When your routine is in a rut, sometimes it’s helpful to consider tweaking your approach with a new productivity tool or technique.
A few useful productivity tools and techniques
Early in the year seems like a good time to evaluate the productivity tools and techniques we use to manage our time, attention, and energy. This time around I set about looking at some tools and techniques that I don’t use regularly, to learn about how they might fit into my (and your) workflow. For each, I briefly discuss what it is, what it’s for, who might want to use it, and where it might be useful.
Tools
Though I may have mentioned some of the tools below in past episodes, I don’t use them regularly yet, and I’m considering making them part of my productivity toolbelt.
1. Vision board
What is it?
Although I’ve heard of vision boards for years, I’ve never made one myself yet. During my research, I found a blog post by Jack Canfield that concisely describes what it is:
“A vision board is a visualization tool which refers to a board of any sort used to build a collage of words and pictures that represent your goals and dreams.”
Some resources refer to the book The Secret as a source of the idea that you can manifest the things you want by clearly visualizing them. Though I haven’t read this book myself, I’m not sure I buy into 100% of the message based on what I’ve read about it. However, the idea of the “law of attraction” introduced in this book has been influential for many, and one of the tools that come out of this idea is the vision board.
Whether you believe in the idea of the law of attraction, the idea of a vision board can have a lot of value in helping us to accomplish our goals. The best way to achieve your goals is to have them at the top of mind and to take regular action toward them. Creating a vision board can help with that.
Once you’ve created your vision board, hang it where you see it frequently, so it can remind you to take action.
In his article Jack Canfield explains, “visualization activates the creative powers of your subconscious mind and programs your brain to notice available resources that were always there but escaped your notice.”
Once an idea is planted in your brain, you begin to notice it more. In the same way, once you start to visualize a goal, you begin to notice more ways to achieve it because you’re more conscious of it.
One article called “The #Ladyboss Guide to Creating a Vision Board” suggests 4 steps to creating a vision board:
- “Make a list of the areas of your life that are most important to you.”
Do some journaling about what you want those areas to look and feel like. - “Grab some magazines you love or head over to Pinterest.”
Collect images and words that inspire you. She recommends, “Don’t overthink it, just go with your gut and have fun.” - “Map out your images on your board.”
Lay them out, and move them around until you find the layout you like. There is no right or wrong. Just do what appeals to you. You don’t have to fill every space. - “Hang your board someplace you’ll see it often.”
Who is it for and how would it be useful?
- If you’re not sure what goals to pursue or what you want, the process of working through these steps can help clarify.
- If you have an idea of what you want but aren’t sure how to go about it, the steps described above might help kick your imagination into gear to come up with new and novel approaches to getting what you want.
- If you find you don’t follow through even after having identified goals and even created a plan, having the board in front of you might help keep you motivated.
2. Personality/character tests
What is it?
I truly believe self-awareness is a key to productivity. Knowing yourself, seeing yourself honestly – your strengths, weaknesses, inclinations, interests, talents – all play a role in our ability to both get things done and to make a life that matters, and these tests can help us with that.
These tests don’t define us, so if the results don’t resonate with you, discard it. But they can provide us with information that we can look at, evaluate, and consider if and how to adjust our approach to getting things done.
Options:
- Enneagram – 9 personality types
See The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Cron and also Beyond the To-Do List episode 207 - Strengthsfinder 2.0
- The NERIS personality types (a Myers-Briggs type framework)
- The “Big Five” model of personality (scores in Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) – several tests available here
Remember that these tests do not define you! So don’t pigeon-hole yourself based on the results. But these tests can be a good source of information and help you become increase awareness.
Who is it for and how would it be useful?
- You feel blocked or like you’re struggling to succeed, and aren’t sure why
- You feel like you aren’t fitting into the groove of where you’re working or the things you’re doing
- You want some insight into yourself and the others, so you can understand where others are on the spectrum and interact with them better
3. Big wall calendar
- Benefits:
- You can see the big picture and keeps it in front of you
- You can communicate the schedule and goal when working in a team environment
- You can use it for long-range planning and habit tracking by color coding particular habits and putting a dot on the square for each day you do that habit
- You can build new habits using the “Don’t Break the Chain” technique I’ll mention later
- Options:
- Any big wall calendar or desk-pad you can find at an office supply store or online for a year at a glance such as:
- Other ideas from the ReedGiftFairs.com blog article
Who is it for and how would it be useful?
