The SECRET Way to 10X Your Productivity
Our success is directly tied to our daily productivity. James Clear said it best in his book Atomic Habits when he stated:
“If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”
It’s true, systems are everything. No matter how small, or big, the goal is, you NEED to have habits in place to achieve them. Your success is going to be tied to what you do during your day-to-day life.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where that isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s easy to be busy without actually being productive. We often find ourselves spending hours working on tasks that don’t actually benefit our goals. Worst of all, when we do dedicate ourselves to the tasks that matter most, we find that it takes us longer than it should to complete them.
Cell phones, television, social media, and our overall distractive lifestyle makes it easy to spend our time dreaming about what we would like to get done, while actually getting nothing done at all.
That’s where time management techniques become important. They help us set up daily habits and tasks that will lead to our long term goals. These techniques provide boundaries and structure to keep our urges in check and our daily lives productive.
Below I break down my favorite productivity techniques that have been the cornerstone in my day to day work life.
Figure Out What NEEDS To Be Done First
The first step is to set your priorities. I recommend doing this either the night before or early in the morning before you begin your day. As for determining priorities, many people believe in the “big 3” but I find that breaking my day down into smaller, more simple tasks in each area of my life works better.
SET GENERIC TIME BLOCKS
I like to break my day down into 4 “time blocks” where I determine where my energy should go.
Section 1: The Heavy Work
This is where the bulk of my mental resources go. This is either a big client project, a blog post, or a video. This is essentially how I make money and what my business needs to do to grow.
Section 2: Office Tasks
These are shorter, smaller tasks that need to be accomplished, but don’t require the mental dependency as the heavy work. Examples include sending emails, taking care of social media comments/posts, and making images/pins for my content as well as handling phone calls. These are important, but don’t need to be prioritized towards mental energy.
Section 3: My Personal Chores
These are tasks that should get done but are not business dependent. I like to work these tasks in between my heavy work (more on how I incorporate this in the Pomodora method below). In a perfect day, I superset these throughout my day; however, if needed these tasks can always be put on hold for the higher priority tasks mentioned above.
Section 4: Health or Fitness Goals for the Day
My final block is health goals. I like to block off my fitness goals for the day (and I find much more satisfaction when I can check them off my list). It requires me to fit them in, and I find that when I take time to take care of myself, my productivity tends to increase throughout the work. However, if fitness isn’t a priority for you, things like reading, meditation, etc… will work well here too.
My Modified Pomodoro Technique (How I Schedule These Tasks!)
WHAT IS THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE?
The Pomodoro Technique is actually a method of “time-blocking” that breaks down taks into smaller working intervals. Essentially, you work intensely for 25 minutes then you follow it by a 5 minute break. After 4 completed sessions, you take a long break then repeat. This teaches you to focus while rewarding you with a quick break. All you need is a to-do list and a timer and you are ready to begin working!
THE BENEFITS OF THE POMODORO
One of the best ways to motivate yourself to implement techniques such as the Pomodoro Technique, is to first understand why it’s so beneficial. That’s why below I list a few of the many benefits I have found while using the Pomodoro Technique.
Forces you to add structure and planning to your day
Allows you to set small and achievable goals to help drive motivation
Provides accountability for you and your work
Eliminates distraction
Allows you to identify your priorities
Allows for efficient reflection of work
Teaches you how to focus
Increased productivity (reaching the end goal!)
There is no doubt that the Pomodoro Technique allows you to productively structure your day. However, I have modified the technique to take my productivity one step further.
HOW I MADE MY OWN VERSION
I take the principle of the Pomodoro Technique, and add my own twist to it.
I CHANGE THE INTERVALS
Although a 25/5 schedule works, I prefer longer working intervals followed by a longer break. I’ve found 35/10 works well for me. Essentially, I work 35 minutes and take a longer 10 minute break. This 10 minutes allows me to accomplish my other goals throughout the day.
I SUPERSET WITH PERSONAL WORK
My 10 minute intervals are used for a “mental” break and personal chores. During these times I will do laundry, vacuum, clean the kitchen, work on administrative chores, etc. This allows me to get even more done throughout my day.
I SET ASIDE TIME FOR EACH CATEGORY
The first 4 to 5 hours are always heavy work. The middle of the day tends to be fitness, and the end of the day is tedious and mindless tasks such as social media and emails. Within each of these blocks I work 35 minutes of heavy work, followed by 10 minute breaks filled with personal chores.
SETTING UP YOUR OWN TIME BLOCKING TECHNIQUE
PRIORITIZE YOUR HEAVY WORK
This first step is to determine which projects are the most time sensitive and set your day around accomplishing those projects. These are the “heavy work” projects I mentioned above. I generally have one to three heavy products dominate my day. I write these down in a notebook, planner, or on an app (pick whichever one you will be consistent with).
If it’s a project that absolutely NEEDS to get done, I’ll keep it as the only “heavy work” task until it’s finished. This means every major interval is focused on this project.
