Productivity Blueprint

7/25/2019 Productivity Blueprint

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Founders Productivity Blueprint

Appster Whitepaper


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Motivation and Passion

Persistence and Discipline

Focused Mind

Personal Energy

Efficiency

Task Management

Team Productivity

References

Table of Contents


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Motivation and Passion

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Motivation & Passion

The Value of Motivation, Inspiration & Passion

The popular belief is that if you want to get something done you need to get

motivated.

While motivation is a good thing, the assumption that it is a core ingredient to

success is devastatingly wrong.

Accomplishing something big, whether its building a startup or transforming

your body requires long-term, consistent effort which requires a change in your

daily behaviours and routines.

Studies show that it takes 66 days for new behaviour to become a habit - so ask

yourself, can you use the same motivation for 66 days in a row?

Motivation is really a temporarily heightened level of energy - and as laws physics

suggest - if you burn your limited resources faster you will eventually burn out.

While motivation is situational and a great way to get started, to get from point A

to B you need something more reliable - persistence and discipline.

Another popular belief is just follow your passion - a billionaire entrepreneur

Mark Cuban offers an alternate view:

What a bunch of BS. Follow Your Passion is easily the worst advice you could

ever give or get. Why ? Because everyone is passionate about something. Usually

more than 1 thing. Think about all those passions How many were/are there ?

In his blog post Don't Follow Your Passion, Follow YourEffort he argues that the

real passion comes with effort:

1. When you work hard at something you become good at it.

2. When you become good at doing something, you will enjoy it more. 3. When you enjoy doing something, there is a very good chance you will become

passionate or more passionate about it.

4. When you are good at something, passionate and work even harder to excel

and be the best at it, good things happen.

Dont follow your passions, follow your effort. It will lead you to your passions and

to success, however you define it.

"Genius is 1%

inspiration and

99%

perspiration.

Thomas Edison

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Motivation & Passion vs. Discipline & Persistence

1 2 3 4

Motivation/Excitement

Time / Execution

BUR

NOUT

Disciplin

e+Persi

stence

Motivation is Great to Get You Started When we get new ideas we get pumped up - this kind of motivation is highest at the

beginning but like a fire it burns out fast once you face the challenges of execution.

Discipline and Persistence Get You Further

Discipline and persistence is what gets you from point A to point B when the motivation

is gone - and once you start to see results the the real passion and motivation build up.

Most Projects Fail Here

Once the initial motivation is gone, most

people quit here.

New Idea

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Motivation & Passion

Use What Motivates You to Boost Your Persistence

While motivation alone isnt enough to make you successful, its great to get you

started and provide an extra push to get you started.

A great way to stay on track is to clearly write down what are your main

motivations, what are your goals and why are you doing what youre doing.

Then print it out and put it on the visible place this can prevent the burnout, as

seeing your goals daily will help to make your actions aligned with your values.

Numerous studies confirmed that reading these statements daily can strengthen

your willpower to keep going, improve your problem-solving skills and help you

perform better under the stress.

A recent study Cresswell et al. (2013) tested whether a simple self-affirmation

exercise would have a beneficial effect on problem-solving under stress,

particularly for individuals who have been stressed recently - the group carryingout the self-affirmations perform much better than the rest.

Schmeichel and Vohs (2009) wondered if self-affirmation could work the same

wonders in the realms of self-control.

Some studies confirmed that exercising self-control for longer period of time can

seriously deplete your glucose levels and your willpower to keep going.

In the study the participants using a list of their core values as self-affirmations

recovered their self-control levels much faster than the rest of the group.

In two more experiments the researchers asked why self-affirmation seems to

have this beneficial effect on depleted self-control.

It came down to the idea that thinking about core values puts our minds into an

abstract, high-level mode.

Putting your mind into abstract thinking mode has proved to boost self-control

by numberof experiments.

PASSIONWhat do you love

doing?

MONEYWhat can you get paid

for?

SkillsWhat can you be best

at?

IDEAL

Dont Follow Passion Alone

Being passionate about your work is indeed important. What Mark Cuban wanted

to say is that following your passion alone is not enough to make you successful.

When deciding what projects or ideas to pursue take other important factors in

account - a great guidance on this is the diagram above.