- You feel you’re living day-to-day and not making progress on your long-term goals, whether for business or personal
- You have trouble visualizing the big picture
4. Website Blockers
What is it?
These are digital tools that will block your access to the internet entirely or to particular websites for the period of time you specify.
Options:
- Freedom app : This is the one I use. It works on computers and mobile devices.
- AppDetox: Android app recommended by Joanne, a TPW Facebook Community It automatically shuts down the app when the time you specify is up and won’t let you log back in.
- Rescue Time tracks where you’re spending your online time.
Who is it for and how would it be useful?
If you find yourself spending more time than you want to on social media or surfing the web, and want to curb that habit.
5. Scheduling tool
What is it?
A tool for coordinating schedules and making plans with multiple people. This is different from a shared calendar. Rather than emailing or texting back and forth trying to find a time that works for all parties, you can send a poll of date options to everyone to see which date works for the most people. It’s a great tool that enables you to avoid the back and forth emailing or texting.
Options:
- Doodle (Full disclosure: previous TPW sponsor)
This is great not only for scheduling conference calls or meetings for multiple people, but also for family events, get togethers with friends, and family reunions as well. - Assistant.to (Has free Gmail extension)
- Boomerang Calendar (Has free Gmail extension)
- Other possibilities in this article and this article
Who is it for and how would it be useful?
If you’re in a position where you need to schedule events involving several people’s schedules.
Techniques
1. Task consolidation techniques
You can use these independently, but they can be used together to work more efficiently.
Time blocking:
This is blocking out chunks of time for particular purposes. You can do it on paper or on your digital calendar. The idea is to intentionally block focused time for them instead of trying to fit your most important activities into little bits of time. For example, you could schedule 2-3 hours in the morning (or whenever you feel most energetic) for your “deep work,” or schedule meetings on Thursday afternoons to leave other parts of your day or week uninterrupted.
Theming:
This is assigning a theme or purpose to particular days or months and can be tied to or used with time blocking. I had first heard about this approach from Mike Vardy who runs the Productivityist podcast. He has a ton of posts about this idea on his website.
Batching:
This is doing similar tasks together, i.e., replying to emails, writing letters, running errands, or making phone calls. For me, it might be recording several episodes of the podcast on the same day, so I can save time spent setting up all my gear, or getting “in the mood.”
When/why use it?
Consider time-blocking if you feel like your schedule is out of control and things aren’t getting done, or if you want to be more efficient in your use of time. Once this becomes habitual, you’ll achieve efficiency of scale and be more productive.
2. Pomodoro technique
Wikipedia explains that “The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. However, the Cirillo company has its own website where you can get more information.
Use the Pomodoro technique by following 6 simple steps:
- Choose a task
- Set the timer for 25 minutes
- Work on the task until the timer rings
- When it rings, put a checkmark on a piece of paper: completing those steps constitutes one Pomodoro.
- Take a short 10-minute break: walk away and do something unrelated.
- Every 4 pomodoros, take a longer break, about 20-30 minutes.
When/why use it?
This is a very good technique to help you break through procrastination or develop some focus if you’re having trouble staying focused on the task at hand.
3. Mind-mapping
Wikipedia explains that “A mind-map is a diagram used to visually organize information.”
The Mindmapping.com website explains, “All Mind Maps have some things in common. They have a natural organizational structure that radiates from the center and use lines, symbols, words, color and images according to simple, brain-friendly concepts. Mind mapping converts a long list of monotonous information into a colorful, memorable and highly organized diagram that works in line with your brain’s natural way of doing things.”
This technique allows you to throw your ideas out without thinking about where they fit or in what order; just get them down there, then look for connections and order later.
According to one Lifehacker writer, mindmapping is “a very intuitive way to organize your thoughts, since mind maps mimic the way our brains think—bouncing ideas off of each other, rather than thinking linearly.”
Mindmapping can be done on paper or digitally. If you prefer to go digital, there are many apps available such as Mindnode, or Scapple.
When/why use it?
- If you’re stuck and need to get a lot of ideas out of your mind and onto paper (or screen) to look at.
