This Simple Method Just Doubled Down My Productivity
Getting Things Done, Inbox Zero, Pomodoro and Kanban. All-in-one — with metrics!
The world of digital work has very low barriers to entry, but the criteria for success are extremely strict.
Although millions of people work with digital businesses, only a few manage to reach the top, have money and achievements the size of their dreams.
Even with so many job opportunities, you won’t get very far only by writing a bunch of misguided words full of hyperlinks.
Thus, many professionals feel deceived and even rebel with their careers.
I say this because almost 10 years ago I was this type of person.
Fortunately, I persisted, and that’s how I invented my productivity method, with which I doubled the number of daily tasks completed.
The method is very simple and, in short, it brings together other proven productivity techniques: Getting Things Done, Kanban, Inbox Zero and Pomodoro. Four-in-one.
I use it every day and I will teach it here. Check it out:
Step #1 — Organize Your Demands in One Place
You can’t have a decent routine without a logic to organize your tasks or at least some way to centralize what you’re doing.
Throughout the day we have several commitments and we have several ideas.
People with short memory (or RAM, if you prefer) — like me — can easily turn daily routine into a disaster without taking note of these things.
You’ve certainly ever forgotten to write down something important and ended up forgetting to do it, right?
Because I had the same feeling, only every day and for hundreds of tasks. Disorganization leads to distraction and, in severe cases, can lead to anxiety, depression and panic disorder.
So never overestimate your ability to memorize things.
Register your tasks in a single location, which will serve as a repository for your demands. Even if they come from various sources, such as emails, Slack, calendars etc.
Step #2 — Create a Kanban Board
For this, but you can use the tool you prefer, such as Asana, Trello, Notion etc.
The idea of Kanban is very simple, and you can customize it according to your preference to work. So I tried to be as simple as possible and I will share how I organize my tasks.
Normally I have the following columns:
- Backlog
- Doing.
- Done.
- And a column just for ideas, with no commitment to execution.
Once the columns are defined, we create individual cards for each of the tasks to be performed.
As each task progresses, just switch columns. If you started a new task, move it from the “Backlog” tab to the “Doing” tab and so on.
In the future, when they are in the “Done” column, they will all become a record of every action you take.
Completing these two steps is already a big step forward. This is the heart of our daily organization and, from now on, we can document everything that went right and wrong, missed deadlines, etc.
Whenever you have tasks similar to others you’ve already done, you can refer to these little cards to generate insights.
There are also additional functionalities, such as adding a deadline (and be notified by email), sharing tasks with a certain partner, organizing by colors etc.
Step #3 — Prioritize by Size and Value of Each Task
Before moving a task from “Backlog” to “Doing”, I usually assign a size to my tasks.
There are several sizing models, but the one I like best is the t-shirt size. I divide my tasks according to the following nomenclature: XS, S, M, L and XL.
However, you can try other models if you prefer, such as the Fibonacci scale, 1–10 scale etc.
Furthermore, I also assign a value parameter to each of my tasks. Here, I prefer to simplify a little.
Faced with a task in the backlog I ask myself: what will bring the greatest outcome for me at this moment? And then I classify it according to a high, medium or low value.
In this way, I structure an expectation about the difficulty and return of each of the tasks, and I use these two parameters to create a prioritization matrix.
The smaller the task and the higher its outcome, the more priority it will be.
I do this because I like quick wins. Small victories help me propel myself into the next one, again and again, creating a virtuous cycle.
Of course, this is context-dependent, and you can organize this prioritization logic according to your current situation. And there are cases where just the urgency speaks louder, so you don’t need to stick to that logic.
Step #4 — Record the Execution Times of Your Tasks
I’m not going to ask you to hang a timer around your neck and calculate the finish and start times of each thing. We are on the internet, none of that is necessary (but don’t be surprised if you ever see someone doing this)!
You can do this in several ways. Depending on the application you use, there are different add-ons to measure focus time.
And, to organize the execution and pause routines, I use the Pomodoro technique.
If you don’t know the Pomodoro technique, it’s very simple: it suggests that you work focused for 25 minutes and then rest and rest for 5 minutes. After four cycles, a longer rest period of 15 minutes.
So you can record how many Pomodoros were spent on each card to measure focus time. If you want, you can also measure total time versus focused time (since breaks are not focused time).
This will give you a relevant sample of how much time you spend per task and per task size.
For example, XS tasks cost me a maximum of 25 minutes. XL tasks consume an average of six hours of focused work. So I have very high predictability to give feedback to my clients and schedule my routine!
Bonus: A Piece of Advice for You
And that’s it!
Now you have a method that solves several problems at once. Let’s recap:
- We eliminate worries by concentrating all of our day or week’s tasks in one repository.
- We create an expectation and measure the results to gain predictability and insight into our performance.
- We have well-defined breakout routines, eliminating distractions and reserving time for rest.
That’s what made my productivity double, and I eliminated the points that wrecked my day without me even noticing.
However, I understand that getting this method to work can be a little tricky. Not all apps are specifically made for this purpose.
