I got fed up with other people’s productivity systems (too many rules, not enough what-works-for-me), so I’m building my own system from the ground up – and so can you.
Of course, if you’ve already found a productivity system that works for you, awesome! If not, try starting with this, the simplest productivity system I could think of.
There are only 3 rules:
1. Do a few things remarkably well. When it comes to productivity, half the battle lies in deciding what to do and what to put aside. Choose your commitments carefully, then excel at them.
2. Work when tired, rest when sloppy. Exhaustion, more often than not, is fear, frustration, or laziness in disguise. Don’t fall for it. Take breaks only when the quality your work begins to suffer (or when you’re genuinely stuck), not as an excuse just because you’re feeling tired.
3. Have something to show before bed. You don’t have to climb a mountain every day – but you do need to have something to show for each day’s work. Don’t let yourself fall victim to overplanning. It doesn’t matter if all you have to show is an outline, a sketch, or a really crappy draft – as long as it’s out of the imaginary nether and out into reality, you’re good.
Here’s what I love about this productivity system: it’s easy to remember, easy simple to apply (thanks to Jarred Alexandrov for pointing out some bad wording), and super flexible. Plus it does away with a lot of the pressure that other systems put on you. Rule #2 is especially important for me, since I tend to procrastinate.
Some people will point out all kinds of problems with a system this simple. What about measuring your progress? What about making to-do lists? What about designating specific work hours?
My answer: if you find these techniques helpful, by all means use them. And if, in the course of trying things out, you discover that adding this reminder or that step would be useful, great! It’s your system; do it your way.
That’s what I’m doing too – learning and refining as I go along. Eventually I probably will implement ways to track my progress, specify work hours, and write brilliant to-do lists. In fact, this week I think I’ve reached a point where I can start setting some stricter rules for myself … and actually stick to them. But it’s a process, so it’s important that you move at your own pace.
Try it. Experiment. Does it work for you? What can you add?
***
My friend Anastasiya Goers put together a phenomenal list of 101 balanced living resources – her personal “Book of Wisdom.” I’m honored to say several posts from AOGT made it onto the list! Check out Anastasiya’s list – it’s definitely worth your time.
Amber Rae wrote a great post about the parallels between entrepreneurs, artists, programmers, writers, and the languages we use to communicate and collaborate. What I love about Amber’s writing is its freedom and transparency. Plus she makes me think – kind of like a younger, more informal Seth Godin. Take a look and see if you agree.
And last, but definitely not least, Mike Tiojanco reminds us that just showing up isn’t enough – we need to show up, hang around, and be awesome. Mike’s blog is “new,” but he’s far from clueless. Put him on your bloggers-to-watch list for 2010 – he’s on mine.
28 Comments on “The Simplest Productivity System”
says:
Thanks Jeffrey for sharing a link to my post.
Your productivity system is simple and really the best. If it does not work then nothing else will.
says:
Thanks for the great words and the link Jeffrey!
I love your second point here. I've been struggling a lot with this lately. Battling through a pretty bad cold and trying to decide at what point I'm hurting myself by staying up and writing.
Whenever I'm getting to bed early, I'm thinking I should stay up and write, and vice versa…
says:
Love the simplicity. But i would be careful telling people it is easy to apply. It may be simple to apply, but it might not be easy for a lot of people to implement. Weirdly, it makes it easier for them if you tell them it is hard from the beginning.
says:
Jeffrey – thanks much for the link and compliment! younger Seth Godin – i'll take it! :)
also really enjoyed this post as it focuses less on getting things done and more on making things happen. i think that's an important distinction.
love love love your blog & look forward to the daily posts. keep it up!
says:
Good point, Jared. I'll fix the wording (credit to you, of course).
says:
Thanks for writing that post! It's an amazing collection.
says:
Sometimes it's a tough decision, I agree.
“Whenever I'm getting to bed early, I'm thinking I should stay up and write, and vice versa…” is exactly how I feel some days. I think the answer just comes from trial and error and getting to know your own work tendencies.
For example, I know that I'm very prone to taking “breaks” as a way to procrastinate. So I try to be pretty strict on rule number 2, because it provides a nice counter to my bad habits :)
says:
Making things happen. I love it! Makes me sound infinitely wiser ;-)
I'm loving your blog too! Did it move recently? I've mostly been following along via Google Reader.
says:
cool! thanks jeff…i think there is still a small typo there will both words back to back…not sure if its just my eyes!
says:
I completely agree when you say “Exhaustion, more often than not, is fear, frustration, or laziness in disguise.”. When I face a daunting task, I can literally feel my energy draining, but this is the moment I have to pull myself together and just face the task. More often than not, the task isn't as daunting as it looks.
Starting your own productivity system? I like the idea a lot. The irony is that people often get frustrated because they want to follow a particular system. Great post, Jeffrey!
says:
Bart, I like to compare it to a runner getting his second wind. Once you push through the temporary tiredness, you get a burst of energy once you realize it's not as impossible as you think!
