Tips, Tricks, F Ameworks & Apps For Building A Better .
How To Boost Your PersonalProductivity: A Complete GuideTips, Tricks, Frameworks & Apps ForBuilding A Better Daily Routine1
Table of Contents2What Is Productivity, Really?3How To Establish (Actually Useful) Goals4How To Prioritize The Right Tasks7Best Techniques To Boost Your Productivity9How To Manage Your Time (And Stay In Control)13Best Tools To Use For Personal Productivity20Be The Boss: Boost Your Productivity26
What Is Productivity, Really?Productivity isn’t just about checking boxes offyour to-do list; it’s about making sure you’regetting the right things done, in the righttimeframe, in a successful and effective way.Having a good productivity system in order, and aneffective workflow you enjoy, is valuable not onlyfor your work, but also your personal life.It starts by setting realistic goals, breaking thosegoals down into actionable tasks, and at the end ofit all, asking yourself, “did I accomplish somethingmeaningful with a measurable impact from what Iset out to do?”3In this ebook, we’ll take you through the steps ofincreasing your productivity by building a workflowthat works best for you. We’ll cover:How to establish productivity goals;How to prioritize tasks to use time moreefficiently; The best techniques to boost your productivity; Tools you can use to increase your personalproductivity Let’s dive right in.
The first step towards being more productive isestablishing the goals you want to achieve.How will you determine your own productivity if youdon’t know the end result you’re working towards?Once you establish goals, you’ll be able to moreeffectively prioritize tasks and set time managementguidelines.How To Establish(Actually Useful) GoalsTake a moment to explore the true point of yourproject. Ideally it’s one you’re truly passionate about.Organize your thoughts in a way that works for you. Youmay or may not want to write them down, but followingthe process (even in your head) helps just the same.Here’s an example:PROJECT ASSIGNED:Write a monthly team report.GOAL:Showcase my team’s accomplishmentsthrough a data-packed presentationand visually show the team what we’veaccomplished and how we can improvein the future.4
Once you have a goal in mind,create a mission or purposestatement behind the goalyou’ve set.Whether you’re passionate about aproject or not, reminding yourselfof the reason why you’re doinga project is a helpful way to stayfocused.Once you have a goal and a missionstatement in mind for your project,generate a to-do list of everytask—small or large—that will benecessary to complete the project,including any “ideal” tasks thatcould be a part of your project butaren’t critical.Here’s an example of a missionstatement and task list based onthe goal in our example:5MISSION STATEMENT:I am proving my team’s value by creating a monthlyreport that showcases both our wins and areas wherewe can improve. Doing so will motivate me, my teammembers, and other stakeholders to support my team’spositive performance.TASKS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE PROJECTResearch examples of team reports for inspirationDelegate data analysis of our team’s metricsCreate presentation with key insights and dataPractice my presentation for the team.Present the report to my team.
When you set a goal and start working on the tasks without a mission behind the goal, it’s easyto lose perspective on what you’re trying to achieve.Make sure you take the time to step back, reflect, and understand that even seemingly-tedious tasks arepart of a larger project with a purpose, whether it’s professional or personal.It’s also important to constantly improve. Not only does this mean improving the steps it takes to achieveyour goal, it also means improving your personal productivity system, or even just yourself. Honing yourprocess along the way will help you work more efficiently than you first expected, which means more goalsaccomplished!With your goal and mission statement established, it’s time to break down the steps needed to prioritize thetasks of your project.PROJECT6GOALMISSIONSTATEMENT
One reason why many productivity systems fail isbecause you often have too much on your plate.Being able to say “yes” to the right (read: goal-driven)things and “no” to the clutter that gets in the way isimportant when prioritizing tasks.How To PrioritizeThe Right TasksPrioritization means working along a purpose-drivenpath: you are aware of what you need to do, arecapable of doing it, and know how to delegate anythingelse that requires help. Remember, having a clearunderstanding of the “why” means that you can easilydiscard any tasks that do not live up to your missionstatement.It’s also important to recognize that achieving yourgoals often requires collaboration with others. Get toknow your strengths and weaknesses, then delegatetasks to others available to help fulfill your greatervision.7
Let’s go back to ourproject example to seehow you might prioritizetasks for your goal path.Establishing your priority andthinking through the timeand effort each task will takeis essential to being yourmost productive self.Different people preferperforming tasks in differentorders. Whether you prefer tostart easy or tackle difficulttasks first, prioritizing downto the details then organizingthose tasks based on yourown process is essential.8TaskDifficultyLevelHelpPriority #Needed?Research examples of teamreports for inspiration3No1Delegate data analysis of ourteam’s metrics1Yes2Create a presentation with theinformation I’ve collected5No3Practice my presentation forthe team6No4Present the report to my team8No5
How you choose to prioritize is apersonal process, but that doesn’tmean you need to start from scratch.Best Techniques ToBoost Your Productivity9There are a few proven techniquesthat can help guide your process.By structuring how you prioritize,you’ll set boundaries that willbetter qualify the tasks that aregoing to have the mostimpact on your project.