2. DETERMINE YOUR REMAINING TASKS
Next you need to determine which other minor tasks need to get accomplished throughout the day. This can be household chores, technical tasks, social media etc. We are going to assign these to our “breaks”. My personal tasks get priority during these breaks because they tend to get mindless yet always need to get done. For example, on my intervals I will often do laundry or dishes. Determine your priorities and focus on them.
3. PICK YOUR PERFECT TIME INTERVALS
There is no right time interval. Therefore, what I recommend you do is try a few different intervals to see what works best for you. Some people can work 60 minutes, focused, and love it. Others struggle at 25 minutes. Try a few different intervals to see what works best for you and your mindset.
Once you have your intervals determined, start structuring your day.
For example mine might look like:
Edit YouTube Video (35 minutes)
Make Breakfast (10 minute break)
Finish Editing YouTube Video (35 minutes)
Clean Kitchen (10 Minutes)
Client Project (35 Minutes)
Vacuum (10 Minutes)
Client Project 2 (35 Minutes)
30 Minute Break (house work)
Work Through Email Inbox (35 Minutes)
Sort Through Bills (10 Min)
Reply to Social Media on All Accounts (35 Minutes)
Lunch/Workout (1 Hour Break)
etc…
This is just an example, but it’s an idea of how I structure my day. Each part is broken down into small, manageable tasks.
I set a timer for every 45 minute time period (you can use whichever time interval you prefer)
If I get the article done early, I brainstorm for the next one. If no article is due, I set that time aside for social media, etc...
On days when no articles are due, I can set the interval blocks with varying tasks.
4. SET A TIMER & START
Finally, you need a reliable timer. It’s important to determine which works best for you, whether it be your watch, a clock, or an app. Hit start, and you are ready to go. Make sure to follow each and every one of your intervals, allowing for proper break time and work time. Finally, make sure to reward yourself when you have a completed your work. On a successful day, I’ll reward myself with the evening off, a night on the water, or even something from Amazon!
It’s a good idea to start rewarding yourself for your productivity. It helps contribute to the feeling of accomplishment, and starts to naturally encourage you to keep incorporating these habits throughout your future life.
TIME BLOCKING TIPS
Finally, let’s talk about a few of the tips that can help you be successful everyday, when implementing time blocking.
MAKE TIME BLOCKS REALISTIC
My first tip is to keep it realisitic so you CAN achieve it. Keep your to-do list minimal (don’t schedule in 30 things if you can’t achieve those 30 things), keep your intervals short enough that you can stay tentative to them, and manage your expectations. If you can’t right 1,000 words in an hour, then don’t plan it like you can. When it comes to setting up your day, be conservative. Daily success is more important than instant gratification.
ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS
This one is obvious but never achieved for many people. You NEED to eliminate as many distractions as possible. This means leaving your phone in a different room, staying off of Facebook, and throwing on a pair of headphones with focus music Time blocking doesn't work if you are breaking every five minutes to respond to a text, check your social accounts, or become distracted by the people or pets sharing your household. You need to eliminate distractions and focus on the tasks at hand.
BE CONSISTENT
Consistency is everything in life. That’s why it’s incredibly important that you setup a schedule you can stay consistent with. Productive daily habits is the only way you will achieve your long term goals, therefore start small and consistent then big and falling off the band wagon. I will go as far as recommending that you start working similar times everyday, have set time blocks for everyday, and even try to sleep for the same hours every day if possible. Habits and structure go a long way in human behavior.
You can read my article on how to create habits and achieve goals right here.
FIND THE RIGHT APPS & TOOLS THAT HELP YOUR EFFICIENCY
Finally, learn to use technology to your advantage. Find an app, planner, or notebook to stay organized and accountable. You can find my entire 10 Productivity Apps that Will Transform Your Day to learn more about my favorite apps. A few of the apps I recommend include:
Trello: My FAVORITE organizational desktop and mobile app. It's the most beautiful version sticky notes you'll ever see!
Wunderlist: Another great 'to-do list' tool that allows you to set deadlines and check off accomplishments!
CoSchedule: Article, blog post, and social media organization all in one. Not as simple as Trello, but has many more features.
Focus Keeper: Keeps track of 25 minute work intervals for you. I use the Focus Keeper app to as my pomodoro tracker!
Clickup: A lot like CoSchedule - an all-in-one organizational tool (and one that is becoming my all time favorite)
Brain.FM: Interval music to help you focus!
CONCLUSION
Time Blocking is a great way to force yourself to work. It helps to keep you focused, prioritized, and productive. However, It's what you make of it If you aren't going to put away distractions and stick to your schedule, it won't work for you.
At the very minimum, I recommend you set at least a 15 minute timer when you are struggling for motivation. It's not only a great way to test the method, but also kick starts your work period and keeps you accountable. It's also the first step in time blocking your entire day.
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You can find all of my posts here.
Which time management strategies do you use? Have you tried time blogging? Does it work for you?
