Trying and Failing at Productivity Habits
My new process for the last 5 weeks
The one thing about productivity that works really well for me isn’t because of any one app, tool, or system, it’s because of how I adapt it. The key is to be more self-aware.
What Usually Happens with New Processes
When I’ve tried different tools for productivity in the past, it would somehow fall apart. I’d try a new to-do list app, spend half the day dumping all my tasks into it, organize it, tag it, prioritize it, then stand back and admire it. I might start tackling some of the tasks, but eventually, the list overwhelms, I’d start ignoring it, declare to-do bankruptcy, figured this system didn’t work, then try out a new solution.
This love and decay could happen over multiple weeks or months. It’d be a cycle of ambition and excitement abandoned by the weight and guilt of obligation.
When it changed
But recently, after falling in and out of GTD, Omnifocus, Clear, Trello, Evernote, I’ve brisked into a new rhythm. This TED talk reminded me that to be happier, you have to write down what you’re thankful for, and reflect on your days. Something you enjoyed and something that you learned—something to improve on. It’s that second part, the something to improve, that makes all the difference.
Productivity systems aren’t sustainable because we don’t take the same amount of time to reflect and adapt them.
To reflect on our systems and ourselves, point out what worked, what to watch out for, and what needs to improve.
We look at productivity habits as magical diet pills. If I follow X, my life will hockey-stick-Y. What we don’t factor in is how to adapt and customize it. We bring in a new system, live with it for a while, then kick it to the curb without actively changing it.
Reflect, Review, and re-Modify
So when I started writing those two things down every day, multiple times a day, I’d start to see patterns. I’d notice what was wrong with my to-dos process and change it. The upside of daily reviews is that you’ll have more data points, and you’ll be able to change your process instead of letting it mold unattended until it’s unhealthy, and you discard it wholesale.
If you have system now, instead of starting fresh again, keep what you have. Start noticing the parts you like, the parts that feel stale, then consciously swap and replace the bland areas. The daily reflection meant I’d feel some inkling of momentum almost immediately. And not the fuzzy feelings you get from starting something new, but that pride of taking care of the important things, doing work, and feeling more energized for it.
If you some of this out, I’d like to hear how you’ve adapted it for yourself. @franciscohui
