Productivity TLDR

Productivity is made up of systems that you build over time. It should fit your needs. Note, there are many different ways to approach productivity. This article shows one way to approach it. It also serves as a stepping stone into productivity.

Before starting, I have one warning: it is possible that you may end up investing too much in being more productive than what it's worth. For example, if you spend 2 hours making something that only saves you 1 hour, you will have wasted 1 hour in total. Just like with everything, productivity has diminishing marginal utility. As you invest more effort, benefits become smaller over time.

Table of contents

Planning

Planning is about managing your limited time and energy. It ensures that they are put into things that matter.

You should also figure out what the most important things to you are. Once you've figured them out, do the most important stuff first.

Some planning tips: 1. Always give yourself more than enough time to do something. 2. Anticipate setbacks. Have a Plan B (or C). 3. Single-task. Do one thing at a time. That one thing can be something that helps you achieve more than one goal (similar to killing 2 birds with 1 stone). 4. Time block events. That means placing an event on your calendar and sticking to it.

Tasks should be sorted based on 3 categories: 1. Due date (items past due or due soon take precedence) 2. Priority (higher priority takes precedence) 3. Effort (harder items take precedence)

Organization

Organization rests on 2 principles: externalization and categorization.

Externalization

We live in an era where there is too much information. This information overload makes it easy to forget simple things such as where you put your car keys. The fact is, your brain was never built for efficient memory storage. If you forget things, it is biology's fault, not yours. Remembering things requires energy, adds stress, and is far from perfect. Moreover, we are prone to forgetting the chaos that goes on inside our minds.

Externalize your thinking with tools such as calendars, to-do lists, and notes. Any tool works so long as it puts your thinking into something that you can go back and read later. At no point should your brain have to burden itself with the ideas, obligations, and information.

“Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them.” — David Allen

Categorization

Making categories is simple. In The Organized Mind, Levitin suggests 3 different ways to categorize: 1. Gross (put all pencils together) or fine (separate pencils by lead, color, eraser, etc.) appearance. 2. Functional appearance: things that do the same thing (i.e. pencil with paper) 3. Particular situations (i.e. emergency items, first-aid kit, travel bag, school bag)

He also gives 3 rules for categories: 1. It is better to have unlabeled items/locations than mislabeled items/locations. 2. If there is an existing standard, use it. 3. Don't keep what you can't use (minimalism in a nutshell).

In the end, the categories you choose must work for you. They should be easy-to-understand.

Another simple tip: put it back where you found it.

Work

This category is about making your work easy and enjoyable.

Figure out the type of work you enjoy most. Find commonalities between them. This determines how you should work.

Make your environment more conducive to work. Some examples include eliminating distractions (i.e. phones, noise, using blockers) or listening to music.

Outsource any boring, tedious tasks you have to someone else (who would find it interesting or is more skilled) or to a program. If possible, automate your work.

If you are unable to outsource or automate, make your work more “fun.” This might mean adjusting the difficulty, approaching it with a different mindset. For instance, you can say that you “get to” do something as opposed to “have to.”

Rest

Every once in a while when working, take a rest. Rest is productive. Small, intermittent breaks help you stay focused for longer while working. During your break, feel free to do whatever makes you feel rested.

Also, consider doing things that are fun and make your mind or body work (i.e. hobbies, side projects, exercise, etc.). When you invest energy into fun, you ironically get energy back. Hence, it takes energy to make energy.

Another thing to note: if you are struggling to meet with your current demands, scale back. You can't do everything nor should you try to. Instead, refer to Planning and prioritize important items first.

Resources

Resource list for productivity advice.