Ethan O.

Having a sustainable productivity system is like a holy grail for us who aren't natural doers, but sometimes many of us after a couple of days, falter and forget to check on the interconnected lists and folders we are trying to maintain, but why?

Here are two reasons why we believe we falter on maintaining a productivity system:

1. Productivity books have too many moving parts and they have a superfluous system that we couldn't be bothered to track; and
2. Productivity books are always gargantuan projects that depend entirely on the time output of one self-starting person.

Procrastination is when we avoid the tasks in our list, feeling the pressure to complete them and going through various emotions like blame, anger, frustration and anxiety. The reason we procrastinate is because we value the now and instinctively prefer to procure and enjoy our rewards sooner rather than later.

It is easier and rewarding to relax, grab a beer and watch an episode of our favourite show rather than tackling a work assignment, which would not give any rewards in the now.

• Don't be lazy. Spend your time being productive.
• Don't just take the default path. Don't go with the mainstream, make your own flow.
• Don't wait for the perfect time, it is what's waiting for you.
• Don’t judge before you know. 
  
• Don't make everything seem like it's a chore, focus on every endline.
• Don't try to conquer everything in a single leap. Everything is a process, be patient.
• Don't try to hold on everything. When it starts to weigh you down, learn to let go.
• Don't always be right. Sometimes, the right thing to do, is do nothing.
• Don’t hide your humanness. Sometimes you have to deal with issues and show others your awkward, uncomfortable side.
  
• Don’t think about what could have been.
  
• Don’t neglect your present joys.
  
• Don’t neglect your close friendships.
  

20% of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them, procrastination is a lifestyle, albeit a maladaptive one. 

It cuts across all domains of their lives. They don't pay bills on time. They miss opportunities for buying tickets to concerts. 

There is no rule stating that every email reply must be sent immediately after being written unless it's urgent. Many email programs support a delayed delivery system where you can schedule when your reply or email will be sent.

If you're fond of clearing out emails on a Friday afternoon, delaying email responses until Monday will lessen stress on both yourself and your coworkers and you can both enjoy your weekends.

It’s about achieving maximum output, getting shit done, and not wasting time. Tools, apps, or hacks, don’t work if you lack the right mindset.

High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus)

It is where you stubbornly stay up late at night because you feel like you didn't get any time to yourself.

You barely had time for dinner and a shower after work. Maybe you watched a few episodes of a show or read a book. Now you're in bed, but you are not ready for sleep. You keep on scrolling because you feel unsatisfied in some way.

We often feel overwhelmed when we have too many tasks floating around in our heads. One way to calm that feeling of anxiety is to follow productivity guru David Allen's advice: You really should capture your open loops.

An open loop is any kind of commitment or task that's hanging around your life, but you haven't been able to deal with it. The birthday gift you need to send, that idea you had about a community garden, your desire to visit the pyramids.