Whenever starting a new practice or learning a new skill, it’s very easy to assume you need to get every minute detail right before progressing. Of course, in some respects that can be true. A novice weightlifter is far better served learning how to lift a barbell ergonomically, safely, and with great form instead of flattering themselves with a weight they struggle to lift.
But it’s also true that a novice weightlifter shouldn’t overestimate or overshoot their approach. After all, you don’t need the latest supplements, the best possible powerlifting suit or high-tech lifting shoes to work out well. You simply need slightly loose-fitting clothes for your range of motion, a good manual, a solid pair of shoes, and the will to practice correctly.
As you can see through this example, often simplifying your approach to a new skill or practice can help get the most of out any given approach.
But what about applying that renewed perspective to how you consider productivity in the first place? In this post, we’ll ask the very simple question – are you overthinking your approach to productivity? If so, how can you rectify your approach?
Let’s consider that, and more, below:
Your Organization Needs Organization
An organized and disciplined planning approach should be there to assist you, not to make things more difficult. Most people know the tired email-attendance duty they have to perform each morning at work, or perhaps feel the obligation to reply to pop-up messages through apps like Slack whenever a colleague messages them.
In some ways, while communication has been made easier and smoother than ever, it can nag at our time and focus more than any other task of the day.
In some cases, our organizational approach can be like that too. If you find yourself constantly having to tag appointments on your calendar, digitize all of your notes, and match calendars and references to how you plan out events, well, this can take a great deal of time. This is especially true if you’re using multiple apps to get on top of everything.
This is where simplifying by choosing one or two of the best daily planner apps can be so ideal. This not only lets you cut the noise, but find a software solution with the features you need, instead of the features you assume you should have.
Learning Shorthand & Fast Documentation Measures
One essential tip to remember is that not everything needs to be documented, and a quick solution isn’t always a bad idea. So for example, using receipt scanner apps that allow you to upload your expenses documentation into a single cloud folder can feel so much better than typing up the value of every receipt in an Excel document.
On top of this, learning shorthand for your note-taking, using the voice memo feature on your smartphone, and keeping personal and professional notes separate in your cloud-integrated apps can be ideal.
This way, you become free from the baggage of constantly having to update your personal workflow with every little consideration and can prioritize that which matters.
Use Separate Profiles & Spaces
The economy of digital processes and software suites we use can differ depending on how we work and where we work. That said, it’s also true that trying to distinguish certain borders from one another can have a great effect.
For example, you may choose to use separate profiles on your home desktop computer to ensure your personal and professional affairs are divided. This can be as simple as using two log-ins on Google, one for your work affairs and another for those of your family.
Of course, separate spaces to work can be ideal also. You may have a laptop in at the kitchen table you use to work through your family’s budgeting process, but a home office with a standing desk you’ve invested in for conference calls and more dedicated remote work. It’s not just about software divisions, but how you orient your entire space and focus on productivity to begin with.
Consider Time Bocking
The essence of time blocking is that it gives you distinct periods in which you work on particular tasks with an attentive focus, instead of trying to balance fifteen different tasks at the same time and failing to progress in any of them.
Let’s say you’re trying to plan your upcoming wedding. A “time block” could serve as two hours you’ll spend with your partner looking at and booking visits with local venues, instead of trying to plan all aspects of the event at once.
Time blocking allows you to avoid the temptation of spinning thousands of plates, and instead sets you apart time to really work, diligently, and with focus on a task you’re invested in. This way, you can quite easily calculate the amount of hours invested into a particular task. As you become more productive and experienced, you’ll be better able to forecast how much time tasks will take, and how to block for them. On top of that, focused sessions like this allow you to minimize distractions, as you’ll have breaks already scheduled. This will prevent you from feeling so distractable.
Flex It Like A Muscle
The truth is that no one starts work perfect at everything and able to remain productive for long hours at a time. It’s something you build up to, especially if you’re learning a new, hard and grating task.
Just like a muscle, your focus, attention, and productivity will grow over time. So, give yourself time. Challenge yourself to work an extra five minutes here, or to automate a task there. One percent improvements that accrue over time will help you excel over the long term, and so don’t discount your ability or potential.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to streamline your approach to productivity. When you have fewer but better methods of remaining on-task and focused, you spend less mental energy spinning proverbial plates. You may be surprised just how much this turbo-charges your productivity on a daily basis.