The sweet spot is the combination of your skills, passion and whatever has the

highest monetization potential. This combination is what usually set top entrepreneurs and high achievers from

the rest.

E.g Steve Jobs loved design (passion), he was a great product manager and

marketer (skill) and always combined it with the hottest market at the time

(money), whether it was personal computing, 3d movies, mp3 players or mobile.

4.
http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/0022-3514.90.3.351http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19309201http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062593


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Persistence and Discipline

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Persistence & Discipline

Self-Control & Persistence: The Ingredient to Success

In the late 60s, Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel performed a now-iconic

experiment called the Marshmallow Test.

In the experiment children were given a marshmallow and scientists told them

they could eat it now, or wait 15 minutes, and get two marshmallows.

All of the children wanted to wait. (Who doesnt want more treats?) But many

couldnt - they gave up and ate it.

When the researchers checked in on these same children in high school, it turned

out that those with more self-control (who didnt eat their marshmallow) were

healthier, more successful, less prone to addiction, and scored higher on the SAT.

This experiment has been repeated over the last 40 years and the results show

that self-control is better predictor of success than anything else including

genetics, IQ or social background. Intrigued by what qualities would most accurately predict outstanding

achievement, Harvard researcher Angela Duckworth decided to follow up on this.

She found that self-control is a great predictor of success, but not the only

important factor in predicting success at extremely high-challenge achievement.

Duckworth was also suspicious of qualities like talent and intelligence as reliable

predictors for remarkable achievement.

And with good reason: Way back in 1926, a psychologist named Catherine Morris

Cox published a study of 300 recognised geniuses, from Leonardo Da Vinci to

Gottfried Leibniz to Mozart to Charles Darwin to Albert Einstein.

After reading about the lives of hundreds historic geniuses, Cox identified a host

of qualities, beyond raw intelligence, that predicted greatness.

1. The tendency not to abandon tasks from mere changeability. Not seeking

something because of novelty. Not looking for a change.

2. The tendency not to abandon tasks in the face of obstacles. Perseverance,

tenacity, doggedness.

Duckworth boiled these two characteristics down to a quality she called grit.

I'm convinced that

about half of what

separates the

successful

entrepreneurs fromthe non-successful

ones is pure

perseverance

Steve Jobs

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Mindset: The Secret to Persistence

Entrepreneurship is a big endeavour that brings many challenges. As previously

discussed, to persist through those challenges you need grit.

Stanford Department of Psychology professor Carol Dweck has done extensive

research on the subject of grit which is defined as follows:

Grit is the disposition to pursue very long-term goals with passion and

perseverance. And I want to emphasize the stamina quality of grit. Grit is sticking

with things over the long term and then working very hard at it.

According to her research, the key to grit is mindset. Dweck observed two

different mindsets:

Fixed mindset: A belief that you either are talented or not. Failure is proof of your

inability. Intelligence and talent are just fixed traits.

Growth mindset:A belief that abilities are developed. Setbacks and criticism area sign that you need to improve. You learn and grow yourself and think long-term.

These mindsets, Dweck's three decades of research suggest, are at the root of

whether some people become the best in their field while others languish.

People with a growth mindset are more resilient to challenges related to their

abilities and performance than those with a fixed mindset.

According to Dwecks research growth mindset can be learned:

1. Develop mindfulness:Mindfulness is ability to hear your inner thoughts. It can

be learned by practicing meditation and concentration exercises.

Once you start listening to your inner voice, learn to recognise fixed mindset

language - e.g. Its not my fault. It was something or someone elses fault. 2. Talk back to your fixed mindset voice:This is where self-affirmation technique

comes handy - you can recognise the most common thoughts that are holding

you back and write counter-statements.

3. Take action: Over time, which voice you heed becomes your choice, but in

order for it to work you must consistently take action to reinforce those beliefs.

Persistence & Discipline: Mindset

7.
http://web.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/cgi-bin/drupalm/system/files/cdweckpersonalitychanged.pdf


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Building Habits: a Way to Hack Discipline

Startups like many other ambitious endeavours are a long-term commitment -

and long-term goals require great deal of discipline.

