I’m a content material author by evening and a Head of Partnerships by day, and in my world, being productive is all the things.
No scheduling or an absence of mission administration results in overdue articles, failed partnership alternatives, excessive stress, and stress. We’ve all been there, recovering from zero productiveness.
Productiveness techniques assist develop a sustainable work-life steadiness and put together for working sprints when wanted.
On this put up, I’m sharing the seven greatest productiveness techniques which have turn out to be a part of my routine, turning the day by day grind into an environment friendly workday. You’ll discover their execs and cons and completely different use instances.
What are productiveness techniques?
Productiveness techniques are strategies and instruments that help you in getting issues finished effectively. They don’t do the be just right for you, however they allow you to manage and prioritize duties and your well-being, leading to extra productiveness at a given time.
As an example, productiveness techniques allow you to with:
- Breaking down initiatives into smaller, manageable steps.
- Focusing and avoiding distractions.
- Aim setting.
- Group and workflow.
Let’s discover the seven productiveness techniques I exploit and the way they assist me.
7 Productiveness Techniques to Simplify Your Workflow
1. The Pomodoro Method
I’m merely in love with this technique for supercharging my productiveness after I battle to drag myself collectively and get issues finished. It immediately prompts my focus mode, and I turn out to be so within the zone that nothing can distract me.
How does it work?
The Pomodoro Method breaks your work into brief, centered intervals (usually 25 minutes) adopted by breaks. It helps you keep sharp and motivated as a result of 25-minute chunks are simply digestible by your mind.
Additionally, seeing a timer counting down in your toolbar reinforces your willingness to finish a process throughout this time. It’s like your internal voice says, “Com’on, man, you possibly can work for 25 minutes with out scrolling your Instagram.”
I exploit the Marinara: Pomodoro Assistant Chrome extension to make the Pomodoro method simply accessible. 30-minute timers with a 5-minute relaxation — that’s my rule.
However usually, I don’t take breaks and easily proceed engaged on my process till it’s finished. And when the timer rings, I set one other one to remain centered.
I additionally use Pomodoro for time-tracking after I work on a selected process to know my workload and time spent on process X.
It aids immensely in correct time estimation and mission administration.
Professionals:
- Helps you focus when it’s arduous to begin working.
- Reduces procrastination.
- Much less again ache and fatigue.
- Higher planning for weeks and quarters.
- Extra accountability for duties.
- Fewer distractions — higher time administration.
- Constant motivation all through duties.
Cons:
- None. I’ve been utilizing this technique for ages, and it’s at all times useful.
Finest for: Anybody who needs to handle time higher and get extra finished in much less time.
My Verdict
At first, it was arduous for me to just accept the breaks. I used to be feeling like I used to be losing time throughout these intervals. However then I spotted their energy — these breaks actually recharge me.
2. Bullet Journaling
A bullet journal, or so-called BuJo, is like a complicated diary that features writing and drawing. It’s organized with sections for day by day duties, calendars, notes, well being monitoring, and aim setting.
I’ve lately stumbled upon nice research exploring how bullet journaling impacts creativity and productiveness. The conclusion is that it doesn’t simply assist with staying organized but in addition with reflecting on what’s actually vital.
I additionally love the piece by a trainer who shared how bullet journaling helped her overcome perfectionism. So, in the event you’re chasing that elusive perfection, take a learn. 🙂
Every now and then, I exploit bullet journaling for planning my days, understanding how packed I’m, and carving out time for issues I like to do other than my job. It is also helped me perceive what number of initiatives I can tackle.
For instance, I draft my schedule in an excellent old style approach in my paper pocket book. So, my bullet journaling normally goes like this:
7:30 — get up
8:00 — yoga
10:00 — provide an overview for consumer X
11:00 — interview consultants for HubSpot’s article
13:00 — lunch break
14:00 — work for a charitable fund
17:30 — assembly
Should you’re not into old-school productiveness strategies, you possibly can take a look at digital alternate options like Notion, Trello, Evernote, or Miro.
For my part, Miro is the good possibility as a result of it reminds you of an everyday pocket book. It lets you simply transfer objects and fosters creativity.
Professionals:
- Helps with customizable group.
- Assists in boosting creativity and aids prioritization.
- Supplies centralized process administration.
- Facilitates self-reflection.
Cons:
- Time-intensive maintenance.
- Threat of inconsistency.
Finest for: Creatives, visible thinkers, and people looking for customized group.
My Verdict
Bullet journaling is a follow many people have instinctively finished sooner or later in our lives. Let’s say for planning journeys, buying, exercise routines, or comparable actions.
The trick is studying to do it extra systematically. Typically, I rely fully on it. Different instances, I exploit bullet journaling simply as a scratchpad when transferring info from paper to my project management apps.
