Personal productivity

In the following, you can find some strategies, tools and routines that help me be productive (or at least more productive than I would otherwise be). “Being productive” for me goes far beyond executing a task efficiently, and includes choosing carefully what you do, and think about why you do it. Also note that I am a big believer in focused, “deep” work, and I think that multi-tasking is one of the worst enemies of productivity. Many of the items below are linked to this belief.

Of course, I have not invented any of this, but have adapted different tools and combined them for my purposes. At the end of the list, you will find some of the resources that have helped me (and are still helping me) along the way.

I have organized the list along several areas: “Habits and mindset”, “Get organized”, “Work”, “Collaborate”, and “Balance”. I hope you find the list helpful. The list is work in progress! Any comments, get in touch, e.g. via LinkedIn or my RWI email adress.

Habits and mindset

1. Think about your “why”. I find it much easier to work on a task I care for. This involves two steps: First, defining what the “why” is generally – which contribution do you want to make and for whom? Second, connect your task to your “why”. I do not do this as often as I would like to, but every time I think about these two steps, I take something important from it.

2. Consistency beats intensity. In sports, practicing several times a week at a moderate intensity is far superior than an all-out effort every one or two weeks. The same is true for work tasks and personal development such as habit change. Therefore, I strive for consistency, e.g. by aiming at a certain number of Pomodoro time slots (see Work, 1) per day, every day.

3. Improve your habits one step at a time. It usually takes me several weeks to establish a new habit, and much longer if I aim at establishing several habits at the same time (which therefore I don’t do). Therefore, when you want to improve your productivity (or any other aspect of your life), I suggest you do it step by step. For this list, I suggest you pick one item, and try it out for a while, i.e. make it a habit. If it helps you then, keep it. If not, try something else. It took me many years to establish my productivity habits, and of course I am not perfect in any of this and my system and habits are constantly evolving.

4. Be proactive. This helps you keep things moving in the direction and at the speed you want them to move. If you wait for things to happen, chances are that you will get diverted, that the respective project loses the focus you would like it to have, and that you may even have to play a role in a project that you are not fully committed to.

5. Learn to unprocrastinate. Often, the things that are most important to us also scare us most, which leads to procrastination. I find two strategies to be very helpful to avoid this: break down the task which scares me into small steps (which are much less daunting than the entire task); and become used to having uncomfortable feelings – be aware of them, welcome them, but do not let them stop you.

6. Keep a journal. Getting things on paper (see also Work, 4) helps me a lot to structure my thinking, and keeping a journal is probably the most encompassing way of getting things on paper. I journal in the morning for a brief self-check in (how do I feel, what is on my mind), and in the evening (how did things go, what did I contribute, what am I thankful for). Each session takes about 10-15 minutes.

7. Focus on what you can control. This has two main advantages. First, it allows you to concentrate all your time and energy on what matters, i.e. the things that you can influence, and not to waste any effort on what you cannot control anyway. Second, it gives you peace of mind as worrying about what you cannot control is a sure path to misery.

Get organized

1. The weekly review. Once a week, I do a review of my tasks, which takes me about one hour. First, this allows me to get clear: Get my email inbox to zero, deal with any physical items (e.g. letters) that have accumulated, get my notepads (physical and digital) to zero. Second, I use the weekly review for planning the next week, and checking whether I need to do anything for future events or major deadlines that are coming up in the next weeks. The list of weekly goals (see Get organized, 3) is one important result of my weekly review.

2. A list of long-term goals. Long-term goals, both privately and professionally, help me to stay focused on what is important for me in life. These goals can be things that I want to achieve within a year or longer, e.g. to hold a freestanding handstand for a certain amount of time. But they can also be process goals, e.g. the way I want to communicate with others.

3. A list of weekly goals. This is a list of usually 5-10 goals I want to achieve within a calendar week. I determine these goals in the weekly review, and I derive them mainly from my long-term goals as well as the upcoming deadlines. The weekly goals also include habit goals, e.g. stretching several times a day.

4. A list of MITs (most important tasks) for the day. I start my workday taking a few minutes to write down the MITs, i.e. the things I want to devote most time and energy to during the day, taking into account how much time I will have for concentrated, “deep” work this day. These MITs mainly come from my list of weekly goals (see Get organized, 3), and I aim at achieving as many Pomodoro time slots (see Work, 1) as possible on my MITs.

5. A to-do list. This list captures everything I need to do, including items I have delegated where I will have to become active again once the other person has done her or his part. I divide the list into six segments: for both the personal and the professional to-dos, I have a list of tasks I want to do in the near future, tasks I have delegated, and tasks I want to do some time in the future. Currently, I use this list mostly as a storage device which I consult and update during the weekly review to determine my list of weekly goals (see Get organized, 3), with some updating also taking place during the week (crucial for incoming tasks).