- At the beginning of a project, download every idea you have so you can then see what you have, start to organize it, and see where the holes are.
- If you’re working in a team in your business or organization, brainstorm ideas together to put on your mindmap and start moving them around to think in creative ways.
4. The 80-20 principle
Also knows as the Pareto Principle, or the “law of the vital few,” this refers to the idea that in any situation, 20% of the inputs or activities are responsible for 80% of the outcomes or results.
One article provides a few examples as listed below:
- 80% of our revenues come from 20% of our customers.
- 80% of the complaints come from 20% of the customers.
- 20% of your ideas generate 80% of the traffic on your blog.
- 80% of the positive results in your life come from 20% of the things you do.
This principle actually isn’t a technique you do, but rather a “rule” that exists. Becoming aware of it can help you evaluate what you’re doing and where your time, energy, attention, and money can best be spent.
For more info, listen to episode 205 of “Beyond the To Do List” podcast or check out this article by Brian Tracy.
When/why use it?
If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels or completely overloaded, sit down and evaluate your projects and commitments. What are the 20% of your projects and commitments that create the most results, whether it’s profit, joy, engagement, or anything else? Skim down the remaining 80% that isn’t creating much value in your life.
5. A habit-creating tool: Don’t break the chain
Jerry Seinfeld and John Grisham are known to have gotten successful by employing this method. Seinfeld wrote a joke a day and John Grisham made time to write a page a day.
The idea is to have a big wall calendar and each day you do the habit you are trying to build, you mark that day’s block with a big red X. Soon you build a chain of Xs, and you simply don’t break the chain. This article explains, “Consider the one thing that would make the most profound difference to your life if you practiced it every day.”
6. List management techniques
“Eat that frog”
This concept was introduced by Mark Twain, where you do your most challenging task first thing in the morning. If you get up in the morning and eat a frog. The rest of your day is bound to be better since nothing could be worse than that. Brain Tracy writes about this idea in his book by the same title.
- When/why to use it? Try this out when you find that you do a lot but don’t get the most important tasks done.
1-3-5 list
Your to-do list for the day contains 1 big task, 3 medium tasks, and 5 small tasks.
When/why to use it?
If your master project list is huge and overwhelming, this can help you focus on just the few most important things day by day.
Two thoughts about tools and techniques
- You don’t need to change just to be changing. Tools and techniques are means to an end, which is to get your stuff done. If the ones you’re using already work for you, then just use your time to get your stuff done instead of spending time exploring and learning something new. I talked about this back in episode 86: “5 Reasons to Change Your Productivity System (and 4 reasons not to)”
- Make small changes. Habits are easiest to develop one at a time. Try one thing. If it works for you, get it integrated into your system so it’s automatic, then try adding another.
What do you think?
Have you tried any of these productivity tools or techniques? If so, how did it work for you? Any other productivity tools or techniques you can recommend? Please share them in the comments section of this post or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or send me an email.
Resources and Links
Apps and Products
- Enneagram
- Strengthsfinder 2.0
- The NERIS personality types
- The “Big Five” model of personality
- Freedom app
- AppDetox
- Rescue Time
- Papersource Great Big Wall Calendar
- NOW Year Calendar
- Doodle
- Assistant.to
- Boomerang Calendar
- Mindnode
- Scapple
Books
- The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, by Ian Cron
- Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracy
- Strengthsfinder 2.0
Articles
- Vision Board Ideas & How to Make Yours Better | Jack Canfield
- The #Ladyboss Guide to Creating a Vision Board
- Productivity Inspiration #1: Your mind on a big wall
- Do more and have fun with Time Management – Pomodoro Technique
- Mindmapping
- How to Use Mindmaps to Unleash your Brain’s Creativity and Potential
- The 17 Best Meeting Scheduler Apps
- 9 Meeting Scheduler Tools to Make Your Day More Productive
- Articles about ‘Theming’ on the Productivityist Podcast (Mike Vardy) Website
- Understanding Pareto’s Principle – The 80-20 Rule
- The 80/20 Rule Explained
- The Jerry Seinfeld and John Grisham Productivity Hack
- Don’t Break the Chain: Testing the Jerry Seinfeld Productivity Technique
- The 13 Best Productivity Apps, Tools, and Methods
Other resources
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