3. Calendar Blocking
The key situation individuals usually face with their schedule is consistently switching between duties. Calendar blocking is a time administration technique the place you allocate particular time slots in your calendar for various duties.
As an example, my workday earlier than calendar blocking may appear like this: I begin writing an article. Then, after half an hour, I leap into a gathering. Subsequent, I transfer to my emails. Lastly, I get again to the article. Not efficient in any respect.
Todoist’s graphic completely explains my level:
For time blocking, I exploit Google Calendar and block time for particular duties. Every process will get its personal centered time slot. Physician appointments, yoga, and studying additionally go to my calendar.
The consequence? I get extra finished quicker.
Listed below are some suggestions for profitable calendar blocking:
- Divide your day into chunks for particular duties.
- Be lifelike about how lengthy duties will take; overestimate if uncertain.
- Schedule breaks to keep away from burnout; don’t overbook free time.
- Regulate plans if wanted resulting from sudden occasions.
- Evaluate and comply with your deliberate duties recurrently.
- Think about using apps like Todoist and Google Calendar for higher group.
Professionals:
- Improved time administration.
- Enhanced focus.
- Diminished process switching.
- Clearer prioritization.
- Higher work-life steadiness.
Cons:
- Issue in adapting to adjustments.
- Potential for under-/overestimating process period.
Finest for: Anybody with a number of duties and commitments to prepare.
My Verdict
Calendar blocking organizes your working and free time and permits you to not get misplaced in a number of duties on the identical time. The largest problem might be sitting down on Sunday evening or each Monday morning and making ready all the things up entrance.
However it’s positively price it.
4. Eat the Frog
“If you need to eat a reside frog, do it very first thing within the morning, and nothing worse will occur to you for the remainder of the day.” – Mark Twain
This quote explains what the Eat the Frog method is all about. Do the toughest factor first, and all the things else later will appear simpler.
Final 12 months’s study discovered that utilizing this technique improves tender abilities and helps fight procrastination, resulting in long-term advantages for profession and life.
I completely agree with that and implement the Eat the Frog technique virtually day-after-day.
Right here’s how I do it:
- I decide my frog first — crucial however not pressing process. I am going with the one which wants a whole lot of brainpower.
- I normally choose a process I can end in 1 to 4 hours max.
- I cut up huge duties into smaller steps.
- I at all times concentrate on as we speak’s duties, not far-off ones.
- And eventually, I start my day by tackling my frog process first.
Professionals:
- Get powerful duties finished first.
- Really feel much less burdened.
- Handle time higher.
- Construct good habits.
Cons:
- Beginning with the toughest process might result in fatigue.
- It may result in overlooking time-sensitive issues.
Finest for: Anybody who prefers to cope with challenges upfront relatively than procrastinate or for anybody scuffling with procrastination with regards to troublesome duties.
My Verdict
After I’ve bought these powerful duties to chew (those that want tons of focus, numbers, and analysis), I make them my prime precedence within the morning. As soon as I’ve tackled that, I can calm down with a cup of espresso, make amends for emails, and transfer on to 1 extra process.
I attempted doing it the opposite approach round, however I simply couldn’t concentrate on the rest whereas realizing I had that huge process ready. So, for me, the “Eat the Frog” method is the one strategy to go.
5. Challenge Administration Practices
After I began freelancing, managing one or two initiatives with out monitoring wasn’t too arduous. However as my workload grew, it turned inconceivable.
As we speak, I can’t think about my work routine with out mission administration instruments — Monday and Asana are my productiveness lifelines.
They assist me break duties down, set deadlines, observe progress, coordinate with my group, and ship outcomes.
I exploit Monday to plan and prioritize my weekly duties for a charitable fund’s work in a simplified Kanban visualization with “Backlog,” “In progress,” and “Completed” tabs.
What I like: Monday takes care of the mission administration necessities like subtasks, versatile statuses, house owners and assignees, API integrations, and so forth.
As for Asana, I largely use it for consumer writing and search engine optimization initiatives. It’s so easy to get and assign duties, observe mission progress, and talk with others by means of the platform.
Professionals:
- Centralize mission info for straightforward entry.
- Facilitate group communication and thought sharing.
- Aid you break initiatives into manageable duties.
- Preserve your group centered and productive.
- Present real-time knowledge on mission progress.
- Automate duties for streamlined workflows.
Cons:
- I see nothing however advantages to utilizing mission administration software program. Studying easy methods to use it would take time, however when you do, it turns into tremendous straightforward.
Finest for: People, groups, and initiatives of all sizes. You should use it for small duties or large-scale initiatives.
My Verdict
Though I like utilizing my pocket book for bullet journaling, PM instruments assist preserve my work beneath management with notifications, reminders, repeated duties, and so forth.
