Productivity

It takes effort to say YES (but YES is the whole point)

A lot of productivity and time management advice includes all the things you should not do.

  • Don’t sleep in.
  • Don’t use your phone in the morning.
  • Don’t check email before lunchtime.
  • Don’t binge watch Netflix late into the night.
  • Don’t have social media on your phone, etc…
  • Don’t leave any emails in your inbox.
  • Don’t sleep with your phone in the room.

Why is so much productivity advice about what NOT to do?

The choices you make about your time and focus should be about what you are saying YES to.

The problem is that it is a lot harder to figure out what you want.

It’s far easier (and more dramatic) to focus on what to avoid than it is to take the time to figure out what to embrace.

In fact, the whole reason we are saying NO to some of those things is so that we can actually say YES to what we really want to do.

I am not going to check my email before lunch because I would rather spend that time writing.

Having a long list of things you don’t do will not make you productive.

What do you do in the time you’ve created for yourself? What do you choose to say YES to? Saying YES to the right thing is what makes you productive.

No is easy. Yes requires focus.

It takes effort to say YES (but YES is the whole point)

Set a 5-Minute Timer for Those Boring Tasks

A reader recently asked me about procrastination, and I pointed them to this article about The 5-Minute Rule.

There are many activities in life that are worth doing but that aren’t always easy to get started. A few things that come to mind for me include:

  • Cleaning up the house at the end of the day
  • Starting a workout
  • Writing
  • Reading a book

When it’s time to do one of these activities, and I don’t feel like it, then I will commit to 5 minutes.

I’ll spend 5 minutes putting away the dishes; 5 minutes warming up; or 5 minutes writing whatever crappy prose comes to mind.

Then, after those first 5 minutes, if I’m still not into it I give myself permission to move on to something else. But most of the time, it only takes a few minutes for the momentum to kick in.

Set a 5-Minute Timer for Those Boring Tasks

Are you too busy to be strategic?

Being “busy” and “productive” is not the same as being strategic.

We all know the tips and tricks and best practices for how to be productive. But we don’t know how to be intentional and strategic — because strategy can be subjective and it’s not always obvious.

Here’s how to be strategic:

  1. Get clear on your desired outcome
  2. Pick one thing you think will move you in that direction.
  3. Stick with it for long enough to determine if your actions are working.
  4. If they are working, keep going. If they are not working, stop and try something new.

Don’t become so busy that you’re just doing random acts of focus and never have time to be strategic.

Are you too busy to be strategic?

A Non-Zero Life

There is an idea about habits and routines that you always want a non-zero day.

A non-zero day means a day where you do something — just so long as you don’t do nothing: Do at least one push-up, floss at least one tooth, write for at least 1 minute, etc.

The value of a non-zero day is that it keeps your momentum always moving forward. As anyone who knows about building habits, long-term consistency is everything.

A few days ago, the thought occurred to me about having more than just a non-zero day — but rather, a Non-Zero Life.

A Non-Zero Life means building simple-but-healthy habits you can do every day that impact every area of your life: Your career, your health, your relationships, your money, your inner-personal life…

Don’t let one of these areas slip away.

This is kinda what the idea behind Hal Elrod’s book, Miracle Morning, is about. A Miracle Morning is when you do a little bit of everything all before 8am.

I also love Sarah Peck’s idea of having a daily recipe that consists of the few things that, if done, make for a good day.

One reason I like the idea behind a Non-Zero Life is that it keeps you from coasting in any area.

Coasting means you are not taking action. And, thus, you are, by nature: (a) going downhill; (b) living off the momentum of your past effort; or (c) being pulled / pushed along by someone else.

A Non-Zero Life

Ray Dalio’s 5-Step Process for Making Progress on your Goals

In Ray Dalio’s book, Principles, he lists a 5-step process for how to make progress on your goals:

  1. Identify your goals.
  2. Encounter your problems.
  3. Diagnose the problems to get to their root cause.
  4. Design changes to get around the problems.
  5. Do what is needed.

In short, you must constantly measure your current outcomes against your desired outcomes and then take action.

You need to know what it is that you want, you need to know what is true right now, and then you need to decide what you are going to do about it.

Side note. Ray’s process of ownership, diagnosis, and action is almost identical to something my wife and I have been working on with our three younger boys. We are trying to teach them to take ownership of their own problems, consider cause and effect for various outcomes and solutions, and then make a choice and act.

Ray Dalio’s 5-Step Process for Making Progress on your Goals

How to Plan Your Year: Webinar Workshop  →

It feels like 2020 deposited a cloud of fog inside my brain.

For one, there is all the crud and trauma that we have all had to deal with in 2020 so far, we’re not even through November yet. And, like many of you, I’ve had my fair share of additional challenges to work through at home and at work.

And it has me longing for clarity. Because I’m not a fan of the fog, the overwhelm, and the lack of focus.

With clarity comes a freedom from busywork. It allows you to bring something into alignment and then actually direct your attention on it.

Moreover, clarity can help with stress, anxiety, and worry. Because you’re confident in the direction you’re going.

You know that feeling of overwhelm when you think of all the things you have to do, all the possible options, all the spinning plates, all the open loops…??

When you take a few moments to step back, look at the big picture, and get clear … well, it’s liberating.

Sometimes clarity can come in a few minutes. Sometimes it takes much longer, and it requires a process…

On Nov 10, I’m hosting a free webinar training on How to Plan Your Year.

(Yes, even if you hate planning, think goals are dumb, and would rather not be reminded that it’s almost 2021.)

Here’s what we’ll be covering at the workshop:

  • A walk-through of the systems and tools I use to set goals (and get clear).
  • How to make daily progress on your goals.
  • Get clear on the change you want to see in 2021.

I’ll show you how to then turn your plans and goals into something you can make progress on every single day. Use this system to help you to get clear — and identify what change you want to see in the next year. You can also use this framework to stay productive on your monthly, weekly, and daily goals.

If you want to be there, use this link to RSVP so we can send you the details.

How to Plan Your Year: Webinar Workshop