Personal Productivity: Shift from doing to achieving

You may have noticed that I’m obsessed with collaboration, productivity and how works get done. While I often write about how organizations and teams define and achieve outcomes, I also enjoy coaching and teaching about personal productivity. This article is about how each of us can choose to be in control of our time for maximum success and maximum delight. This article is about finding the right approach to shift from doing to achieving.

??This is not an article about tools or technologies. You’ll find it’s actually about practices and behaviors that are tool and medium agnostic. Pen and paper may be your jam or you may prefer something digital. These practices and behaviors work either way.        

Different things will work for different people so this is not an exhaustive framework. It is mash-up of what I’ve observed, learned, and stumbled upon — shaped into a framework that works for me. It is the system that I use and that I hope others will learn from. Now let’s dive in.

How can I be more productive?

Often when we ask “how can I be more productive” we mean it as “how can I get more things done.” With this mindset there is a natural, immovable ceiling: the number of hours in the day. Therefore success will not come from simply doing more things. Success requires that we do more impactful things and that we do them more efficiently. Success requires us to know, focus on, and execute what matters most. Thats still a pretty big list so I've developed a personal productivity framework that clarifies where to start each day:

1. Prioritize
2. Organize
3. Focused Execution
4. Celebrate and Reward

1. Prioritize

At any given moment there are lots of things that we could do. Prioritization is about understanding which things we must do. Knowing the difference between could do and must do items requires that we first have a desired future state: a clear picture or vision of what we want our future to look like with defined and specific milestones along the way. This allows us to select and do things that move us closer to our desired future state, and to avoid spending time on things that don’t move us forward. Practices and behaviors:

• ??In a professional setting I recommend and use a long-term strategy planning process paired with the rigor and cadence of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). There is no better way to achieve clarity on the vision, transparency on the strategy, and effective execution towards outcomes.
• ??Outside of work, it may be nice to use something a bit more whimsical and fun. For example, a vision board assembles visual depictions (often photos) of the desired future state. It’s a fun way to ideate on how we want our future to look and feel. Then work backwards from the destination by identifying the major milestones necessary to achieve the future state. I recommend the thought exercise of asking “what would have to be true.” What would have to be true, that is not true today, to achieve this future state. The “not true today” items become milestones to vet and plan for.

Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not. -Cal Newport

??Need inspiration for your vision board? Consider using a Wheel of Life (Example by Noomii ). This visual aid and exercise walks through common areas of our personal lives that may need attention. Pro Tip: Less can be more. You may not always have priorities in all areas of the wheel.

Additional Thoughts:

• Prioritization requires saying no to a lot of things, but no doesn’t mean never. Sometimes it means not now. Don’t be discouraged if something you really want and crave falls under not now.
• Having too many ideas, possibilities and options rattling around in our heads can cloud our ability to prioritize and organize. Write down ideas as they come into your head to clear your mind. It works! You know they are captured, safe, and ready for review later.

2. Organize

Now that we have a clearly defined future state with incremental milestones we'll start to identify the more tactical tasks and activities that support our journey. Perhaps you already track these on a to-do list. Organize is an important stage in the productivity journey because this is when we decide each and every day where to invest our time for the greatest returns. This is where we create a structure for knowing what to do next and I’m going to suggest an alternative to the traditional to-do list. Practices and behaviors:

1. ??Vet everything. For every task that we consider doing we must know (A) how it contributes to our defined future state, (B) whether there are prerequisites or required inputs, and (C) how much time it will take to complete. If it doesn’t contribute to our future state then we should most likely reject it.
2. ??Create a success list. A to-do list is a list of things that we could do. A success list is the list of things that we must do. Throw out the to-do list and adopt the terminology and exclusivity of a success list. Only things that we must do in order to achieve our desired future state and outcomes are admitted onto the very exclusive success list.
3. 1??Identify the one thing. Despite being very exclusive, the success list may still be long. Use a focusing question to identify exactly what must be done on any given day. For example (from The ONE Thing), “what is the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary.”
4. ??Refresh the success list daily. Update the success list every day with three sections: Today, Tomorrow, Next. Items that pass the focus question go in Today. Items that will pass the focus question tomorrow go in Tomorrow. Everything else goes in Next. At any point in time we now have a clear view of things that will be done today, done tomorrow, or done after that. Today, Tomorrow, Next.

