Productivity Hack: Do Less. Much Less.
Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash

Productivity Hack: Do Less. Much Less.

If you read this newsletter, you are likely in various stages of launching something. Such as; a daily digital writing habit, a newsletter, an online course, a digital product, an eBook, a print book, owning a niche, a new service, a new product, or gaining a new skill set.

You are also trying to do this on top of an already busy life, right?

• Or, are you waiting to start something but can't find the time? •

Today's newsletter will address how to do more by doing less.

Outdated Productivity: More = Better

Outdated productivity is trying to cram as much in our day as possible. It is about taking a higher number of actions a day. Actions = success. For example,

  • Saying yes to every opportunity and making them fit into your schedule. Volunteering for the PTA, and on a professional committee, for the bake sale, and as a coach for 3 of your kids teams
  • Read the newspaper while brushing your teeth and doing squats
  • A complex morning routine of positive affirmations, journaling, reading, exercise

When we traditionally think of productivity, we think of the ability to get many things done. All actions aren't created equal. You've heard of the 80/20 rule? 20% of your actions cause 80% of your outcomes. 80% of your work doesn't drive results and 20% matters very much.

The image below illustrates this idea well by showing how much impact of many disparate actions spread wide vs. a single action.

No alt text provided for this image
@visualizevalue

By trying to cram all the things on your calendar (left image) you are optimizing for a lesser outcome. Is your energy spent trying to do everything or going toward the one most important thing?

Productivity Hack: Do Less

This can be done in 4 different ways.

1- Elimination

"I don't have the time!" is a victim mentality. Of course, you do. You need to learn how to say no to free up your time.

Look at your calendar for the upcoming week right now. What shouldn't be on there? The easiest way to give yourself more time is to delete the unnecessary time hogs right now. Don't make room for them or give them space. Cancel meetings, phone calls, or committees that aren't absolutely necessary.

Your people-pleasing tendencies may freak out that you aren't meeting everyone's needs. Once you get in the habit of very protecting your calendar, you can free up much time. To be productive, you must put yourself and your priorities first. Then, you can meet other people's needs.

2- Non-negotiables

Know and rank the 1-3 key things that fall in the 20% of your actions that yield the greatest results. These can be the babiest things. They don't have to be big and fancy, but you must know what is most important that you do in a day. Then, when you have time to work, you do them very first. Don't know what is most important? Hint: it is the thing you know you need to do but are avoiding.

As you work full-time and balance family life the ability to grow something on the side can feel out of reach. The secret is in understanding the most important tasks to do and doing them every day. Do them first!

How I do this: right before I go to bed I write down 1-3 things that must get done the next day. Then, the next day I have clarity over what is most important vs. what is easiest for my brain to do. Then, I don't do any task until those 1-3 things are done.

For example, you are writing an eBook. Which do you think is more important: writing the 3 pages of your book uninterrupted every morning < OR > scrolling Facebook, checking your email, and then trying to start writing with a distracted brain? One action is harder but will get you much further. One is easy for your brain but not the best use of your time.

3- Simplification

What are you doing that is complex? Processes and systems help simplify.

For me, the process of writing online twice daily + creating a newsletter used to take 10-30 hours a week. Now I can do it in 6-8 hours. Here is how I have systemized that process:

No alt text provided for this image
My own Notion table

By taking a task and systemizing it you make it easier to do each week by taking less time and less mental brain power.

Speaking of systems, the number 1 productivity killer is next:

4- Put Blinders On + Stop Context Switching

Context switching is killing your productivity. Don't know what that is? Here is an example:

You start an important task, then a few minutes in get bored/frustrated/or hear your email ding. So, you context-switch to make yourself feel better. Only it tanks your productivity and sends you down a rabbit hole of being busy? Here is an example:

You are writing out a week of content to post online. Then you get stuck or bored. So you pop in to check a LinkedIn notification that just popped up....really quickly. (Your brain wants that dopamine hit) You see a message from a potential customer, so you write back immediately. Then, you respond to other messages. Then that reminds you to check your FB page quickly to see if there are any other new customer messages. Then you don't see one, so you start to scroll FB to 'see what is going on.' Then you realize you are hungry and need lunch. You grab a snack and while you eat you play a game on your phone. By the time you get back to your office, you still feel uninspired to keep creating, so you figure you may as well use this time to check your email.

That single context switch has gotten you off-task. What you thought would be 5 minutes of a brain break tanked your productivity. It kept you busy, but not doing anything.

Choose to protect yourself against context-switching. Have the courage to tune out the siren calls of dopamine hits.

Common siren calls:

  • Checking all notifications. Ignore that red bubble on any app. Better, yet: disable them.
  • Checking email. It is just other people's demands of you.
  • Scrolling social media for a 'break'
  • Responding to DM's
  • Helping family members during protected work hours. This one is particularly hard for me!

When you learn to work undistracted, you'll be amazed at how much you can do over time.

Nobody has enough time. But I guarantee you, if I looked at your phone's screentime I could find 30-60 minutes of your day that could be better spent toward building an asset.

TL;DR Too Long; Didn't Read

  1. Clean up your calendar. Decline unnecessary tasks
  2. Know and prioritize your non-negotiable tasks
  3. Simplify your actions to work more streamlined
  4. Stop context-switching

Jamie

PS- Whenever you're ready, there are 3 additional ways I can help you:

  • Join 5,060 subscribers and have this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox here, so you never miss a week.
  • Work with me 1:1 to grow your brand or business (booking into December)
  • Pharmacists, learn more about creating your profitable consulting practice here (300+ students)


Absolute fantastic read…

Dr. Matthew Walk

PharmD 🏴☠️ BCMAS

2y

Such as; a daily digital writing habit, a newsletter, an online course, a digital product, an eBook, a print book, owning a niche, a new service, a new product, or gaining a new skill set. K: All of the above. 🐈⬛ 🚀 One Sunday at a time right preacher!? 🤓😜

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