Category: Productivity

I discovered Workflowy the other day and was pretty excited. Finally, a simple todo list app that works like my brain does. Just like the product video says!

And then I realized that it, like many other tools that came before it, quickly turn into a crutch. A distraction, and an excuse. What I need isn’t another app.

What I need isn’t even a devotion to plain old pen and paper for my todo list.

What I need is to face each day courageously and purposefully, prioritizing what’s important over what’s urgent, and to take my work seriously.

Recently, I’ve found myself developing an unproductive habit: working at half (or worse) speed throughout the day because of fatigue, instead of making the time for a proper rest, and returning to my work refreshed.

This also means that when I’m taking a “break” I’m never really free to enjoy my time. In part because I feel like I haven’t earned a break based on my sub-par output, and in part because I’m not fully committed to the break.

I guess my heart is in the right place, but bad habits serve no one and certainly don’t impress my CEO very much. The course-correction for me here is to rest when I’m resting, and work when I’m working.

No one in history has ever had more than 24 hours in a day to complete their work. Not the President, the Queen, Mother Teresa, or Leonardo da Vinci.

If you’re reading this, you are undoubtedly smart enough to learn anything you set your mind to.

You have access to more information in your iPhone than was ever considered possible 100 years ago, and you are living in what is undoubtedly the greatest time to be alive — during the information revolution.

So.

…how will you change the world today?

Some people resort to strong substances in order to obtain it, but that’s not my current method. I notice the most intense moments of clarity arriving when I’m 1) well-rested and 2) exercising regularly.

Clarity of mind becomes a powerful tool in:

• Determining the “right” answer to lingering questions
• Eliminating unhealthy relationships and obligations
• Identifying destructive or unproductive habits and patterns of thought
• Some other things

You’re probably a lot more disciplined than I am, but I have Sunday routine that helps me with this. It keeps me balanced, focused, and in a constant state of self-improvement.

The worst misstep, as you can imagine, is missing a day…

…should be guarded aggressively, even if it’s just an hour of uninterrupted time per day. I know people who thrive in environments where there are constant interruptions (I am not one of these people…), but I’ve noticed that they also make time to get their work done.

This could mean no phone calls scheduled after 10am and before 4pm or all notifications being turned off when writing, but there should be some time carved out every day for producing and synthesis.

Here’s the approach I’m trying:

1. Make a list of things that need to be done
2. Do those things

Oversimplification aside, the lesson to take from this is that there’s no room for being too busy, not feeling like doing something, or priorities.

Between Twitter, Facebook, news sites, and a few other productivity-sucking locations on the web, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I lose between 5 and 20 hours per week engaged in brainless content consumption and social interaction.

Here’s the thing though — I don’t carve out time to waste every day. There are dozens of times per day where I mindlessly open up a new tab, visit Facebook, and drool on my keyboard (slight exaggeration).

So I find myself constantly interrupting…myself throughout the day. I did it while composing this post, even though I know the punchline and solution in place!

Anyway.

I don’t talk about it very much here, but I’m a geek. Really, I’m fascinated with technologies that would make a non-technical person weep with boredom.

Using this to my advantage, I put a very simple tweak in place on my computer. Without boring you with the details, I configured my system to send me to a very boring site (that I built and run) every time I visit one of my time-wasting sites.

And every time it happens, it’s a (small) surprise since wasting time and distracting myself is something I’ve practiced for years.

There’s no telling how long this experiment will last (a man can only go so long without checking for friend requests…), but it’s a small step towards the awareness that can help me eliminate the self-sabotaging (and subconscious) behavior.

Wish me luck.

But not through Facebook.