One way to stay disciplined is to rely on your willpower. However data suggest

that this strategy may not take you far.

For example, despite best of intentions and ambition, only 8% of people achieve

their New Years goals.

It turns out that one of the problems with relying on willpower is that you have a

limited supply of it as confirmed by numerous experiments on this subject.

By relying on willpower alone, youre taking a huge bet, besides whenever we

step out of our comfort zone our brains resist in order to protect us from unknown

risk (this feature was very useful throughout the evolution)

One way to overcome this obstacle is to make the behaviour automatic, asautomatic behaviour often excludes the use of our willpower and our emotions.

In other words, if you want to perform some action such as daily workout or blog

writing its best to focus on building a habit out of it than forcing yourself daily.

Habits are easier to do because like majority of our daily actions, we perform

them automatically without a need to force ourselves.

Think about brushing your teeth, we dont think about it much and in fact most

people dont even realise the act of doing it as we perform it habitually.

You can apply the same mechanics to a daily workout, running, healthy eating or

day to day tasks that dont come easy to you.

B.J. Fogg of Stanford only 3 things can lead to long term behavioral change: 1. Epiphany

2. Change of context

3. Taking tiny steps to form new habits

Creating an epiphany is difficult, but change of context and taking tiny steps are

practical.

Persistence & Discipline: Building Habits

To build a habit Fogg shares his method called tiny habits (above)

When trying get better at big picture stufflike by getting more productive,

creative we need to make the change as small as possible,

A good example is doing one pushup - the habit is so tiny you'll feel ridiculous fornot getting it into your day.

Once you pick something trivial, get a spot in an existing routine, e.g. after

brushing your teeth - this will work as a trigger for your brain.

Lastly, keep repeating and slowly add workload - studies show that habits don't

start feeling "automatic" until you've done them for about 66 days straight.

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Focused Mind

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Focused Mind

Focus & Productivity

Many of us grew up in the age of multi-tasking, where you couldnt call yourself

productive if you werent a good multitasker.

The latest research however shows that this belief is devastatingly wrong.

A summary of research examining multitasking on the American Psychological

Association's web site describes how multitasking is neither effective nor efficient.

These findings have demonstrated that when you shift focus from one task to

another, that transition is neither fast nor smooth.

Instead, there is a lag time during which your brain must yank itself from the initial

task and then glom onto the new task.

This shift, though it feels instantaneous, takes time. In fact, up to 40% more time

than single tasking -- especially for complex tasks.

A recent article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences (PNAS) by three Stanford University researchers offers perhaps the most

surprising result: those who consider themselves to be great multitaskers are in

fact the worst multitaskers.

Those who rated themselves as chronic multitaskers made more mistakes, could

remember fewer items, and took longer to complete a variety of focusing tasks

analogous to multitasking than those self-rated as infrequent mult itaskers.

In a recent interview with NPR, a co-author of the PNAS study, Clifford Nass,

states: The shocking discovery of this research is that [high multitaskers] are lousy

at everything that's necessary for multitasking.

However, working on a single task is not enough - today, we live in the world of

distraction and attaining focus is increasingly difficult.

A recent study by M. Killingsworth and D. Gilbert sampled over 2,000 adults

during their day-to-day activities and found that 47% of the time, their minds were

not focused on what they were currently doing.

Even more striking, when their minds were wandering, they reported being less

happy.

"Concentrate all

your thoughts upon

the work at hand.

The suns rays do not

burn until brought

to a focus."

Alexander Graham Bell

10.
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_mind_wandering_make_you_unhappyhttp://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15583http://www.apa.org/


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Focused Mind: How to Attain it?

Remove Distractions Train Your Concentration Useful Apps

If you're like most people, many of the distractionsyou face when trying to focus are self-imposed.

Social media, notifications, youtube, messy desk,

useless chat, advertising, meaningless news etc.

You can choose to ignore these distractions but

doing so requires burning your limited willpower.

The best way to deal with distractions is to remove

them altogether:

Declutter your mind: Manage your distractions by

simply blocking them, you can use apps to limit

access to Facebook or Twitter to certain time.