6. The Eisenhower Resolution Matrix
“I’ve two sorts of issues — the pressing and vital. The pressing will not be vital, and the vital are by no means pressing.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
The Eisenhower Resolution Matrix categorizes duties by significance and urgency. I exploit it to resolve what to concentrate on, delegate, or discard.
It is best to think about using the Eisenhower Matrix in the event you’re usually busy however really feel your work lacks affect, battle with time for long-term objectives, or discover it arduous to delegate or say “no” (been there, finished that).
I lately watched a YouTube video by Naomi from Todoist, the place she shared insightful tips about the Eisenhower Matrix:
[Video: Beginner’s Guide to the Eisenhower Matrix]
Right here’s how she explains every of those 4 classes:
- Quadrant 1 — vital duties needing pressing consideration.
- Quadrant 2 — vital duties for long-term objectives.
- Quadrant 3 — pressing duties that aren’t crucial, usually simply busy work.
- Quadrant 4 — duties neither pressing nor vital, offering instantaneous however no lasting satisfaction.
And right here’s how I apply this method in my day-to-day work:
- Quadrant 1. I prioritize assembly tight deadlines for articles.
- Quadrant 2. I dedicate time to enhancing my writing and analysis abilities for long-term progress.
- Quadrant 3. Typically, if I’m too busy, I let a dependable individual deal with skilled interviews for me.
- Quadrant 4. I attempt to keep away from spending an excessive amount of time on social media to remain centered.
Professionals:
- Clear prioritization.
- Efficient time administration.
- Lengthy-term aim alignment.
- Higher delegation.
- Diminished stress.
- Improved decision-making.
Cons:
- At first, it may be powerful to resolve which duties are extra vital with an even bigger affect however much less urgency. After a number of practices, one will get used to the system and harvests tangible advantages.
Finest for: Organizing obligations; significantly useful for anybody who struggles with process prioritization, time administration, or decision-making.
My Verdict
The sense of urgency posed the best problem throughout my digital advertising and marketing profession. It felt like each process demanded rapid consideration. My default mode was “ASAP” for all the things till I realized to categorize priorities and discern non-priority duties.
That’s what I realized due to The Eisenhower Resolution Matrix, and, for my part, it’s one of many greatest productiveness techniques on the market.
7. Kanban and Scrum Strategies
To be tremendous productive throughout a workweek, I mix simplified Scrum and Kanban methodologies.
Scrum: You’re employed in brief bursts known as sprints (normally one to 4 weeks lengthy). In every dash, you set objectives and resolve what duties to deal with. Then, you’ve gotten fast conferences known as stand-ups to verify progress and regulate your work plan as wanted.
Kanban: There aren’t any sprints in Kanban. As a substitute, think about your duties on a board with columns labeled “Backlog,” “Doing,” “Evaluate,” and “Completed.”
As you’re employed, you shift duties between columns. It helps you visualize your workflow, restrict work in progress, and concentrate on finishing duties one after the other.
Right here’s how I do it:
Each Monday, I assessment my Backlog with concepts and duties which have appeared randomly all through the earlier week, assign priorities and due dates, create subtasks, and so forth.
Each Friday, I take a look at my board within the PM device Monday, a process supervisor, and analyze why I’m off schedule for some duties and easy methods to tackle the trigger.
This helps me to be agile, full as many duties as match inside a piece week (realistically), and spot bottlenecks or roadblocks.
Professionals:
- Helps visualize workflows simply.
- Limits multitasking and improves focus.
- Encourages ongoing course of enchancment.
- Organizes initiatives successfully with clear objectives.
- Fosters common group communication and collaboration.
- Facilitates adaptation to altering mission wants.
Cons:
- An absence of outlined deadlines might result in delays.
- Rigidity in dash timelines (Scrum) might trigger stress.
Finest for: Environments that worth flexibility and adaptableness over strict timelines.
📍Word: Implementing the 2 techniques at a time is named Scrumban.
My Verdict
Combining these two strategies helps me visualize what I’ve to do within the Kanban board, whereas the Scrum sprints assist me to make numerous progress on explicit initiatives. I just like the steadiness the 2 techniques carry to my work, which is basically impartial and distant.
What’s the perfect productiveness system?
Though each productiveness system has its deserves, my private favorites are:
- The Pomodoro Method for protecting me centered with 30-minute working sprints and 5-minute breaks.
- The Eisenhower Resolution Matrix for easy group of pressing and vital duties.
- Scrumban for normal progress check-ups.
Irrespective of which system you select, the one factor that issues is that it really helps enhance your productiveness. I mix three of them every day, and I believe that’s the perfect method for finishing the roles to be finished, ideating new initiatives, and monitoring my group’s progress.
Strive just a few, see what suits and what doesn’t, and in the end, you’ll discover your greatest resolution to keep away from psychological blocks, demotivation, and burnout.