The 80/20 RuleWHAT IS IT?You may have heard of the 80/20 rule when it comesto sales in the business world. The idea is that 80%of profits will come from 20% of your customers.Therefore, you really want to spend the most timenurturing the smaller portion of your customers thatare going to provide bigger profits for your company.The same principle applies to your own productivity.20% percent of your tasks are probably going to have80% of the impact. By prioritizing the tasks that havethe most impact first, you can let other tasks thatmay not be as impactful fall by the wayside or simplydelegate them to someone else.EXAMPLE IN ACTION:One way to determine the impact of your tasks is tothink about how many people one task or projectwill affect. Let’s say you’re a marketer, and one of thetasks on your to-do list is to make a video that willmaybe reach 100 people, but the other task is to builda well-constructed newsletter that will be sent to amillion users. Which task will have the most impact?Because the newsletter will have an overall greatermarketing impact, prioritizing it over the video makesthe most sense according to the 80/20 rule.LEARN MORE1020% of Your Tasks HaveThe Biggest Impact
The Rule Of FiveWHAT IS IT?The Rule of FiveJoel Spolsky, co-founder of Trello and CEO of Stack Overflow, developed the Rule of 5.The concept is that no person should ever have more than five tasks on their to-do list atany given time.Working on this taskright nowAccording to this rule, two of your five tasks should be ones you are working on rightnow, two more should be the tasks you will be working on next, and one task should besomething that people probably expect you to work on, but you’re not actually planningon doing.Working on this taskright nowEXAMPLE IN ACTION:Working on thistask nextWorking on thistask nextNot actually going towork on this taskLet’s say your managing a team project and you’re typically in charge of planning andorganizing your team meetings.With the team project underway, you first four to-do list tasks are taken up already, andyou know you’ll probably put the team meeting off until the last minute. Because theteam meeting is you’re “not actually going to do item,” it’s easier to delegate that lasttask to a team member who is able to pick up the task that you just can’t prioritize rightnow. We’re all busy, but procrastination doesn’t need to be a roadblock!Prioritizing just two things at once helps you make better use of your limited mentalresources and prevents you from overloading on anxiety about your to-do list.Additionally, if you have too many items on the table, then you end up constantlyjumping back and forth between tasks. Doing so makes you suffer from contextswitching, which ultimately makes you a less effective and less productive workerbecause you don’t have a focus.LEARN MORE11
The Eisenhower MatrixWHAT IS IT?Assigning a task to each quadrant helps you removedecision-making from the process. Be like Ike! Stayproductive by removing emotional overload from theequation and focus on your most valuable tasks.LEARN MORE12Write-up internalreport for mycompany on myteam’s yearlyperformanceRSVP yes or no tocompany event in 3weeksLess Urgent3142Respond to emailfrom my CEOImp o rtantU rg e ntWrite and postmy out-of-officenotification thatneeds to starttomorrowLess ImportantTasks that are both “Important” and “Urgent” receivea priority level of 1, and should be your focus. On theother end of the spectrum, tasks that are deemed both“Not Important” and “Not Urgent” should be put tothe wayside. In the middle are tasks that can either bescheduled for “Next Up”, or even delegated to someoneelse.Less UrgentImp o rtantThe idea is that all of your tasks can be sorted into fourquadrants, with axes of “Important” and“Urgent”. These four quadrants are given number valuesof 1 through 4 based on their priority.EXAMPLE IN ACTIONLess ImportantDeveloped by the 34th US President Dwight D.Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Matrix allows you to createa system of prioritizing the most important tasks sothat they don’t get lost to the sudden, unexpectedtasks that always seem to arise out of nowhere.U rg e nt
How To Manage Your Time(And Stay In Control)13Now that you’ve tackled your to-do list,it’s time to think about how to manageyour time given all of the prioritizationwork you’ve accomplished.More and more studies show that multitaskingis terrible for your productivity. While your brainmight think you’re getting more done, scientistshave found that multitasking actually makesyou work less effectively. Here are just a few ofthe many ways you can better structure yourtime if you want to be more productive.