Kill notifications: Turn of notifications and respond

to emails only once or twice a day - a good hack is to

create an auto-responder getting people know you

will be checking email at e.g. 11am and 5pm.

Clear visual clutter: Clear your desk, and especially

your notes. Also, clear your desktop or start screen

from unnecessary files, shortcuts and programs.

Prepare your schedule: In the morning, before your

workday begins, dedicate a few minutes to

managing your schedule.

Set your priorities and determine which tasks are

truly vital and urgent that day, which are not.

Create a to-do-not list: Not-to-do lists are often

more effective than to-do lists for upgrading

performance. The reason is simple: what you dont

do determines what you can do.

Our brains are plastic - plasticity is the ability of thebrain to change physically, functionally, and

chemically throughout life.

In other words they work like muscles and just like

muscles some part of our brain can be developed:

Meditation: Meditation is to your brain what weight

lifting is to your muscles.

Recent neuroimaging studies show that daily

meditation makes measurable changes in gray-

matter density in parts of the brain associated with

willpower, ability to focus, memory and stress.

To start, try this simple exercise:

1. Take a candle, timer, pen and paper.

2. Set the timer to 10 min. light the candle and focus

on the flame only - ingoing all other thoughts.

3. Everytime you divert your focus or thoughts make

a mark on the paper.

4. Practice regularly, while trying to achieve as few

marks as possible

Urge Surfing: Similar to meditation, urge surfing is a

powerful mental technique developed to help you

overcome cravings and urges. The theory is that urges come in waves. Its a proven

fact that if you try to fight urges they get stronger.

Instead you can acknowledge them and they will

eventually pass. Like waves, with you being the

surfer.

Like with many things you can use technology tohelp you out:

Web Blockers: Apps like Self-Control, OpenDNS, K9

Security contain features to block certain types of

websites e.g. media streaming, social networks etc.

Some can be set to limit the use of some websites to

certain time periods.

Ad Blockers:These browser extensions can be used

to block banner ads and other obtrusive distractions.

Brain training apps: Brain training apps such as

Lumosity or Memorado are a popular way to train

your brain.

You can choose programs to boost your problem-

solving skills, focus, concentration etc.

Meditation apps: Meditation and relaxations apps

can help you reduce anxiety, feel better, and train

your ability to focus.

Journal: Keeping a daily journal helps you review

your daily actions and stay on the track.

An app called iDoneThis or Google Docs is a simple

way to start.

Habit forming apps: For example coach.me allowsyou to set goals and build streaks in repeatedly

accomplishing them.

You can even hire a text based coach for a small

weekly fee.

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Focused Mind: Finding Flow

Flow: The Optimal Experience

Researchers define flow as an optimal state of consciousness, a peak state

where we feel our best and perform our best.

In flow, we are so focused on the task at hand that everything else falls away.

Action and awareness merge. Time flies. Self vanishes. All aspects of performance

go through the roof.

150 years of research backs up such claims - a 10-year McKinsey study, for

example, found top executives are 5 times i.e. 500% more productive in flow.

In studies run by the U.S. military, snipers in flow learned between 200-500%

faster than normal. Creativity gets a 7x boost. And this list goes on.

While attaining such state is highly desired by many athletes, executives and

artists, finding it is no easy task.

To find a flow you need to create an environment with right conditions / triggers. In 1970s, pioneering flow researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi identified clear

goals, immediate feedback, and the challenge/skills ratio as the most critical.

Clear goals, tell us where and when to put our attention. When goals are clear, the

mind doesnt have to wonder about what to do next - it already knows.

Thus, concentration tightens, motivation heightens, and extraneous information

gets filtered out. Action and awareness start to merge, and were pulled even

deeper into now.

Immediate feedback,is another psychological trigger. As a focusing mechanism,

immediate feedback is something of an extension of clear goals.

Clear goals tell us what were doing; immediate feedback tells us how to do itbetter.

The challenge/skills, is arguably the most important.

The idea behind this trigger is that attention is most engaged, when theres a

specific relationship between the difficulty of a task and our ability to perform that

task.

If the challenge is too great, we get demotivated. If the challenge is too easy, we

stop paying attention.