??Pro Tip: The power of the focusing question is in the 80/20 rule. Its helps us identify which actions will have the largest impact so that we can do those first. By refreshing the list daily we can be sure that we are always doing what will move us furthest and fastest towards our desired future state.

3. Focused Execution

Are you still with me? Great! Because we are now in a very exciting spot. We know what we want, we know what we need to do to achieve it, and now we get to execute and make it happen. However this is easier said than done. Life is full of distractions and noise that will tempt us away from the important work at hand. While we will not always be in control of the disruption we can control how we respond to it. Practices and behaviors:

• ???Tune out the noise. This is our shield to deflect distractions. Being reachable anytime anywhere is good sometimes, but not when trying to execute on important work. Silence notifications and phone calls on all devices with ?? Do Not Disturb mode. Put a ??sign on the home office door to let family know we’re not available for pop-ins. ??Wear noise cancelling headphones if silence is needed (even when not playing media).
• ??Design your environment. This is about pairing the work with the right setting for the work. Be intentional about recognizing and remembering what works well for you and what doesn’t. Then control as many variables as possible: the work, the location, and the ambiance. Should we go to the office today? A local coffee shop? Or should we sneak away into the mountains for a retreat? ?? For me, I know my most creative ideas come when I’m on a long drive listening to a podcast or audiobook. So I do this often and I keep a voice recorder handy.
• ??Stimulate your mind. Going beyond environment design, this is the highly personalized practice of using audio, visuals, and food/drink to stimulate our minds. Fast music, slow music or no music? Do we need to see the buzzing world through a window or need to be isolated from the world in a closed room? Coffee to energize or tea to calm? I have recognized in myself that straight line execution work happens best with two shots of ??espresso and ??Philip Glass playing. This is also the worst time for me to send emails based on feedback from my peers ??. Spend time getting to know what works for you and when.
• ????Rapidly disposition interruptions. Despite all our efforts, interruptions will pierce the focused execution shield. Don’t despair... disposition! The 4 Ds from Getting Things Done are a go-to model for this. Delete, Delegate, Defer or Do. Use this method to quickly settle the disruption and return to focused execution. Don’t dither and refrain from “Do” if trying to focus.

4. Celebrate and Reward

When we accomplish something, even on our own, it’s important to feel joy and recognition. Taking a moment to reflect on good work will energize us to jump back in with grit and vigor. As leaders we create space for team members to be recognized. Don’t forget that we need this as well. Practices and behaviors:

• Identify what motivates you. Each of us are motivated by different things, which will determine how to celebrate effectively. Some people will be incredibly gratified by ?checking an item off their success list. Others will relish 20 minutes for a ????walk in the sun. Maybe cooking a delicious ??lunch brings joy. By knowing the variety of things that motivate us we can indulge in them when completing a task.
• Pair the right reward with the right task. We can’t uncork a bottle of champagne at the end of every task. Make sure to pair the celebration and reward with the right level of impact achieved. ??A rare effort of magnitude earns an outsized celebration and reward.
• Establish the reward before you start the task. Earlier we identified how long a task is projected to take. Now, we get to identify how we will celebrate completion. Queue the motivation!

??Are you a procrastinator? Thrive under tight deadlines? This can be challenging, but it’s not lethal. Books like Getting Things Done and The Now Habit can be very helpful in changing the thought process that governs starting and completing work. Procrastination lives in the erroneous belief that joy comes from delaying work. Over time, we can change our mindset to know that joy comes from completing work (and still having free time afterwards).

In Summary

???? I truly hope that you enjoyed this article on personal productivity, that it is genuinely helpful, and that you’ll share your wisdom in the comments. Personal productivity is just that: personal. It is different for each person. If you don’t already have your own effective framework then now is the best time to get started. Lets go!

Thank you for reading. Did I miss something? Do you have wisdom to add? Join in the conversation!

Additional Resources

Do you want to further explore personal productivity? These are the books that have most heavily influenced my framework. They are interesting, relatable, and packed with practices and behaviors to inspire your own personal productivity framework.

• The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
• Measure What Matters by John Doerr
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke
• The Now Habit by Neil Fiore

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