The Productivity Cycle
And my attempt to break it!
It happens to me every so often. The to-do list starts to feel a little daunting, the calendar starts to feel full, and the time starts to feel crunched. And instead of tackling the next thing in front of me, I choose to procrastinate in the name of “productivity.” Usually, it starts with searching for podcasts or articles about the best tools and processes and products for productivity. Then I start playing around with incorporating a new one. I’ve tried Trello, Todoist, Wunderlist, to-do lists in Evernote, new index cards for each day, etc.
Then I realize how much time I have spent trying to be more “productive” and how little time I have spent doing anything actually productive. And eventually, I pull myself out of it, go back to my tried and true bullet journal (with some tweaks along the way), and start getting things done. Right now, I can tell that I’m teetering on the edge of falling back into that trap. So instead of wasting who knows how much time trying to learn new ways to be productive, I thought it would be wise for me to instead take 20 minutes to write this post aand put into writing the productivity tips I know DO work for me. This is for both to clarify things for myself, and for accountability (if you ever see me sitting at a coffee shop watching a YouTube video about productivity, please come shut my laptop and tell me to get back to work).
So, here’s a very half-baked list of things that help me be productive when I remember to do them:
Have a “big picture” list. Write down all the projects and tasks I can think of, both big and small. Categorize them into “buckets.”
Spend time doing a weekly overview. Look at the big picture and figure out what I need to do that week to move the ball forward.
Each day, start with a clear and realistic to-do list. Even include minor things like “respond to that text or phone call.”
Map out your day with the meetings, appointments, and events, and put the to-do list items at appropriate places in that daily schedule.
Only work on one thing at a time. Cal Newport talks about the cost of “context switching” and how long it takes to get back to a task even after a 1 minute glance at your email inbox. Do this by pulling out the one tab you are working on and making it full size.
Use a timer. I like to do the “Pomodoro” method where I set a timer for say, 30 minutes of concentrated effort (no looking at my phone or a different tab or walking around or getting a snack or doing anything other than that specific task). Then take a 5 minute break. The longer the concentrated work time can be, the better.
If stopping a task before it is finished, write down what I need to do next when I pick it back up.
Cross things off when you get them done and feel that sweet sense of satisfaction. If you did something you hadn’t put on the to-do list, write it down and then cross it off for the bonus high.
Use your bullet journal for as much of this as possible. (But try to bake in some redundancy just in case you lose it, like I did a few months ago).
I really tried to resist using a digital calendar - but a shared Google Calendar has been a game changer for JoBeth and I.
That’s all I got for now. These aren’t foolproof and I don’t execute them perfectly. But again, this is just a reminder for my procrastinating brain that I DO have a system and I CAN be productive. Maybe these are helpful for you too.
P.S. One piece of the puzzle I do think needs some work is my digital note-taking, project management tools. I used to use Evernote for everything, then they got greedy and won’t let you do much of anything without a paid subscription. I’ve been using Microsoft OneNote but it doesn’t sync super well across devices and what if I lose my Microsoft account someday? All that to say, if anyone out there has a solution they love, let me know!