"Getting Things Done" guru Merlin Mann wrote a post called "Merlin's top 5 super-obvious, "no-duh" ways to immediately improve your life" that caught my eye a while ago.
Ironically, I've been so swamped that I haven't had time to write about it on eSoup until now.
Apparently I haven't been "getting things done" enough. Also, apparently one needs to do more than just read and write about productivity to have it make an impact in one's life. :-)
Since I started the 4-Hour Workday Experiment and have had a chance to talk to others who were doing it also, I've noticed some common observations emerging from almost everyone (myself included).
Folks are excited, hopeful, and they want to make better use of their time, but training yourself to handle your workflow in a more efficient manner, getting yourself to adopt new ways of working, and also coming up with a plan that is customized to your needs and suits your lifestyle sometimes feels like a Hurculean task.
Some days things just flow and go smoothly, and other days all hell breaks loose.
Here are some of my favorite tidbits of conversations I've had with folks over the past couple months surrounding the quest for the "optimally productive" grail:
- "Sometimes obsessing over being productive is just another form of procrastination."
- "Organization isn't an accomplishment."
- "Planning isn't progress."
- "GTD is not working."
The consensus with everyone is that being optimally productive can sometimes seem like a whole lot of work!
Really, at what point do things get easier and when does all the free time appear? Apparently, the big payoff is not immediate.
David Allen says that implementing a productivity plan can take 2 years or more, so don't fret if you've been plugging away and haven't mastered the productivity thing in the first 2 weeks :-).
There are immediate pay-offs to doing GTD, but mastery takes time, so don't expect that of yourself.
In the mean time, how would you like some immediate gratification with your productivity efforts? Yes, me too :-).
Here are Merlin's immediate gratification tips with my elaborations(you can see his full post here):
- Reduce noise - Noise is not just audible annoyances. Noise is anything that distracts you from your focus. It can be the pile of unread newspapers or magazines sitting on your dining room table, the clutter on top of your desk, or the phone calls from telemarketers that interrupt your day. Try to pinpoint the things in your life that are energy drainers and remove them. Cancel the magazine/newpaper subscriptions, cut back on the RSS feeds you subscribe to, get yourself on the "do not call" list, etc.
- Write things down - aka--stop using your brain to house and prioritize your to-do list. I know our brains are amazing organs with tons of untapped potential, but truly, the bottom line is that there's only so much room in there to house information. If you'll take all the tiny bits of info you're carrying around in your brain (phone #s, to-do lists, ideas, etc) and transfer them to paper, you'll feel an immediate sense of relief.
- Focus on action - aka--just do it. It's easy to get caught up in planning, but the key to getting stuff done is simply to do stuff. Think about what you need to do, break it down into actionable steps, and get to it. Actionable steps focus on intentional physical activity. "Take out trash" is a much more action oriented task than "be more neat" or "simplify my life".
- Get out of your inbox - I always say that email is the Bermuda triangle of productivity. The inboxes of your life (your email, your voicemail) are places where info is communicated to you; they aren't places where you're supposed to get work done. Get in and get out of your inboxes. Schedule times when you'll check email and voicemail, then get back to work. As Merlin says, "Stop allowing yourself to be brow-beaten by the latest, loudest, or most dramatic item that’s landed in your world."
- Get pickier - Know what your priorities are and spend your time accordingly. Has "exercise daily" been one of your goals for ages? What are other things that you know are worthwhile and will increase the quality of your life (taking better care of yourself, spending more time with family, socializing with live human beings, etc)? Is your "write in my journal" time being overshadowed by "check my email a million times a day" time? Merlin says, "Be mindful at the highest level about where you focus your energy, and always strive not to squander it on undeserving activities."
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