16 Simple Tips to Boost Your Productivity x10
These easy-to-follow tips will improve your output dramatically.
17 November, 2022
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Contributors
1. Remove Notifications 🔔
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Check your phone after a couple of hours.
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Keep an eye on the app with the most notifications.
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Block them.
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Don't fear FOMO.
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Choose your shots.
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You are going to lose some content around.
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Deal with it.
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Watch The Social Dilemma.
2. Slice your time 🍕
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Use blocks of time without interruptions (timeboxing).
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My favorite is Pomodoro Technique.
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If you come across new tasks write them down.
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Don't multitask.
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You cannot switch until the time is up.
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20 minutes it's a good slice.
3. Inbox0 📥
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Keep your inbox ALWAYS empty.
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Unsubscribe to all irrelevant emails (most of the time is just one click).
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Create filtering rules - out of the inbox.
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If you need to take action on emails: (keep the list out, create a special folder).
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Inbox is not a To-do list.
4. Find your Flow 🕯️
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Creative work happens on flow state.
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Takes some time to enter flow (about 15 mins).
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Takes one second to leave it and go to the queue again.
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Remove all external flow interruptions, notifications, noise
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Control all internal stimuli.
5. Use Zenware 💭
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Use simple software.
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Minimalistic tasks editors like writemonkey and simple managing software like Trello
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Don't procrastinate gold plating your articles.
6. Close Your Browser Tabs 🔓
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Manage to-do lists and items.
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Do not open multiple tabs.
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No operating system or web browser handles them very well. Neither you.
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Don't multitask.
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If something takes less than two minutes do it. Else add it to the To-Do list.
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Web tabs are not to-do lists.
7. Find Homes for everything 🏠
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Every object (real or virtual) should have a home.
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We can keep inboxes (or incoming places) for things for a couple of days.
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We need brief processes to empty those inboxes.
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When emptying those inboxes we should define new 'homes' if necessary.
8. Keep a Daily Agenda 📅
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Start each day with a short daily agenda.
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You can mix personal and work items or keep them in two separate lists.
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Plan for unplanned work.
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Revisit hourly to keep up.
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And close it at night.
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Never reuse it for the next day. Start from scratch.
9. Automate Repetitive Tasks 🤖
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Find repeatable shortcuts.
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Automate repetitive tasks.
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It is a two-sharp blade. Never automate when DOING a task.
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Automating is more enjoyable than doing (Procrastination).
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Automate only tasks made on daily basis.
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Don't automate infrequent things.
10. Avoid Unproductive Meetings 🤝
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Schedule meetings for 25 or 50 minutes.
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So you can have time to switch.
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Meetings without agenda are useless.
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Avoid meetings with more than three people.
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The outcome of the meeting should be action items.
Commitments must include:
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who / what / when
11. Avoid Multitasking 👨💼
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Don’t multitask.
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Work on one task at a time.
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Multitasking is a myth and trying to do it only splits your focus.
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Human Brain is a monotask.
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Context Switching for neurons is too expensive, so you are thrashing most of the time.
Focus -> Flow.
12. Avoid Voice Calls 📞
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Voice Calls are interruptions.
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Interruptions are our worst enemy.
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Avoid unscheduled voice calls.
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If it is not urgent you can talk via messaging in an asynchronous way.
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If it is urgent, double-check it is urgent.
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If you wanna talk, schedule!
13. Eat the Frog Early in the Morning 🌤️
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Do the annoying tasks early in the morning.
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You will be happy the rest of the day
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Avoid procrastination and gain self-confidence.
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It is the moment with more energy and freshness.
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Plan for the rest of the day.
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Review everything accomplished the day before.
14. Don't reuse daily to-do lists ✔️
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Start each day with a different one.
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With this method, there's no carry-over.
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Daily check yesterday's unfinished goals and evaluate if they deserve being on the new list.
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It is YOUR list. Be honest with yourself.
15. Measure Objectives 📈
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Set long-term, middle-term and short-term goals.
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They should not be fuzzy.
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Set a realistic and measurable metric.
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If it is not measurable with exit condition it is not a goal.
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Keep track of them on a weekly basis.
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Change it if need it.
16. Don't Save for Later 🍓
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Save for later is a myth.
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But unless you consume the list often this will grow forever.
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Don't save content, consume it.
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Have you bookmarked this article for later?
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Don't Hoard (Digital hoarding is a disorder).
I'm sure there is plenty of productivity advice around. Which one does work for you?
Please leave me a comment.