How to master productivity with pen and paper

Maximizing productivity may be simple and cheap.

The completed routine: go on reading to discover how to build it.

I strongly believe in this.

I know there is a whole industry in productivity: apps, techniques, courses. I respect all this a lot but, to put it simply, i do not think it has the right solutions for me.

I write this after spending good money on the last promising app, nice notebooks, perfect pens, etc.

I realized it is more about me than about them. The perfect solution for me was in front of my eyes: very cheap, and very easy to use.

What i am writing about here is not a “system”.
It is more a structured routine i follow to feel a nice sense of accomplishment at the end of my day. It is something that took away from me the feeling of not being in control of my personal ship.

So, it all starts with you, a pen, and a sheet of paper.

If you prefer a pencil, you are welcome. If you want to save paper and forests, do as i do: i use the back side of already printed sheets.

One sheet of paper, one pen. That’s it.

Every morning, whenever you decide to wake up, sit at a desk you like.

It could be in a coffe shop, in your kitchen, in the office, in the garden. You choose: the routine is location independent. Just be where you like to be.

You will not need your smartphone, laptop or iPad. Leave them alone.
You need to think and they will claim your attention even without you noticing it. Stay off grid, it will be quick. I promise.

Once your setting is ok, it is time to start.

First, with the sheet of paper in front of you in landscape mode, draw 3 lines:

1. split the space with a vertical line in two halves,
2. split the left space with an horizontal line in two halves
3. split the right space with an horizontal line in a 90% / 10% ratio

You created your working space.
Now you have to name the spaces to assign them to specific actions.

Starting from the left top corner, name them like this:

1. Desiderata [top left corner]
2. Collectio [bottom left corner]
3. Historia [top right corner]
4. Iudicium [bottom right corner]

Ok, i can hear you: “why Latin now? Do i need to know Latin for this?”
No, not all.

I used Latin for my routine because i like the meaning and the sound of the words. They look more in connection with the use of pen and paper to me. But, please, feel free to use English if you prefer: you will go for Outcome, Inbox, Log, Assessment.

Finally, write at the bottom of the sheet of paper the date, so you can later refer to what you were on on a specific day.

Now that our workspaces are on paper, let’s work.

First step: Desiderata

Take as much time as you need to decide which are the three most important tasks of your day. Then, write them out in the Desiderata space. These are what you think will make your day a productive one if accomplished.

Fancy writing more than three things? You are free to go: it is your productivity system, so you are in control. You know if you are cheating and stuffing things in your day like in a turkey or not. Be adult.

Tip: to save you a ton of time, start your morning routine by looking at a task list for the week you prepared in advance.

I usually do this on Sundays: i look at the coming week and dump on paper everything that comes to my mind i need to get done. Each outcome i want from my week, both personal and work related.
Since it is me the leading actor in both situations, i do not see the need to separate personal and work.
Once you wrote your huge list, you will sit in your mornings and pick the right tasks for the day.

So, pick your three desiderata, write them down and then, when you finish one task, cross it. Erase it with your pen.

Make it clear to see you eliminated it from your life.

Second Step: Historia

On the right side of the sheet, outline the hours of your day, with 15 minutes intervals showed as little dashes.

Here you will track how you used your time in the day: it will be something to fill in during the day. Be honest. Think about why you are doing this tracking: you need to reconsider the use of your time. So be honest.

If you already have meetings and appointments set, please note them down in the right spot of the day. Try to fill in the real time you will be busy: again, be honest.
Do not block an hour because this is what calendar apps do. Block your intended real time.

Then, after, consider the time you really were in the meeting. Was it less? Was it more than the intended one? This will immediately show you your ability to estimate the impact of meetings on your day.

Being able to see this is the key to master change: give you some time, and you will be a better forecaster.

Third Step: Collectio

This spot is the place to note everything that comes in, your inbox.

Did Somebody call and ask you to do something? Take a note here: you will add the task to your list and consider it next morning.
While writing that article your mind sparks with a brilliant idea for another task? Write it down here and get back to your article: you saved the spark, you are free to get your attention back.

And so on, i guess you got the message.

Fourth Step: Iudicium

We had planning, tracking, collecting so far in our day. Now, what we need is to assess if it has been or not a productive day.

To do that, the next morning, look at your historia section and count:

• The total time you were awake [TT]
• The total of quality time in your day [QT]
• The total working time in your day [WT]

Who defines what quality time is? You.

You know what quality is. You can spot quality around you, in every shape it has. So, you are more than qualified to decide what your quality time is.

Is working time equal to productive time? Not at all. We all know that.
But here, we want to find out the total time spent working.

It is the feeling of accomplishment you may feel that will tell you if your day was or was not a productive one. Not the time spent at your desk.

Last, do some math:

- QT / TT will give you the ratio between the good time you had in your day and the hours you were awake (e.g: QT=7.5, TT=17 -> 7.5/17 = 0,44)

- WT / TT will give you the ratio between the time you spent working and the time you spent awake (e.g: WT=8, TT=17 -> 8/17 = 0,47)

In the examples above, you spent 47% of your awake time working. Did you meet your desiderata? Are you satisfied with your day? Think about it. Be conscious.

You also had 44% of your awake time that you feel it was quality. Too little? Enough? Think about it. Be conscious.

Think at what happened during your day.
Think about how you can trick those ratios and percentages. Imagine how to get more quality time and less working time.

It is a balance. A balance you are in control of.

Stop pretending an app will live your life better than you. Or tell you how to live better than your grandpa, your mother, your partner. That sound silly, doesn’t it?

You only need a pen, paper, and (maybe) a little Latin.

Did you like this? Check out also my post on how to prioritize your tasks with the Triage Matrix.