Everyone is probably interested in increasing their productivity. The book by Chris Bailey, The Productivity Project, has given me some ideas on how to do just that. Below are some of the takeaways from the book that I am currently adopting. So far, they have increased my productivity despite the pandemic.
- Increasing productivity involves managing time, energy, and attention/focus
- Rule of Threes
- List three items to do today and within the week
- Identify your values
- Know why you want to get something done.
- Determine your Biological Prime Time (BPT)
- This is the time when you have the most energy and focus. Do important tasks during this time. In my case, my BPT is during 10am-11:30am, 3pm-5pm, 9pm-10pm.
- Limit alcohol and coffee intake
- Create a procrastination checklist
- Spend less time on important tasks
- You create an artificial deadline forcing you to focus your attention and energy
- Do the important things during your BPT
- Disconnect from the Internet and social media
- Balance structured(manager) and unstructured(maker) schedule
- Define what you need to accomplish, understand how much energy and focus you have
- Group maintenance tasks(doing the laundry, cleaning, self-care) and schedule them on a weekend
- Create a project list/notes - next action to move the project
- Develop a worry list
- Identify hotspots - portfolio of life: mind, body, emotions, career, finances, relationships, fun
- I achieve this by creating a mind map
- Can a task be done in two minutes? Do it if yes.
- Being busy is not being productive if you don't complete the tasks you set to do
- Be deliberate when doing your tasks
- Don't check your email unless you have the energy and focus to reply or act on whatever is in the email