Pomodoro TechniqueWHAT IS IT?The Pomodoro Technique maximizes timeand efficiency by blocking out 25 minutes ofuninterrupted focus, followed by 5 minutes ofbreak time.While it sounds easy, making yourself stayfully focused for 25 minutes straight can be achallenge. Be reasonable with yourself; try juststarting with one block a day of uninterruptedfocus.EXAMPLE IN ACTION:Pick a task that can you can accomplish in 25minutes and solely work on that task, letting noexternal distractions creep into your mind.Francesco Cirillo, the creator of the PomodoroTechnique, broke down this technique into 5simple steps:1. Choose a task to be accomplished.2. Set a timer to 25 minutes.3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then puta check on your sheet of paper.4. Take a 5-minute break (this marks the completion ofone “Pomodoro”).5. Every four Pomodoros, take a longer break.If you think of an unrelated topic or task that needs toget done, make sure to jot down a note for yourself anddeal with it later.If you are able to do one Pomodoro sessionsuccessfully, slowly expand until you can turnyour day into a set of focused work sessions.Don’t forget! The Pomodoro Technique is built onthe idea of true focused effort and taking breaks.So when your timer goes off, you have to makeyourself take real breaks to rest your mind.LEARN MORE14There are a lot of great tools and timers(even browser extensions!) that can help youimplement the Pomodoro technique.
Monday8:00 AMCheck EmailFinishProject 19:00 AM10:00 AMScheduledMeetings11:00 AM12:00 PM1:00 PM2:00 PM3:00 PM15TuesdayScheduledMeetingsWork onPorject 1Work onProject 24:00 PMAfternoonSnack5:00 PMRespond toEmailPresentationPrepFinishProject 2Respond toEmailTime BoxingWHAT IS IT?Time boxing is another structured session technique,but on a larger scale. It can be all-too-easy to fall intoa 60- or 80-hour workweek. With so much to get done,invoking the time boxing method will help you set limitson yourself so you can maintain a healthy work-lifebalance.EXAMPLE IN ACTIONWith this technique, you have to say to yourself: “I’monly going to work 35 or 40 hours a week and I will getmy tasks done in that time.” You may also want to applytime boxing to surfing the web before bed or watchingTV on the weekends. Visualize the other activities youcan enjoy with your earned time. By working withinallotted time frames that are motivated by bothpersonal and professional goals, you force yourself to bemore efficient and you give yourself permission to havefun.LEARN MORE
BatchingWHAT IS IT?Batching is a really simple technique that trains you toaccomplish a lot of similar small tasks in one sitting.16Writeall memosSchedule all meetingsSend all emailsle allSchedsufor 1 daygmeetinLEARN MOREll invoicessTo use the batching method, simply think of all ofyour different tasks that can be grouped together. Itmight be catching up email, filling out tedious forms orpaperworks, filing expenses and receipts, or schedulingall of your meetings. Do those types of tasks at once sothat your mind is not switching back and forth all day.CreateaailemtoFor example, you might batch all of your social mediascheduling for an entire week or all of your daily emailcorrespondence in one hour per day.ndEXAMPLE IN ACTIONospReBy grouping repetitive, regular tasks into concentratedwork sessions, you turn many tasks into a single task,making you feel like you have more uninterruptedtime blocks in your day to accomplish larger, timedemanding tasks. It also enables you to get intoyour workflow in the morning by starting with easy,repeatable tasks first—or keeps you productive at theend of your work day when your brain has maxed out onstrategy and problem-solving.
