Today, I had dozens of pending tasks. So here is what I did. I just picked one task that really mattered (a program on anxiety I am soon launching). I dropped everything else, started my timer, and did 10 focus sprints of 25 minutes. By around 5:30 pm, the task was done -- the program is almost ready to launch. No sweat, no struggle. But had I picked up 3-4 other tasks along with it, I would have ended my day with a bunch of semi-complete tasks. An 80% complete task is like a car that is 80% manufactured -- you can't drive it. Then what's the point? Productivity = focus + prioritization. And my recipe is simple: 1. Prioritization: Pick NOT the most important task, but the most important task that you can ALSO complete. 2. For focus, drop everything else and engage with one thing at a time. Cut out everything else -- be cold-blooded ruthless. (The screenshot is of the timer I use for my focus sprints.) Whenever overwhelmed, pick a task that matters and finish it. Only finishing counts. Everything else is an '80% of a car.' *** To break digital addictions, build focus, and build life-changing habits, check out our programs: www.habitstrong.com To build a focused and good life — I share ideas and 'how-to guides' here: https://lnkd.in/gVfBTQsH
On the one hand, advances in AI are causing robots to become more human-like. On the other hand, people are becoming robots because there are so many things to accomplish. Irony!
Any task you pick up should feel doable, if it is t then it will simply create overwhelm which ins the no.1 reason for procrastination
Thats a great nugget Rajan Singh. To avoid distraction of messages, emails(while doing the work), I just keep my phone on focus mode so that I don't get poked by the notifications and I can focus on task that really matters.
how we define the "finishing" that makes a difference . Every tasks cannot be completed in a day . A measurable and consistent progress sometime matters big . Which is core of any project management
Hi Rajan, our brain is like a supercomputer and science says that the brain can manage one activity at a time even though multiple thoughts run like multiple screens. Again putting a timer are we putting a pause on creativity and innovative ideas. Well-planned activity gives better results but putting a pause by setting up a timer may cause uneasiness. I feel breaking tasks into small and doable tasks in a day appeals to me more. Share your views on it.
We all would have come across..few places like sweet shop or hotel ...one item will be too famous super...have analysed why not other items...life or work you need to choose best..and be best..do not concentrate on too many things in that 90% will be useless or less priority...we also choose easy task first...rest last or keep procrastinating..
Exactly my day yesterday! What helped is a self-imposed “no meeting Wednesday” to get it all done.
Rajan sir, aren't our minds too primitive to work in such sprint modes. It takes almost 10 minutes to concentrate fully on one task. Then, if we have to stop in the next 15 minutes, how will focused work happen? I'm curious to understand.
This worked for me too when i was illustrating a book. I used to pick one poem and focus on creating illustrations for that. If i chose 2 or 3 poems i wasn't able to achieve much. But when i worked on 1 i was able to work quickly and move to the other
Asia Pacific Supply Chain & Logistics Director at Ariston Thermo Group
12moPomodoro technique