4 steps to be more productive starting today!

I want to be more productive and get more important things done, but where do I start? Perfecting your personal productivity is an exciting life-long journey that can transform you along the way and bring many good things your way.

This is because productive people are more valuable. And valuable people attract better relationships, experiences and more money.

But where do you start? What could you start doing today to help you master your time and get more done?

In this article, I give you four steps you can take right away to help you be more productive... starting today! Let us begin.

1. Make a written productivity list. Everyday

Go out, buy a notebook and physically write your goals for the day.

What are the things you want to complete today?

Got it? Great. Now write them down. And then carry that around with you.

A written list in your own handwriting is a contract with yourself. But don’t just write everything you could do that day. Only write the things that really matter – that move you toward something you care about.

When I started doing this, I found my productivity doubled as I knew I had to grade myself when I review the list later in the day (more on this later). This motivated me to get to work completing these tasks that mattered. If it made it unto the list, it was most likely to get done.

Where do you start?

I suggest starting small. So-called “little things” like a messy closet or workstation, a pending phone call, a missing sock etc. can place an irrationally disproportionate strain on our minds. Tying up simple loose ends like these is a low-effort-high-payoff way to inject powerful momentum in the right direction of being more productive.

So, start with these quick wins and build up on confidence and complexity as you go along.

Must I write it down?

Take it from someone who has experimented—simply memorizing or mentally planning to get stuff done is not as effective as making an actual list. I tried both and in weeks where I simply planned in my head, the days went by with little or no form. There were no measurable results I attained and, quite frankly, everything was a blur.

There is a power in crystallizing your thoughts into words, diagrams or charts.

There is growing acceptance in the world of metacognition (thinking about thinking) that the human mind is very powerful at employing external forms of memory storage. The external world is like a huge storage drive that the mind consults frequently for its perception of reality. We can use this to our advantage.

By having and surrounding ourselves with tools that keep us on track, we are exploiting the brain's natural tendency and using it to drive us forward. And a simple list is the easiest place to start.

Memory banks and storage tanks

In retrospect, as I think about the weeks when I was trying to remember all I had to do, there’s no wonder it was so hard. I was just weighing my mind down with more stuff. I was using up valuable memory bank space unconsciously and creating anxiety even.Remember the point about “loose ends” above? Exactly.

Even if you have an impeccable memory, writing something down creates commitment. That can make the difference between following through or flaking out. And that is all the difference that matters in becoming more productive. Now on to the second thing.

2. Visualize a more productive day

After writing down the goals, take a few minutes to imagine how you would go about your day to achieve your goals for the day. On top of that imagine what it would look and feel like to complete your list. And really enjoy the gratification of completing the tasks.

It can be something as simple as the relief of getting the task off your plate. Never underestimate the power of this relief. It puts you in a frame of mind in which you have already completed the task and actually causes neurological responses in your brain. Your brain links the experience of being more productive to pleasure and benefit and this causes your brain to drive you in the direction of those activities.

Skip me not

Just like the writing step, this is one step that it is tempting to skip. After all, you have made a list now you just want to get to work right?

Not so fast. These extra few minutes spent in mental rehearsal and visualization can greatly multiply your chances at success. If nothing else, it helps you identify possible barriers to completing your tasks so that you think about ways to get around them.

Research has shown that people who anticipate roadblocks and decide ahead of time how they will overcome them are much more likely to succeed than those who don’t.

But you did not need a scientific study to prove that—it just makes sense. We know intuitively that people who prepare for something do better (all else being equal) than those who don’t. But the research helps too 😊

If you’d like to read more about this, I have an article here.

Now we get to some doing.

3. To be more productive, complete the most difficult or least appealing tasks first

Eat that frog first! This is a saying that expresses the meaning of this step: Complete your most difficult tasks first. That is, eating your frog. It is also the title of an interesting book by Brian Tracy dedicated entirely to the concept.

But you need not read 150 pages to apply the wisdom behind this practice. It begins with acknowledging the common tendency to put off tough or unpleasant tasks. An important reason for this is that they will require more focus and energy because you are not naturally interested in doing them. Therefore, doing them while you are fresh and energized greatly increases the chances they will be done and done well instead of being procrastinated upon until the days, weeks and months go by without them being accomplished.

If you find you struggle with this, you might benefit from reading this article.

If you have an assistant who you can delegate certain tasks to, by all means, do. Some repetitive tasks you will find you can speedily complete using a piece of software.

However, those undesirable things that you simply cannot afford to delegate or automate should be the first ones you tackle.

And lastly, step 4.

4. Review your day before going to sleep.

This last step is just about as important as step 1. And though it is tempting to skip this one also, don’t. Just don’t. This is where the power lies.

By reviewing your progress on your goals for the day, you are holding yourself accountable to the person that matters most—YOU. The person who stands to gain or lose the most based on your commitment to planning and executing your goals—YOU. The person who has to live with the regrets of not following through on your dreams—YOU. The person who will enjoy the benefits of your dream fulfilled – you guessed it, YOU.

You are also seeing opportunities to be better tomorrow. Keep this up day after day and you can just imagine how much progress you would make in a week, a month, a year, 10 years...

But do be careful not to fall into the trap of harsh criticism. This is not about beating yourself up. It's about helping yourself up.

Be sure to acknowledge the things you did well based on these 4 steps and then to promise yourself to improve on the areas you might have dropped the ball. Tomorrow is another day, another chance, another shot at goal. Make sure that the last conscious thought you hold as you fall asleep is a positive one.

Repeat daily…

Until the next article, be your best and do your best.