6. Checklists. Many of the things we do are repetitive: write a project proposal, do our tax returns, pack for a bike tour etc. So instead of having to think about every detail and trying to remember how you did it last time, write a checklist which lays out what to do/bring/organize. Update your checklist if it is necessary to do so. My most elaborate checklist is the one for my weekly review (see Get organized, 1).

Work

1. The Pomodoro technique. This is THE technique for me to get some deep work done. Start a timer (preferably not on your phone) for 20-25 minutes, and focus on the one thing you want to work on, e.g. write a text, brainstorm on an idea, read an article. As long as the timer runs, you are not allowed to do anything else (check email etc.). When the time is up, take a short break, and repeat. Try to get as many Pomodoro time slots into your day as possible. My productivity is directly related to the number of Pomodoro time slots per day (yes, I keep track of these).

2. Avoid distractions from email, messenger services, phone etc. Of course, this is particularly important when doing deep work. But even when you are writing an important email, avoid other distractions. Therefore, turn off all notifications on any electronic items you may have.  It also helps me to put my mobile devices out of arms’ reach so I don’t grab them constantly. You may want to dedicate specific time slots for dealing with emails, messages, phone calls etc.

3. A catch-all notepad. The brain has a natural tendency to wander and to produce thoughts, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere. For me, this often results in an urge to act upon a thought, e.g. to quickly check something on the internet (which usually does not result in getting back to the task at hand quickly). To avoid this, it helps to be aware that a thought arises (see Balance, 1), and then to write this thought down, e.g. “check internet for XY” on a physical notepad which I always have next to me. This usually helps me to get rid of the urge and quickly get back to my current task.

4. Stay on paper as long as possible. For many tasks, I find it extremely helpful not to immediately start typing something into my computer, but to write down my thoughts by hand. This seems most helpful to me when brainstorming on an idea, but also when structuring ideas and writing the outline of a text. Part of it may be that a computer is distractive per se; but to me, there seems to be more to it, i.e. I have the impression that I produce better ideas when writing by hand.

5. Make time for deep work. If I let things just go, most of my days would probably fill up with working on small tasks, answering emails, and meetings. This would definitely make me feel busy, but in all likelihood I would not be very productive. Therefore, I make an effort to make time for deep work. I currently do this by scheduling as many of my meetings as possible to the afternoon and to do most of my email communication in the afternoon. This creates space for deep work in the mornings. I also keep track of my Pomodoro slots (see Work, 1) to see how this is working, and to adjust my strategy for making time for deep work if necessary.

6. Do your deep work when you are in your peak mental state, not when you are tired. “Deep work” is supposed to be just that: deep, concentrated work where you really create something new (an idea, an argument, a text). For me, this is not possible when I am tired. Apart from getting enough sleep (see Balance, 2), I therefore do deep work in the mornings, when I am most alert. Sometimes I feel that I have some more deep work in me later in the day, and if possible I take advantage of this. Otherwise, when I am tired I do things that do not require a high energy level, such as answering emails.

7. Do it right the first time – and define what “right” means. Having to go back to tasks which I did sloppily first is something that I find extremely annoying and a waste of time. Therefore, I aim at finding out what is required and what I need to do to finish a task so it does not create disproportionate workload when I have to go back to it. However, do not forget Work, 8.

8. Do not strive for perfection, unless absolutely necessary. Perfect is the enemy of finished, as they say. Therefore, in order to get something done, I often find it important to tell myself that a first draft (e.g.) of a text does not have to be perfect. This way, I am able to finish it, potentially get some feedback on it, and polish it to the extent necessary at a later stage. This helps me a lot to get stuff done. However, do not forget Work, 7 in this process.

Collaborate

1. Communicate clearly: what are own/common priorities, what do I expect from others, what do others expect from me. In common projects, but also generally in a team, I find it important to be clear about the goals and priorities of the project/team, and of each team member. Therefore, these goals and priorities should be clear to everyone on the team. This way, efforts can be aligned, tasks can be split up and a schedule can be set up so that everybody is involved and (to the extent possible) happy with the outcome.

2. Ask for help and advice. People are much more willing to help than we often think. So if you are stuck on an idea, or you need some extra input or feedback, reach out to others. You will be surprised how helpful this is. Of course, you should ask politely and respect a “no” (see Collaborate, 6).

3. If problems or bad feelings arise, act quickly to resolve them. Most of the time, when problems appear for the first time, it is relatively easy to get in control. If you wait, they usually grow bigger, taking much more time and energy than they would have if you had acted in the first place. Try to get a feel for some warning signals upon which to act.

