The 5 productivity tips that work for me
Day in, day out, the struggle of keeping track of tasks, getting productive and not losing enthusiasm in all this is one hard mega mission we're trying to accomplish.
There is so much terminology for techniques and skills one would think humankind is more preoccupied with how to organize what one has to do rather than doing it. Prioritising, kanbaning, cutting papers in squares, colour-coding, bullet journaling, pomodoring..
All this means — there is no standard way and one must experiment a little and see what works for her/him.
I decided to share what I currently landed on as my ultimate task-organizing-and-handling tips (with some more made-up terminology).
- The pending italic
I started with one long to do list, but it took me short time to realize this isn’t working. At the end of the day, I was still presented with a to do list which seemed to grow even longer, even if I managed to erase some of the items on the list. And the next morning I would go through the same list trying to remember why is it this particular point is not erased. Most of the time it was pending something out of my control (response from a colleague, approval from boss, letter containing information). So I included what I called the pending italic into my list.
As I still prefer to write my lists on paper (yeah, I exist), I started writing just near the task, in italics, what exactly I am waiting for, if there was nothing else I could do with the task but wait.
As the pending part made the line look longer on the paper, and I erased the finished tasks, I could easily visualise what I actually had left to do.
It also helped me to keep my hand on the pulse, see what I have to get from whom, nudge people etc.
2. Turn your mindset with a done list
Done lists are more of a monitoring and self-improving tool. Done lists mean writing down the tasks you have accomplished during the day. It is more like a log of activities.
Well, firstly, they help achieve productivity by keeping track on what you spend time on and improving your working routine. Doing this regularly you may look back at your activity during the week and identify the pattern you use. You may notice things like, "I always end up with these kind of tasks in the evening. Maybe this is why it doesn't turn out good, maybe I should try doing this in the morning first". Or, you may notice that you spend too much time on unnecessary tasks that could be automated/delegated or aren't needed at all.
But most importantly, done lists give you a mindset of success. It feels much better to write down one after the other the things you have done and see the picture of a successful working day. With to do lists it is vice-versa, you're viewing the world from the perspective of "how much else do I have left to do?". Even erasing doesn't shift the attitude, as you're still looking at non-erased items, you just can't help it.
3. The 5 minute rule
You've most probably heard of this as well. The common is the 2 minute rule (as far as I remember first introduced in book Getting things done), but I have extended it to 5, because this works for me better.
My life includes high volume of new tasks flying in unexpectedly during the day. Those things certainly knock you out of your peaceful plan to sit and maybe do some research in tranquility of your sunny office room. I used to write down all those tasks in my to do list (or, let's face it, just hope I'd remember them) and move on with what I've been doing.
Sometimes the to do list would get cluttered, sometimes I would forget this small little thing I had to send to this and this.. It was always about these "small things".
I have since then, and already for too long, decided to stick to one principe: if the new task needs less than 5 minutes to accomplish, go ahead and do it immediately.
You can't imagine how much clutter is unloaded from your mind!
4. Cluttered desk
When I'm interrupted at work and suddenly have switch to doing another thing (new urgent task, a meeting, a call etc) I never clean up what I have been doing. I don't put away papers from my desk, neither do I close the files I've been working on on my computer. I clean up only at the end of the day, tidy up my desk and go home.
Why do I do it? Because it gives you a clue when you switch back again. After emmersing yourself into a completely other theme (e.g. meeting discussion), overwhelmed, it is difficult to switch back the attention and enthusiasm to the tasks you had been doing before. Coming back to the same point where you stopped would give you a push to continue.
5. Relationship with the e-mails
Checking e-mail repeatedly is not at all good. In fact it takes our time and it takes our focus, from what we're doing at the time.
But as e-mails may be important and urgent, I have worked out a habit of
- checking for new mails every 30 minutes, but just skim the subjects
- if there's anything striking as really urgent, read it
- if not, leave it to regular e-mail checking hours
- put up regular e-mail checking and responding hours. Twice a day, not more.
