HOW TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE

STRATEGIES TO DOUBLE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

Historically we see productivity as a general volume of output. The more productive you are, the more units of something you make within a certain amount of time. This has translated into how much is accomplished over a certain amount of time, forcing the perspective that volume of output is the key metric for productivity. However, we take the loose definition of productivity

‘The state or quality of being productive’

And understand that Productive time = time spent meaningfully to enhance output.

We redefine our own version of productivity to skew towards emotional productivity, meaning that we measure productivity through **achievement and fulfillment.** Productive time is time spent meaningfully, whether that be watching a TV show that you love, reading a book or having a bath and a glass of wine, productivity to us is time spent meaningfully on future joy, or current happiness.

MIT

Strategy number one is ticking off your MIT first. Your most important task, is the one task that will make the biggest difference to your day. This is your first task and the one that gets done before all else. This not only means that it’s over and done with, it also puts you in a winning mode, doubling your productivity without really having to try that hard at all!

80/20 RULE

Technically called the Pareto Principle, the 80/20 rule is that 80% of outputs come from 20% of inputs. Therefore you should identify the 20% of inputs that are the most productive or move the needle the most, and focus on these – disregarding the other 80%. In personal productivity, this means focusing on the tasks that are the hardest, or the biggest and disregarding everything that doesn’t serve you or isn’t necessary.

THE REWARD

Probably my favourite strategy, trick yourself into being productive with a reward. Whether that is downtime to read a book, a coffee, or some snacks. We crave satisfaction and reward so increase your productivity by promising yourself a reward for time well spent.

POMODORO

An age-old strategy, figure out exactly what you want to get done and then implement the Pomodoro timing method. This is 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by 3-to-5 minute breaks and 15-to-30 minute breaks following the completion of four work periods. You can start small with just one Pomodoro (we have a Pomodoro built into our Ultimate Notion Template that is very conveniently built next to your to-do list and tasks), and then build up to using Pomodoro across your day.

FLOCK

A tool we found during lockdown was a ‘flock’. This is an hour (or 30 mins) of concentrated time where you are held accountable. You introduce yourself to a group, tell them what you are going to do during the hour and then go into deep work time with no distractions.

ENVIRONMENT HACKING

Where you work is so key to how productive you are, environment hacking is where you set up your space for optimum productivity. This means filling the space with things you love that motivate you and removing things that cause a distraction. I love plants and minimalism and work best when I have a clear desk, my favourite mug, and no phone. Find out what environment works best for you and then hack your space so that you can be your most productive.

THE NUMBER ONE STRATEGY

The true secret to being more productive….is enjoying the journey. Finding happiness in your tasks, focusing on the happiness of the end result or simply enjoying everything you do because you’re doing it on your own terms. Finding ways to make dull tasks fun, and finding joy in all the details is the actual key to being more productive. Find joy in the journey and you will be your most productive self.