4. Hold efficient meetings. Prepare for meetings. Being well-prepared is much more efficient and saves a lot of time for yourself, and it is a sign of respect to the other participants (as is being on time). Clearly define the goals of the meeting, stay focused during the meeting and make sure that at the end the outcomes are clear, e.g. which decision is taken, who does what until when. Make sure that these outcomes are clearly communicated to everyone to whom they matter, i.e. also people who did not participate in the meeting.

5. When dealing with others, focus on interests and related outcomes, not positions. It is very easy to get stuck in discussions about how to do something. Often, this does not matter – what matters is whether your joint actions bring you closer to the goal. So start by defining the goals and therefore the desired outcomes. Coming from there, it is much easier to agree on a way to move forward, and to change your own positions if other measures bring you towards the goal, too.

6. Say no. Keeping your focus means doing the things you want to do and not doing the things you don’t want to do. Achieving the latter means saying “no”, even to opportunities that look interesting. The key thing is to weigh how interesting these opportunities are against what other opportunities and current projects you would have to compromise on when saying yes to these new opportunities. Note that it is much easier to say no at the very beginning of a project than after it has started.

Balance

1. Meditation. Meditation has a number of benefits, including more awareness of your thoughts and feelings. For me, one of the main benefits in terms of productivity is that being more aware of my thoughts helps me to realise more quickly when my mind is wandering, and to bring it back to the task at hand. This is particularly helpful when doing deep work.

2. Sleep. For a long time, I felt guilty when I was sleeping a lot. This has completely changed as I have come to realise that sleep makes me much more productive and creative, and that sleep deprivation does the exact opposite. (Sleep also has a number of other crucial benefits, mainly health-related.) Therefore, I am now convinced that sleeping one hour more greatly outweighs the “cost” of having one waking hour less during the day.

3. Exercise. First of all, exercise is fun (for me, at least). But physical activity is also very good for my energy level and has been shown to be beneficial for brain function, resilience to stress etc. Just like sleep, I think that a reasonable dose of exercise is great for body and mind.

4. Relax and recover. In sports, muscle growth takes place after practice, and recovery is a key ingredient for progress. I am convinced that the same is true for work and other types of high-intensity engagement. So make sure you take breaks. For example, I do not check my work-related email account between dinner and the start of the next working day. And of course weekends and holidays are important as well.

Resources

Mindset and Habits

A great general resource for building helpful habits is Leo Babauta’s zenhabits.org. I find his blog and his programmes fantastic (I worked through a number of his Seachange courses on various habits and can highly recommend them). James Clear’s book “Atomic habits” also gives very good advice on building habits. A more general book on habits I like is Charles Duhigg’s “The power of habits”.

Simon Sinek’s “Start with why” is a great book on why it matters to think about why we do things, and how to implement this thinking in your daily life and work. Greg McKeown’s “essentialism – The disciplined pursuit of doing less” is also great when you are thinking about how to focus more.

Steven Covey’s “7 habits of highly effective people” is an enormously useful classic.

I also very much like Tim Ferriss’ books, his podcast “The Tim Ferriss show”, and his YouTube videos. He covers a wide range of topics, including note-taking, saying no, physical exercise etc.

The idea of focusing on what you can control goes back at least to the Stoics. Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” are definitely worth a read in this context.

Get organized

David Allen’s “Getting things done” (GTD) is still the main resource I consult when it comes to getting organized. The GTD book convinced me of the usefulness of the weekly review, of keeping a to-do-list and of always having a catch-all notepad nearby.

Atul Gawande’s “The checklist manifesto” explains what checklists can be used for and how to put them to good use.

Work

Cal Newport’s books are great in this area. In particular, his book “Deep work” strongly reinforced my conviction that the exclusive focus on a single task is the best way for me to get results.

I saw the phrase “Stay on paper as long as possible” on Frank Chimero’s blog.

Collaborate

Despite its weird title, Dale Carnegie’s “How to win friends and influence people” is a great book on how to deal with the people around you.

The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School has a number of useful books, such as the “Getting to Yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in” by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton. I also found “Difficult conversations: How to discuss what matters most” by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen very helpful.

Balance

As for meditation, I like  Sam Harris’ app “Waking up”, which I currently use on a daily basis for a guided meditation, usually in the evening. I got introduced to meditation by the work of Jack Kornfield, and have found books by Tara Brach, Pema Chödrön  and John Kabat-Zinn very helpful.

As for sleep, Matthew Walker’s “Why we sleep” convinced me that I should sleep more and that I should improve the quality of my sleep. The book also includes helpful advice on how to sleep better.

As for exercise, I can highly recommend Björn Birken’s Crossfit Essen (if you are in Essen, Germany), Calisthenicmovement and Fitness FAQs on YouTube, and Camille Tremblay (learn2handstand.com) for handstand training.

If you want to get more activity and mobility into your workday in your (home) office, Kelly Starrett’s “Deskbound – Standing up to a sitting world” is a great resource.