Don’t count the days. Make the days count. Don’t think “I’ve got this many days to achieve this”, but instead “How much can I do in each of these days.
— Muhammad Ali
Productivity is a big topic of discussion these days. Businesses and individuals alike are constantly trying to get more done, in less time, with fewer resources.
I put a lot of emphasis on productivity in my personal life. It's allowed me to accomplish a lot of things I don't think I could have otherwise. In that focus, I've built up some habits that have really worked for me and I thought they might help people like you as well. I hope you find them helpful.
Set Clearly Defined Goals
Setting goals is arguably the most important thing you can do to be productive. It's hard to stay productive long term when you don't have a north star guiding you. It's kind of like driving to a new place without GPS or a map. Sure, you're driving somewhere...but are you going in the right direction? But it's not enough to just set goals...those goals also need to be clearly defined.
When I say clearly defined, what I mean is knowing what success looks like. How do you know if you acheived what you set out to do? If your goal was to read more, and you read an email every other day...did you succeed? If your goal was to learn React and you read the documentation but didn't build anything with it...did you acheive your goal? Having a clear definition of success gives you a finish line. Something to work toward, and something to celebrate when you reach it. Goals without end can never be reached.
There are many methods and techniques people use to set their goals. You may have heard of SMART goals, where SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Acheivable, Relevant, and Time bound. Perhaps you've heard of HARD goals, which is another acronym for Heartfelt, Animated, Required, and Difficult. I personally prefer the Objectives and Key Results method (OKRs). It doesn't matter what method you use, as long as it works for you.
Additionally, studies have shown that people who see the most success from goal setting follow a few common principles...
Accountability
People who are accountable to their peers are much more likley to follow through and reach their goals than those who are not.
Have you ever felt like not doing something, but you told a friend you would, so you forced yourself to do it? That's accountability. When others are counting on us, we are much more likely to push ourselves to accomplish that thing than if no one else is looking.
So share your goals with other people (ideally people you respect and care about to some level). Let them know what you are working toward, and let them do the same with you. Help push each other to succeed.
Regular Updates
Simply updating yourself (and/or others you are accountable to) keeps your goals front and center in your mind, so you're consistently focussing on them.
Have you ever set a new years resolution and forgot about it after a month or 2? Don't worry, you're not alone...but this most likely happened due to infrequent updates. The goal just faded into the background and eventually disappeared.
Find a way to keep your goals front and center that works for you. Some people set calendar notifications reminding them of their goals or tasks they need to focus on at specific times. Some people prefer post-its or some kind of note placed in deliberate places so they're constantly reminded of them. As I mentioned above, I use the OKR approach and I write my OKRs on the whiteboard next to my office door, which is also where I track my workouts. Since I exercise most days, and have to update the whiteboard every time I do, I see my OKRs very frequently. This constantly reminds me that they exist and that I should be focussing on them. Find a method that works for you and stick with it!
Goal setting gives you the map to where you're trying to go. It gives you a direction and helps you to plan, prioritize, and focus. Without it, you're not being productive, you're just staying busy. And just staying busy is like sitting and thinking about exercising. Sure, you're doing something...but are you accomplishing anything?
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Set smaller milestones with due dates tied to them. This gives you small things to celebrate along the way, and gives you something to measure your progress with.
Timebox Yourself
No, we're not putting on boxing gloves 😂. Timeboxing is a practice of setting a fixed amount of time during which you focus on some activity. This box of time is...you guessed it...a timebox.
By declaring a dedicated amount of time to an activity, you're actively making it a priority. It can help to put these timeblocks on your calendar so everyone around you knows not to disturb you during this time unless they absolutely need to (this may take some work getting people used to it).
Timeboxing can also help you limit how much time you are willing to spend on a particular task. Sometimes it's worth knowing if you can't do something in X minutes, it's not worth continuing.
During a timebox, try to remove as many distractions and interruptions as you can and really focus on the activity. Give it 100% of your attention.
A popular method for timeboxing is the Pomodoro Technique, where you pick a task, set a timer (usually for 20-25 minutes), work on that task and nothing else, take a 5 minute break, repeat. There are lots of people who swear by this technique and have found great success in it. Perhaps it could work for you too?
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If you find it hard to focus, try turning off notifications, put on headphones and either play ambient noise (like rain or ocean waves) or music with no lyrics.
Get a Morning Routine
I'd heard this from lots of people for a long time and never really put any stock in it. But eventually I finally decided to give it a try, and once I settled into something that worked for me, it made a lot more sense why it gets brought up so much.
Going through a morning routine not only helps you get everything you need done, but it also helps you to get into the right headspace for the day. I definitely notice a big dip in my ability to focus, and my overall energy throughout the day when my morning routine is interrupted.
What does a morning routine look like? It's completely up to you! Make it your own. Do things in whatever order you prefer to do them. Just find something that works for you that you can do most mornings. Then repeat it each morning until you can do it on "autopilot". Once you hit that point, I'll bet you notice you're more ready and prepared for the day when you complete your morning routine!
