There are certain aspects of the calendar that I really appreciate, and the end of the month is one of them. Even more so than the end of the calendar year (which – as I’ve written about – doesn’t hold as much significance for me), the end of the month is a time where I can get set for the next 30 or so days while looking back at the 30 days prior.
If you have a task that comes your way and it can be done in two minutes or less, then get it done and out of the way. It seems like a good idea, right? I’ve even offered it as productivity advice in the past. But here’s the thing: I’ve discovered that it doesn’t work.
What I have discovered is another approach that does work, all while helping stave off overwhelm and setting realistic expectations in terms of focus and achievement in my day. Something that just can’t be done in two minutes or less.
With the Apple Watch hitting the market, you’d think that someone involved with productivity – or, more specifically, time management – would be chomping at the bit to pick one up. But I’m not getting an Apple Watch anytime soon. In fact, I’m not getting a smart watch of any kind in the near future, despite the fact that I do write and speak a lot about time.
In order to fit your workflow (or work style) into whatever it is you’re trying to do – whether it be for an organization, your own company, or even for your family, you’d be better served to put the edge pieces in place first. They’ll give you that framework you’ll need to put things together faster and better.
Whenever you’re starting something new – no matter what it is – if you want to get better at it then it’s important to see the gaps. You need to first recognize where the holes are in your game and then do what you can to fill them. Whether you fill those gaps up with new approaches, tools that can handle them, or bridging them with existing approaches and tools, you need to fill them in order to improve. And your productivity is no different.
Too often we focus on the big stuff that we’re trying to get done. When we come up short, we give ourselves a hard time. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t strive to achieve on a high level, but what I am suggesting is that you step back and celebrate the small wins because they go a lot further than you’d think in making or breaking your overall productivity and performance.
My Small Sabbaticals set the tone for all of these things initially, but this vacation preparation – knowing I’ll be away for two weeks – took everything to a whole new level. And it’s a level I plan to stay at until I move ahead even further.
One of the biggest pain points that Todoist users have is the lack of start dates in the app. To be fair, not many of the task management apps out there have starts dates. And those that do have start dates don’t have the scalability that Todoist offers in terms of features and platform ubiquity. I’ve experimented with three ways to achieve start date functionality in Todoist, and while none of them are perfect…they do the trick.
This week on the podcast Michael Schechter joins me and four-time guest Patrick Rhone to have a candid discussion about the things you have to do versus the things that you want to do, among other things.
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