Ultradian RhythmWHAT IS IT?Another important technique you can try is following your body’s ultradian rhythm. The ultradian rhythm is madeup of 90 to 120 minute cycles where you’ll be at peak productivity, followed by 20 minute lulls. Focus on your mostdifficult tasks during your most productive cycles and then complete less difficult, mentally intensive tasks duringyour 20 minute lulls.EXAMPLE IN ACTION:Easy enough, right? So how do you find your ultradian rhythm? First, create a log or journal where you can score (on ascale of 1-10) your focus, energy, and motivation for every waking hour, every day, for three weeks.After three weeks, review your log. Hopefully, you’ll start to notice trends in your scores, which will enable you tofigure out which times of day are your most productive hours and days.PeakRest17RestPeakPeakPeakRestRest
MondayOnce you’ve taken the time to get to knowyour own natural rhythm, you can use thispersonal data to set a more productiveschedule for yourself.10:00 AMDon’t forget to also note days or times when you feelleast energetic or productive and take note of anycircumstances that impact your productivity.10:40 AMMaybe you had a cold one day, or maybe you realize youfeel lethargic around 1 pm everyday. By taking thesenotes, you can build rest or coffee breaks into your daysto make you more productive.In the end, take all of your findings and figure out yourultimate productivity schedule. You might realize thatit doesn’t look like a typical 9-5 workday, or discoverthat you’re a creative night owl. Ideally, you can find aschedule that works best for you based on your peakproductivity hours.10:20 AMPeak Productivity Hours BasedOn My Ultradian Rythym11:00 AM11:20 AMPlanned Rest11:40 AM12:00 PM12:20 PMPeak Productivity Hours BasedOn My Ultradian Rythym12:40 PMLEARN MORE181:00 PMPlanned Rest
PRO TIPCreate margins. Instead of acreating an unrealistic, rigidschedule, create margins foryourself so you can let yourproductive moments flow intothe next. By having too rigidof a schedule, you’ll causeyourself to burn out.Instead, take breaks, go forwalks, plan for Netflix nights,and immerse yourself in thingsthat relax you to make sureyou’re not burning out.19Forgive YourselfWhen trying to manage your time effectively, youhave to remember not to be too hard on yourself. Notall hours or days are the same, and it’s impossible foranybody to be giving their all 100% of the time. Youmight have an amazingly productive 60 minutes, butthen the next hour is a total dud.Feeling guilty about that dud hour only means that youwill carry over that lack of productivity and a bad moodinto your next potentially-productive hour.Understand that you will have productive moments andless productive moments. Recognize when you are ina good state, and take advantage of it to get as muchdone as possible. Accept the slower times, and switchgears to still give yourself a benefit in some way oranother.
Best Tools To Use ForPersonal Productivity20Part of being your most productive self isensuring that you’re making use of tools andtech to leverage your effectiveness.Luckily, there are plenty of tools we can recommend tohelp you enhance your productivity, get more done, andcollaborate better with others.
PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY TOOLSTo build your best personal productivity routine, youneed perspective. For many people, having a visualrepresentation of the scope of their goals, tasks, andprojects can give them the right understanding of howto best manage their time and to-do’s.Trello is a visual collaboration tool that gives you, andeveryone you work with, perspective on what needsto get done. A Trello board is flexible and open tointerpretation, meaning you can use it to apply anyproductivity frameworks you’re learning about here toyour daily routine. From creating powerful to-do liststo organizing all of your documents and brainstorms,Trello is a great productivity tool to help you manageyour time and projects effectively.Millions of people use Trello everyday to get more done.Check out these beginner tips for using Trello or getinspired with sample Trello boards that are free to copyand adapt for your workflows.21
PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY TOOLSOne TabWhen it comes to checking tasks off of your to-do list,focus is key. One awesome tool that helps you findfocus is One Tab. This extension takes all of the opentabs you have in your browser and combines them intojust one list, on one tab.Stop being a digital packrat, and free yourself from thedistraction of all of those open tabs. Like a clutteredroom, when you have a million tabs open, you’llunnecessarily feel the weight of all of the other taskson your to-do list.22
TIME MANAGEMENT APPSThe average person checks their phoneup to 150 times a day. Some of thoseinstances were probably necessary, butmindlessly checking your phone can be aproductivity killer.Time management apps can help you stayfocused on your work and not on yourphone. Here are three ways to silencedevice distractions.OfftimeOfftime lets you set time blocks where you cantemporarily turn off notifications. You can even setcategories like “family” and “work” so that you stillremain connected to certain areas of your life if needbe. Offtime also shows you analytics about your phoneusage, giving you a better perspective on how yourphone might be hurting your productivity.FlipdFlipd, like Offtime, allows you to turn off yournotifications. However, it also actually initiates acustom lock screen with a timer to prevent you fromopening your phone. If you’re having one of those dayswhere your texts and social media are blowing up,Flipd is the tool for you. It forces you to focus while stillletting you save emergency contacts in case someonedesperately needs to reach you. Flipd also offers a socialaspect by connecting you to the rest of the communityof Flipd users. You can even complete productivitychallenges with others if competition motivates you!23
TIME MANAGEMENT APPSMoment (IOS Only)Moment provides you with daily data about your phoneusage. Feel like you should set a limit on yourself?Moment lets you do that. The app will actually blankout your screen and remind you to set your phone downand chill out in the real world if you go over your selfimposed limits. It also has a traffic light reminder tonotify you when you’re in the red zone.HarvestEspecially if you’re working with clients, Harvest is thetool for you. Harvest allows you to track time and keeptrack of how long you are spending on each task.You can even use Harvest as a productivity hack.Everyone has repeatable tasks, so by tracking your timeeach time you complete them, you can collect real dataon your consistency. In fact, time tracking apps likeHarvest can give you a boost on your ultradian rhythmproject! Love Trello and Harvest? There’s even a HarvestPower-Up for Trello so you can start timers directly fromTrello cards.24
AUTOMATION APPSWe all have recurring tasks that take up smallamounts of time but are massive productivitykillers.Whether it’s adding data to spreadsheets or schedulingyour tweets on social media, using technology toeliminate those tasks helps you stay productive. Zapierand If This Then That (IFTTT) are two tools you can useto automate your life.They can connect your apps in all kinds of ways to makeyour life easier. Set up reminders on your calendar fromyour Fitbit, auto-add new contacts from your iPhone toyour Gmail or save tweets you like to a Google Sheet.You can have Siri communicate with your Trello boards,turn “starred” emails in Gmail into Trello cards and syncTrello with your other productivity apps like Evernote.The key is to think of simple, repetitive tasks that youdo manually—like making to-do’s out of emails orcalendar invites—and then building an automationnetwork to support them. Learn more about how to addautomation to your workflows properly.25
Productivity is personal, and improving ittakes focus on your daily routines and habits(including those tendencies to push thingsoff!).Be the Boss:Boost Your ProductivityThe next step is up to you. Use this guide to startapplying the tools, techniques, and pro tips youneed to boost your productivity.From here on out, you’re the boss. Being moreproductive is all about putting these strategiesinto a plan that works best for you.We’re part of a larger community of productivepeople. Tell us: How do you stay on top of your to-dolists? What helps you be a productivity boss?Reach us on Twitter and come join us in our Trellocommunity.26
The Eisenhower Matrix WHAT IS IT? Developed by the 34th US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Matrix allows you to create a system of prioritizing the most important tasks so that they don’t get lost to the sudden, unexpected tasks that always seem to arise out of nowhere. T
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