Boost Productivity by Simplifying Spaces
Many years ago I saw the effect of simplifying spaces in my home. By taking away the immediate choices my daughter had for activities, she was able to settle quicker and play longer.I've used this principle in other areas of my life, always with the same result: a boost in productivity and creativity. Today we look at this and how I stumbled on it.
Don’t List Next Actions
It is really easy to get bogged down in the minutiae. We can start thinking of all the steps that need to be done to get a specific result, and lose sight of the end game: the result itself.I find that instead of writing down the next actions, it is better to write down what I am trying to accomplish.
Using the Right Tools
I've talked about how you can take a tool that is not quite right and make it work for you. This is good if you cannot use a tool optimally, or don't really know how to use it fully. There are times, though, when you do know how to use a tool, but are forced to use a sub-optimal or substitute tool. And this can be a major hit to your productivity.
30 Day Challenge: Planning The Night Before Wrap-up
I realized I was having difficulty sticking to my task list...because I had never made a plan. The Planning The Night Before challenge was to get me past that difficulty. The challenge was to make my plan for the next day in my bullet journal the night before. The thought was that even having written list - even if I didn't look at it again until late in the next day - would help keep me on track.
Learn Your Shortcuts
I was working with a colleague recently, helping him through a process that was unfamiliar with a tool he had not really used. What we were doing is less important than the conversation. "Paste the item three times." I'll admit it, I was bored He moved his mouse, clicked, went to the menu, clicked a couple of times in the menu to paste, then clicked in the new place. "Did you know you could use control + V to paste things?" I didn't want to sit there all afternoon. "I don't like to use my keyboard." I don't think he saw me roll my eyes, but I now have a really good idea about why overall productivity level is so low. "Why wouldn't you want to use the shortcut?" I really did want to know. He shrugged. "It takes too much effort to learn." Shortcuts save us…
Making A Tool Work for You
Not all tools can be used optimally by all people. This applies whether it is a physical tool like a hammer or a productivity system. Today we will look at an approach to allow you to get as much out of a tool as you can. I've always maintained that there is no magic bullet in productivity. The best we can do is assemble a toolbox of methods and systems and make them work for us. No one system is going to work for everyone in all circumstances. It's a matter of how we use the tools to get things done.
30 Day Challenge: Planning The Night Before
I had thought to tackle something major this month, but honestly, I need something that is going to help me stay on track rather than something that is going to shake the foundations. And for that reason, I have decided that this month's 30 day challenge is going to be to plan the night before. I've noticed that when I have a plan when I get up, I get more done that day. It doesn't seem to matter if I actually look at the plan first thing or not. It doesn't even seem to matter if I don't look at it until lunch. But having that plan already set means I will get it done, because somewhere my brain recognizes that it's been done.
What is Multi-tasking, Exactly?
Back about 10 years ago, multi-tasking was touted as the way to get more done. Doing two things at once is better than one, after all, right? Not so fast...(literally and figuratively!) When I first heard about multi-tasking, I really thought it was a good idea. After all, who doesn't want to do two things at once? But I quickly realized that when I was doing two things that required the same skills/senses/appendages, I seemed to lose track of what I was doing altogether. Today we'll look at what multi-tasking is, why it is bad, and what to do instead.
