resist the pressure to multi-task, which will leave you feeling scattered and with your powers of concentration spread thin.
Single-tasking – applying all your brainpower to a specific task for a short burst – is more effective. Close all the tabs on your browser, ignore your inbox and get to work.
Use the Pomodoro Technique
This productivity technique combines single-tasking with a built-in reward system.
Set an alarm for 25 minutes and work on a specific task without stopping. When the timer rings, reward yourself with a 5-minute break, then restart the cycle. After repeating the cycle a few times, give yourself a satisfying 30-minute break.
De-Clutter Your Workspace
If you require an organized desktop to function at your best, take a few minutes at the end of each day to clean up any clutter and prepare your workspace for the following day.
By forming this habit, you’ll set yourself up for reliably productive mornings.
Always Show Up Prepared
Compile everything you’ll need to complete your task before you start working.
Every time you stop working to retrieve some missing items, you lose focus. A few minutes of prep save you countless hours of distraction.
Start Each Day With a Win
There’s nothing more satisfying than crossing an item off your to-do list early in the day.
Start each day by accomplishing an easy but necessary task, like finishing a reading assignment or returning a phone call.
Or, Start Each Day With a Toad
On the other hand, the best time to knock off an unpleasant task is first thing in the morning.
In the words of 18th-century French writer Nicolas Chamfort, "Swallow a toad in the morning if you want to encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day." The best “toad” is anything you’ve been avoiding, from filling out a lengthy application form to sending that stressful email.
Create Actionable Goals
When you approach big, complicated tasks without breaking them into bite-sized pieces, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed.
Spend 15-minute writing down every single individual task that needs to be completed for the project to be finished, no matter how small. You’ll be able to approach each of these small, achievable tasks with increased focus.
Prioritize, Then Prioritize Again
A to-do list is always a work in progress. Every time you add a new item to the list, reevaluate your overall priorities.
Assess each pending task by the deadline, importance, and how long you expect it to take. Set visual reminders of your priorities by color-coding your calendar or writing your daily to-do list in order of importance.
Two Minute Tasks
If you have a pending task that requires no more than two minutes of your time, don’t waste time writing it on a to-do list. Just get it done.
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Frame items in a positive way
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Why your goals matter
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Create a “when-then” plan
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Key Ideas
To-Do Lists
Your to-do list can be a tool that guides you through your work, or it can be a big fat pillar of undone time bombs taunting you and your unproductive inadequacy.
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The two modes
- When a project or task comes up, the steps you need to take start to form in your mind. Now you're in thinking/Boss mode.
- Your to-do list is a collection of those orders, which your Assistant personality will later pick up and do.
Put Items That You're Definitely Doing
Instead of letting tasks you're not quite committed to loiter on your to-do list until you're sick of looking at them, move them off to a separate list, a holding area for Someday/Maybe items.
Only concrete actions you're committed to completing should live on your to-do list.
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Key Ideas
Pacing yourself
Trying to get work done uses the same principle as running: You have to pace yourself. Runners that sprint at the beginning will be tired out long before they reach the finish line.
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The principle behind the To-Do List
- At the end of the week, write a list with everything you want to get done.
- At the end of the day, write a list containing what parts of that weekly list you want to be finished with tomorrow.
After you finish your daily list, you don't work on more projects or tasks. After you complete the weekly list, you're done for the week.
Advantages of using a WD system
- A WD (Weekly/Daily) system manages your energy. You will get a maximum of work done while leaving yourself time to relax.
- A WD system stops procrastination because your big projects become bite-sized tasks.
- A WD system makes you proactive. With a bigger picture in mind, it's easier to put in the important but not urgent tasks.
- A WD system keeps you from burning out since you only have to focus on the next bite.
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