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If you aren't a morning person, try jumping straight into the shower when you wake up. The warm water and act of physically standing up helps you to wake up in a non-intrusive way that makes starting the day much more tolerable.
Keep Lists
This is another very simple, but often overlooked method for being productive. So often, tasks get forgotten about when other, more pressing matters come up. It's really easy to forget you need to get your oil changed when your juggling the other more pressing matters in your life.
Keeping lists is a very old, but still very relevant technique for keeping track of all the things you want and need to do. But writing the list is only half the battle. You have to remember to look at it and keep it up to date too. How often have you written a list of things you need to do only to find it a few weeks (or months) later and realize none of the items on it are relevant anymore?
There are TONS of methods for making lists today. Some people prefer the ol' pencil and paper method. There's a lot of science that backs up this method because the physical act of writing something down helps the human brain retain the information. But there are of course apps and websites dedicated to this sort of thing as well.
I use a couple different tools to keep up with my lists. For general to-dos I like to use Habitica because I find the gamification makes it fun, less daunting, and makes me want to check my list and complete items more often. For everything else I use GitHub because their Issues and Projects are incredibely powerful, offering a lot of functionality...especially if you combine then with Actions!
Regardless of the method you prefer to use, here are few tips on how to maximize your productivity with them:
- Prioritize your list. Don't just settle for TD/FIFO (Top-Down/First In First Out). Move the most important items to the top of your list. The further down in the list a task is, the less critical it should be. If you're using pencil and paper, try using different colors to represent priorities.
- Use due dates, even on smaller tasks. Putting time constraints on tasks, even just to remind you they exist can be very helpful to ensure a task doesn't fall through the cracks or get lost in your ever growing list.
- Set daily goals. Try to complete a certain number of tasks on your list everyday. Maybe even set a weekly goal to complete a small number of tasks that are older than 30 days.
- Don't just write down to-dos. Use lists for ideas, goals, topics to learn about later, books to read, people to stay in contact with or to follow on social media, etc.
- Make sure you have your lists available at all times. You never know when an idea will hit you. Having your lists available and making it a habit to write stuff down is a great way to ensure you don't forget that thing that could be a game changer later.
- Review your important lists every day. Make it a habit. Some people like to do it as their first step when sitting down at their desk to help them get into the right headspace. Some people do it as part of their nightly routine to prepare for the next day. I personally like to review mine while I'm eating breakfast. Just try to find a time in the day that works for you where you can keep up with your lists, adjust priorities as needed and make sure tasks don't fall through the cracks.
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If you find you don't like writing down your ideas when you're not at your computer and sitting somewhere, voice assistants like Siri can do it for you. Just say "Hey Siri, add [insert idea] to reminders." or "Hey Siri, reminder me in 30 minutes to add [insert idea] to list.".
Get Up and Move
This last tip is by no means the least important. In fact it's so recommended, I'm sure at some point in your life you've heard someone else mention it.
For a long time, it was believed the longer you sat and worked, the more you got done. But today, more and more studies are finding the longer you sit, the more your productivity actually declines. Your brain works better when the body moves because bloodflow increases. Blood carries oxygen throughout our bodies, so when we have greater bloodflow, more oxygen is being provided to our muscles and brain. Increasing the amount of oxygen provided to our brains allows them to function better, which can lead to an increase in productivity.
It's recommended that we get up and move for about 10 minutes at least once per hour. Go for a short walk, stretch or do a little yoga. There are lots of different things you can do to get more movement in your life. But you don't just have to wait for the hour timer to sound.
If you're stuck on a problem your facing, or on a call and you don't need to have your camera on...go ahead and get up, stretch, pace back and forth, do some pushups. The physical act of getting up, stepping away and increasing bloodflow to your brain can only do good things for you. I find that when I sit back down, I'm able to approach things with a fresher set of eyes, helping to solve problems more quickly.
I try to follow the general recommendation of getting up every hour. When I do, I force myself to leave my office. This gives me a chance to refill my water or coffee, say hello to the family, and just step away from the "work mind" for a minute. I also have a rule that every time I enter my office I have to do some kind of exercise. Usually this is something like pushups, situps, or something with resistance bands. Doing this 5-6 times a day has really increased the amount of exercise I'm getting in, and the number of calories I'm burning each day. I find that I have more energy, and am able to get more done throughout the day as well.
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Movement doesn't have to be "exercise". Try playing with your pet, doing a load of laundry, or listening to a podcast while you walk to the end of the street and back.
So those are 5 habits I've found that have improved my personal productivity. I truly hope you found something useful here that will benefit your life and you own productivity.
Please feel free to share any other habits or techniques you use to increase productivity in the comments below. You never, maybe some small idea you have could change someone else's life!
Until next time, stay productive, and Happy Hacking!
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