Yet another article about personal productivity

Why?

I'm a productivity enthusiast. Some people call it nerd. Anyway, I've been trying and using several approaches since 2009, so it's been 10 years now, and I can share my existing experience with whoever is willing to read or listen.

Being productive is cool, and I believe that everybody has tips and tricks on how to get things done. When you do things better for at least 1% more every week or month, you are likely to succeed in your endeavors in the long run. It's like investing money in S&P500 for 15-20 years. The total sum could grow more prominent if you do it regularly.

How?

In terms of personal productivity, all I do is based on several regular and straightforward pillars: planning, making lists, doing, monitoring (calculating) and reviewing. Almost like in the Plan-Do-Check-Act model, nothing special.

Planning.

You need to have a vision or direction of what you want to achieve or where you want to be in the future. In my case, I write those things down every year, quarter and week. The key here is that I try to strengthen all the long-term goals I have with my weekly targets and daily tasks. They help to stay relevant to what I have planned at the beginning of the year. Without getting too much into details, I have 10-20 years of life vision, up to 3 goals for the next 3-5 years, a list of 3 primary and up to 9 supporting objectives for the current year, 3 quarterly targets, and 3 main weekly goals. As you can see, there is some sort of hierarchy, when every big idea or goal is supported by smaller objectives and tasks.

Making lists.

Lists are beneficial. Their main aim is to free up my mind and focus on actually doing tasks I have already planned. I do not divide lists for personal, work-related, or family stuff - they are all in the same one 'file'. My reasoning here is that one list is easier to manage and I can do whatever sorting I want inside it.

In my daily tasks, I have up to 12 tasks that are prioritized based on my weekly targets (Uh, see the magic?). Usually, I have 3 top priorities that I try to do before lunch, 3-5 tasks that are significant to achieve to stay on track with my daily responsibilities, and 4-5 tasks which will be good to do today so the other ongoing projects wouldn't fall under schedule.

Doing.

That's when the sh*t gets done. I try to stick to what I have on my list and do this. Some tasks are pleasant enough and some I hate to do. I resolve to focus on the process rather than the outcome. What I mean here, is that when I start something, I don't like, I pay attention to actual physical things I need to do rather than to what the whole thing is about.

To 'work hard and focused' I use the Pomodoro technic, avoid destructions and group the same type of tasks (i.e., making calls) to stay in context for a longer time.

Monitor (calculate).

When it comes to monitoring the progress, the best thing is just calculations. How many times? How much money? What weight? How many hours? And so on. I try to calculate everything I can if it is not too difficult and time-consuming.

Right now, I calculate money, time spent on tasks, running km, number of pull-ups, days I have drunk alcohol, and HRV.

The great thing about calculation is that here you'll find the so-called observer effect. The point is that when you start to monitor something, it tends to get better just because you started to pay attention.

Review.

That's the part that sometimes can be hard to do and manage. The solution here is regular practice. First, you might think, 'What the heck am I doing? What should I write in the end if everything is clear to me?'. The thing is that during the time of reflection, I get a chance to see how I am doing towards my goals, what went well and what did not, and which things or tasks gave me excitement and which made me feel exhausted or frustrated. Based on my weekly, quarterly and yearly reviews I correct my approach, find motivation or change targets if I see that they are not relevant anymore.

Resources?

Well, it's evident that all this productivity thing consumes energy, and to stay productive, I need to refill it regularly. The answer is pretty simple - I exercise regularly, go to sleep no later than 10 pm, try to eat healthy food (this part needs a lot of improvement), and find motivation and new ideas in the books I read and when meeting new people.

Final word

There a lot more to add, but I meant to describe only some of my routines, tools and practices. Just a short reflection and a glimpse to the way I get things done.

And of course, there are days or weeks when I feel like, 'Screw it all!'. This happens. Sometimes I need to catch up on the schedule, sometimes, it is hard to find motivation. Life is changing, and my goals, approaches and strategy could change too. That's totally OK. But having this sort of direction helps me to stay relevant and be in control of continuous improvement.