I’ve been working on my productivity system for more than 20 years. I’ve tested many things, but in the end, few have resisted in the long term. And the ones who remain are the most efficient for me. I can summarize them like this: 5 habits and 5 tools.
Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash
The 5 habits
Life plan.
Every year, I fine-tune my life plan. It gives me the big picture. It’s like my compass. During the process, I also decide which project I will focus on for the full year. Usually, I concentrate on a learning experience. It’s where I get my energy. (check out How to build your life plan?)
Sleep.
Going to sleep earlier was one of the most difficult habits to implement but it’s worth it. Getting up early, which is the consequence of going to bed early, is my structure’s base. I feel better, I’m more focused and creative.
My life radically changed when I started to sleep better. (check out Do you want to achieve more? Sleep better.)
Morning routine.
This is where consistency happens. I dedicate 30 minutes to the main project that came from my life plan. (check out How do you start doing the things you want to do?)
Weekly review.
It’s a mix of my personal and professional life. It’s the time where I plan what I’ll do in the next week and review everything done in the past week.
It’s also a critical time for my creativity. I empty all my inbox tools. Evernote, Drafts, and my bullet journal are full of ideas, inspiration collected during the past week. (check out How to build your weekly review?)
Daily review.
It allows me to start and close the day well. The few minutes I take in the morning to decide what I do and what I won’t do are crucial. They determine how I feel at the end of the day. I try to under-commit and over-deliver for myself. (check out The one thing that makes or kills your day.)
The 5 tools I use
Photo by Todd Quackenbush on Unsplash
Mind map.
I use it for so many things. Prepare a call, a meeting, a speech, analyzing a situation, brainstorming alone, or with a team… I draw on paper or use MindManager for the software version. (check out How to improve your productivity and creativity with mind mapping?)
Evernote.
It’s my digital memory; I have around 10 000 notes. Everything goes in. (check out Capture. Store. Review. The importance of building your digital brain.)
Drafts.
Same as Evernote. It’s just faster to start taking notes on my iPhone. The notes captured in Drafts are centralized in Evernote.
Bullet journal.
I always have it next to me. During a meeting, I take notes on paper to keep eye contact with the people and stay focused. I extract what is essential at the end of the day. It goes either in Evernote for information or in Nozbe for actions.
Nozbe.
It’s my personal task manager. If an idea becomes a project. It moves from Evernote, Draft, or my bullet journal to Nozbe to be executed. It works on the GTD model (Getting Things Done)
That’s what works for me.
What is yours?
Thank you.
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