I'm definitely one of those people that gets frustrated by trying to adopt a specific productivity system. I'd always wind up missing steps or messing up, then beating myself up over it. Not exactly conducive to motivation! So I'm taking the sneaky way around ;-)
Glad you enjoyed the post!
says:
I LOVE #2. This is definitely the one that gets me in trouble. I often get tired when I'm writing. Sometimes it's because I'm actually tired. Most of the time, it's because I'm trying to procrastinate. When I work through it and really get in the flow, I wake up, feel energized and get a lot done. Thanks for this!
says:
You got me on number two. Funny how I get tired when there is something to do, so I'll take a little nap first, then something else comes up, a TV show is on, check e-mail, correct an idiot in a forum that is hopelessly wrong and stupid, oh look no time maybe tomorrow. Even funnier how I was able to do all those other things instead of diving in. I bet you saved me $120 of psych time.
says:
:)
thank you! yes i recently moved from amber-rae.com to tumblr.heyamberrae.com – is it not working in reader? soon, i'll have my long-hand posts on a wordpress blog at heyamberrae.com and the reblog, inspirational stuff still on tumblr. confusing i know! and the transition's a bit annoying but i'm excited to have consistency soon! :)
says:
Great suggestion. It really is sometimes just about keeping things simple and finding what works for us. I thought the best point on the list was to do a few things remarkably well. The more we are able to channel and focus our energy and efforts, the better and our productivity really will increase. Thanks for the great list. I am going to try and put this one to work.
says:
Hi Jeffrey!
I love #2: Work when tired, rest when sloppy.
I only recently started resting when sloppy. I'd be on a tear, writing a few thousand words, and then it would start getting convoluted and slow. Usually I'd try to pull through it, but now I'm taking breaks and doing something completely different.
says:
Productivity systems are always prototypes of what your own could be. You should never try to model yourself after someone exactly.. it's a good way to drive yourself crazy and fail at the same time haha. I suck at being organized, but I'm good at prioritizing.. so I just bang out whatever needs to be done by order of importance and then I rationalize why unimportant shit doesn't get done… it's not perfect, but it works for now :-)
says:
I know exactly how you feel, Heather! I learned the importance of rule #2 the hard way. It's so hard to push through the tiredness and the frustration sometimes, but the second wind – getting in the flow and feeling energized – is always worth it.
says:
Amazing how boring tasks get really interesting when there's something more urgent to be done, isn't it? There's actually a technique called “structured procrastination” that tries to make use of this effect. Is it a good idea? I'm not sure. What do you think?
says:
Hey Karol, thanks for dropping by! Seems like you've reached a similar conclusion from the other direction. I tend to take breaks too frequently as a way to procrastinate, but it seems like you tend to take fewer breaks than you might need to stay on top of things – at least, that's what I gather from your comment. Kinda cool how we both end up in the middle :)
says:
So glad you liked the post, Sibyl. Good luck putting some of these ideas to work; let me know how it turns out and what you change or add!
says:
That's pretty much where I'm at: not perfect, but it works. Now that I've built up a little momentum and gotten the super basics down, I'm working on being a little more systematic about everything. We'll see where it leads, yeah? :)
says:
Actually, it's working fine in Reader for me, which is why I almost didn't notice the transition :) I like the idea of separating the short and long posts. Tried it myself for a while, but it got complicated and made my head hurt. I'm sure you'll do better; I'm terrible with systems, remember?
says:
Dear Jeffrey,
The reason people do not have a productivity system is because what they read cannot incorporate into their daily lives as they are not open to adapt and make a change for the betterment. Which is a major drawback. Moreover there are so many systems out there but we need to know which one works well for us. As each individual is different. The three steps mentioned are great especially the last one ' Have something to show before bed'. This step is a self evaluation step getting us closer to getting things done.
Bye for now,
Cheryl
says:
Jeffrey, I love it when people start to come up with their own solutions – it simply works best. You can pick those parts from other systems that worked for you and combine it with other great elements.
Congrats for taking a huge step from being a system follower to a system creator :-)
I remember how much lighter I felt, when I switched from strict GTD to coming up with my own version, dropping rules and coming up with my own guidelines based upon my own programming inside my mind.
And while I like lists (and use them), I don't want to be a slave to them. They are just tools.
For me the basis of productivity is based up conscious decision, committing and constant re-committing (which ensures I keep working it even when I fail once in a while) and saying “No” more often.
says:
Brilliant, Patrick. Thank you so much for the comment; pretty much sums up
exactly how I feel! I'm so much more free now that I've given myself
permission to build my own system instead of following the guidelines of
other people, however effective and well intentioned those headlines may be.
I, too, believe that productivity (like many things in life) is founded on a
series of conscious decisions. What matters most is that mental foundation,
not the rules you decide to build on it.
says:
I like these rules. I've noticed that many people spend an inordinate amount of time on their personal productivity systems and not on actually doing much of anything. I've tried simplifying my own thoughts on the subject and have written an article that will be published in a couple weeks on my blog. As a quick teaser, I've boiled it down to:
“Do what is weighing on you most, most of the time.”