Many of us are great at adding tasks to our to-do lists. But when it comes to actually working through them… that’s the challenge. Let me share 7 tips that will help. #1: Prioritize at a high level. When you’re looking at your task list, you shouldn’t have to think hard about what to do next. Your next task should be obvious. If you’re not sure what your priority should be, you need to take a little time to update your list of goals and settle on the action steps you’ll take in the next 3...
11 days ago • 2 min read
Some people love to talk about “deep work”. Focus on your core work, that which requires the most focus, and which adds the most value. Do that and your productivity will skyrocket. Right? Not always. Yes, measured over months or a year, you’ve got to do your deep work. But some of the biggest chance I’ve seen in people’s productivity have come when they’ve given themselves permission to do the opposite: to tackle their shallow work for a while. Always behind on taxes? Give yourself a week to...
18 days ago • 1 min read
I moved into a new apartment last month. Now I’m building a new recording studio. It doesn’t look like much yet— The lighting is off, the mics aren’t in position, and there’s no personality. I’ve really hardly begun. Still, it feels great to be building the studio. Partly that’s because the work is tangible. If you’re like me and much of your work is computer work, the physical quality of building something you can touch makes a difference. But it’s also because I’m fully dedicating myself to...
25 days ago • 1 min read
How many open loops do you have at the moment? Opening more loops than you close is a surefire way to increase your perceived busyness. You’re not getting more done, you don’t have more on your plate—you’re just trying to do it all at once. When I feel overwhelmed, I stop opening new loops. No, this week is not a good time to meet for lunch. No, I can’t commit to releasing this new product soon. No, I’d really love to join, but I’ll have to skip dance class this time. Sometimes, our mouths...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The other day, I was coaching a well-connected client. She told me about meeting the CEO of a Fortune 500 company: I was sitting with this CEO and I was struck by how incredibly present he was during our entire 90-minute meeting. It just seemed like his entire attention was on our conversation and nothing could distract him. At one point, I asked something he didn’t know the answer to. He pulled out his iPhone, tapped on it for 15 seconds, then put the phone back in his pocket. An hour after...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Ever since I was 17, I’ve traveled to and lived in many different countries. Seeing places and meeting different people inspires me and gives me better ideas, so I‘m planning to travel often for the rest of my life. But traveling does affect my productivity and my work. It’s just harder to get stuff done on the go. You don’t have your comfortable home workspace. The wifi might be bad. Your routines are all out of whack. So what can you do to stay productive while traveling? Here are some...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
You know that feeling when you’re expecting guests? You tidy up, but you don’t go overboard. You make sure there’s no underwear on the coffee table, but you don’t alphabetize your spice rack. That’s exactly how I want you to think about productivity. After years of teaching people how to get more of the right stuff done, I’ve noticed something interesting: There’s a sweet spot between chaos and over-organization. I call it your “minimum viable organization”. Some structure is good. Having a...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The other day, I was chatting with a client. She’s extremely busy, with many responsibilities at work and at home. She values her time very highly. Because she has so much going on, it’s tricky for her to find time to focus on her most important projects. She said: “I’d love to have regular blocks of focused work on my calendar.” “And then, from my master task list, I want to drag tasks into those focus blocks.” Her first question: what’s the right tool for this? I immediately thought of...
2 months ago • 1 min read
What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional? An amateur messes around. He doesn’t take things seriously. He doesn’t have an objective in mind. He’s just playing. That’s fine when we’re building a model railroad or learning to bake our own bread or playing tennis with friends. The stakes are low. Who cares if the end result sucks? But your personal productivity is too important to take this approach. We’re talking about your career, here. We’re talking about your life! Don’t...
2 months ago • 1 min read