Productivity

Schedule every damn minute

March 12, 2019

When I woke up this morning, I knew exactly what to do:

Drink two glasses of water with my fish oil and multivitamin
GMB Elements workout
Mckenzie back exercises
Shower
Catch train (07.53)
etc. (you get the idea)

I knew exactly what to do because I sat down the night before and made a plan.

Social media: The one thing I did, which finally got it under control

October 29, 2018

I’ve tried almost every type of strategy to get my social media use under control. By under control, I mean managing the negatives, so that overall it’s a net positive in my life.

That is, until 3 weeks ago. I tried something new, and I’ve finally nailed it.

Three reasons morning routines don’t work (and how to stick to one you love)

August 30, 2018

Waking early and making good use of the early hours is the biggest life hack there is — no exception. It’s a competitive advantage that almost feels like you’re cheating. You’re getting stuff done whilst most other people are sleeping like babies!

But, it can be hard to find one you like doing and will stick to (these are linked).

In my experience, there are three things that are at the root of not sticking to a morning routine:

Why weekly planning is so important (and how to do it)

July 9, 2018

I was reminded this morning how powerful and important it is to block out time to plan the week ahead.

Over the last 5 weeks, I’ve fallen out of my weekly planning habit. I spent three weeks in Cyprus, so it wasn’t needed. It’s funny how going to the beach, swimming, eating and drinking beer seem to flow with each other nicely 😉

The following two weeks were unusual for me. I had a lot of days where I was looking after my daughter Fearne. I also had a bunch of other social commitments. I decided it wasn’t worth planning those two weeks out. Better to see the two weeks out and then get back to normal.

Today I’m getting back to normal. The first thing I did was sit down and go through my weekly planning process.

How to be less busy, and have more impact

May 25, 2018

I’ve been through a major shift in how I plan my days and get things done over the last few years.

I used to think a good day was getting as many things done as possible. I felt productive as I ploughed through my lists. But now I realise, I was actually just busy. I could get lots of things done, but my impact was inconsistent.

A better way of putting it is, I didn’t get the return on investment for the amount of time I put in, or the number of things I completed. [Read more…] about How to be less busy, and have more impact

A (very) simple strategy for beating procrastination

April 18, 2018

We all procrastinate, but there’s usually a simple strategy for beating it.

Just start.

That sounds such dumb advice to give, but it often really is that simple.