My key to getting stuff done
Over the next 100 days I’m going to follow one productivity rule every day. That rule is:
Before I start each day, I will write down the most important things I want to get done today.
This is not a new technique, nor something earth shattering. But I need it, because I like shiny objects.
I like shiny objects
I’m a total geek at heart. I grew up as a software developer, and I still love diving into technology when I see something cool. The promise of things like Webflowand AirTable and Stacker are just too great to ignore, and I love learning how these tools work and doing cool stuff with them.
But that love of shiny objects detracts me from the work that I really need to get done (at the moment, getting the Email Marketing course done). I find that I can so easily dive into “just a quick look” at what else I can do, and find myself getting sucked into playing with (and, admittedly, getting cool stuff done) the tools when I should have been doing something else.
So I will try to avoid these temptations by writing down the things I need to get done each day.
Keeping it real
I’ve tried this before, and it really worked well. But it’s never been enough of a habit to live by it. From what I’ve done in the past, I’m setting myself some rules.
- Just the most important things
To actually get stuff done, I need to focus on the most important things. So I will task myself each day with just the things I know I need to get done. - Don’t be over-optimistic
I’m an eternal optimist, and my belief is usually that I can get something done in a lot less time than it actually takes. Usually it takes longer, so I’m going to try and make sure I budget enough time to get it done. - Build in slack
Life happens (or business happens) and I know I’m going to get interrupted. So the things that I need to get done should not take up more than 4 hours a day - the rest is “slack” for when it takes longer and other stuff gets in the way.
And no, I’m not going to bore you will the particulars of what I need to get done every day. But I will let you know which technique works best for me - maybe you can get some inspiration from that.