Welcome back to our series on creating your ultimate productivity system.
The purpose of this system is to ensure you get the right things done while reducing your stress. Your productivity system is based on the tools you choose to use and the habits required to use those tools. Here are the habits we’ve discussed so far.
1. Start With The End in Mind: Know what you want from your productivity system and your life. Measure everything you do against that vision.
2. Collect: The habit of writing everything down.
3. Clear: Emptying all your inboxes into your trusted system.
Once you’ve gotten clear all your inboxes are empty. You will no longer waste your energy wondering whether an email or sheet of paper on your desk is a to-do that you’ve missed. Every to-do is in your trusted system for review.
Here are your next steps.
4. Plan: Now that all your tasks are in your trusted system you can step back and decide how to spend your time. With your calendar in one hand (or screen) and your trusted system in the other, you move your most important tasks to your calendar with time allocated for each task.
You also need to put some recurring tasks into your calendar. You need to schedule a time to reply to emails, read your paper mail, empty your inboxes, take breaks, time for interruptions and unexpected tasks.
All these things will take up time in your calendar. Schedule them so you do not overcommit.
If you find you have overcommitted now is the time to start renegotiating. You may not like asking for an extension to an already agreed upon deadline but asking now is so much better than asking at the last minute.
Your planning will be far from perfect. You will plan to get way more done than you can. That is OK. You are doing way better than you would without the planning. Every day is an opportunity to learn and improve your system.
5. Do: Now that your most important tasks are on your calendar it is time to get stuff done! You have avoided procrastination by only putting achievable next actions on your calendar.
You’ve prioritized your tasks in your calendar so you know what to do next as soon as you accomplish your current task.
Here are a few more tricks to make you as productive as possible:
– Turn off every notification you can. The human brain loves distraction especially if there is hard work to be done. Emails, texts and phone calls are easy ways to put off doing the work. Avoid every distraction you can.
– If you must take an interruption have your notebook or another collection device close by so you can take quick notes and get back to your current project. You will feel peace knowing that you do not need to act on the new task immediately. You know it will go into your trusted system when you clear your inboxes.
– Use Timers. Timers are great for many reasons. They let you know how long a task really takes to complete. They remind you that you are working on a task right now and it is not the time to be checking email, news, social feeds, etc. I have www.online-stopwatch.com in my Chrome favorites. I crank it up whenever I start a task and work to stay focused until the task is done.
– Avoid internet browsing. If you do not need the internet to complete your current task don’t use it. If you have trouble avoiding the internet, here are some great tools to try: Self-Control, TrackTime, Concentrate, FocusBooster, Think, StayFocused, Freedom and Anti-Social. Google the name and you can find more information on each one.
There is only one more habit that needs to be a part of your ultimate productivity system. We will cover that next week. In the meantime, which habits are you making a part of your life?
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Curt Fowler is president of Fowler & Company and director at Fowler, Holley, Rambo & Stalvey. He is dedicated to helping leaders build great organizations and better lives for themselves and the people they lead.
Curt is a syndicated business writer, keynote speaker and business advisor. He has an MBA in strategy and entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA, and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.
