These are 10 principles that encompass most of the productivity principles that have helped me optimize and enhance my life. They go hand-in-hand and continue to bless my life. I am far from perfection… but these are the principles and processes I do my best to live by:
- Schedule Everything Important
- Invest In Yourself
- Good, Better, Best
- Technology… Servant or Master?
- Goals, Habits, and Routines
- Clear Your Mind
- Work Smarter, Not Harder
- Focus
- Plan, Review, Execute
- My Life Plan
My Review and Planning Templates
To use my templates, sign into your Google account and then click “File > Make a copy”.
- My Life Plan Template
- Weekly Review / Ideal Week Template
- Monthly Review Template
- Quarterly Review Template
- Annual Review Template
- Annual Time Block Template
- Family Home Evening Template
- Family Board Meetings / Date Night / Super Saturday Template
What Is Productivity?
I would start defining productivity by what it is not. Productivity is not about doing more in less time. To me, productivity is choosing to focus on the best things rather than the good and better things. I think Michael Hyatt defined it best:
Productivity is not about getting more things done; it’s about getting the right things done. It’s about starting each day with clarity and ending with a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and energy to spare. It’s about achieving more by doing less.
“Free To Focus” by Michael Hyatt
Sometimes the best things to do, is absolutely nothing. Sometimes, it may be best to just be present in the moment. There have been days where we just needed to take some personal time to recharge, rest and clear our minds. Some of my favorite moments with my family are when we just sat on the couch together laughing and reading or telling stories.
What works for me as far as being productive may not work for you. Productivity is different for everyone. Experiment and learn what tools and processes work best for you. Focusing on the best investment of our time for our relationships and personal growth is what being productive means to me.
My Version of Getting Things Done (GTD)
When it comes to getting things done, David Allen’s Getting Things Done Methodology has been transformational with how I work, organize my life, and get the most important things done. I highly recommend reading and applying what he teaches. Over the years, I have tailored his workflow slightly to match how I manage my life, capture all of my tasks and loose ends, and ultimately organize my entire life:
Whenever a new task, event, idea, or reminder comes into my mind or view, I either place it in one of my inboxes to process later or immediately ask if it is actionable. If it is not, I either
- Trash It.
- Snooze/Delay it for later.
- Save it for reference.
- Put it where it belongs in my Someday/Maybe list.
When I have time to process my inboxes, I go through each task and ask if it is actionable. If it is, I then outline what the next actions are. Is it one task? Multiple tasks? A project? I then break it down and outline all of the steps and schedule what needs to happen and when.
David Allen’s “2-Minute Rule” has worked great for me (if I have two minutes in the moment to complete the task). When you are processing your tasks in your inbox, and a task will take two or less minutes to complete, do it then! It will take you so much longer to capture that task, place it where it belongs, and spend time accomplishing it at a later time. If a task will take more than two minutes, then I will capture and save it where it belongs in one of five places (these apps are what work best for me… find what works best for you):
- Things (My Task Manager)
- Due (My Reminders)
- Calendar (My Events/Plans)
- Notes (Future Reference)
- Delegate it to whomever it should go to.
I then schedule when to review and process my inboxes, projects, and tasks. I can then intentionally plan on when to prioritize and accomplish what needs to get done. My Weekly Review is when I like to get to inbox zero in all of my inboxes.