This sweet spot keeps attention locked in the middle - when the challenge is

firmly within the boundaries of known skills:

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Personal Energy

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Personal Energy

Focus on the Basics

Being an entrepreneur requires to work harder, longer and better than most of

your peers.

Startups can also be emotionally, psychologically and physically draining.

Coping with all that is easier if you have a full tank and keep your personal energy

levels high.

The basics of improving ones energy levels lie in the basics such as nutrition,

exercise and sleep.

In terms of nutrition, the lack of energy can be caused by multiple factors - type of

metabolism, sugar sensitivity, vitamin and micronutrient deficiency or even more

serious such as diabetes or low testosterone.

A good way to start is to visit your doctor and get a complete blood test, before

taking any steps. Another common reason is dehydration: Studies show that more than 75% of US

population are dehydrated, without realizing it.

Some symptoms of dehydration are headaches, fatigue and lower concentration.

One important factor to consider is that brain uses a lot of energy (around 30%),

with constant stress and distractions you can burn a lot of it inefficiently.

As written in previous chapters, brain training and managing your distractions not

only improves your focus but also optimizes the way use it.

The following page describes most basic ways of boosting your energy levels:

"Be relentless,

persistent and

tenacious.

Steve Blank

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Experiment With Your Diet Sleep Napping

Everyone has different metabolism and there is

ideal diet for all, despite the popular claims. Whatworks for one may not work for another.

Since food is to your body what a fuel is to an

engine the best thing to do is to try different kinds

of diets and observe.

E.g try vegetarian or paleo for a month and make

a conclusion.

For many people however eating sugar and

starchy foods (e.g. potatoes, pasta, bread) leads to

an insulin spike and energy crash, while eating fat

and protein rich foods leads to more consistent

energy release.

Not only do we go through our day in series of

cycles, we also sleep in cycles.

The way it works is that you enter a deep sleep

phase when your body recharges and then you

start getting into lighter sleep while your body

prepares itself for waking up.

If you wake up in a light sleep phase youre more

energized, as your body have flushed away your

sleep hormones and prepared itself to wake up.

There are numerous apps and devices that track

your sleep cycle and determine the best paterns -

the popular choice is Sleep Cycle app:

Throughout the day your brain accumulates toxins

these toxins are a reason why we experiencefatigue and difficulties to focus after some time of

performing work or studying.

When we fall asleep our brain flushes them away

and you basically get a reboot.

Thus a 10-15 minute nap can genuinely restart

your body and provide you with more energy than

a cup of coffee.

Quit Drinking Coffee Exercise Supplements

Coffee is an excellent stimulant for a while, then

your body adapts.

That means you end up having same energy as

before but you need a cup of coffee to get it.

Coffee also messes up with your sleep a basic

element of healthy lifestyle.

When you quit coffee you may experience somewithdrawal effects for about 4 days (headache,

fatigue)

After that you typically get your energy levels

back, but without coffee and with improved sleep.

This is a no-brainer - exercise can build up your

strength and increase your energy levels.

However, most people fail to exercise daily, mostly

because it takes time and effort.

The best way to implement exercise into your

everyday life is to make it a routine.

To build a routine follow Tiny Habits described inprevious chapters.

Before you decide to take any supplements, talk

to your doctor.

Supplements such as Zinc, B6 and Magnesium can

boost your energy and testosterone levels

especially if youre deficient (very common among

men in particular)

Other supplements such as amino acids or

creatine, used by top performance athletes are

safe addition to healthy diet.

Personal Energy

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Efficiency

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Efficiency: Pareto Principle

80%

Results20% effort

Pareto Principle (20/80 Rule)

One habit that high achieving entrepreneurs have is the ability to focus on the

tasks that will give them the greatest benefits.

By being able to do the right tasks, you will avoid wasting time on things that

dont matter.

Pareto, an Italian economist, discovered that 80% of the wealth of his time was

generated by 20% of the people and that 20% of the pea pods in his garden

contained 80% of the peas.

In what later became known as Paretos principle, he discovered something

profound: it is the little things that account for the majority of results.

In other words, 80% of the results come from 20% of the actions - although in

reality it may by 90/10 or 95/5.

For example 90% of Warren Buffet's wealth is from just ten investments and, insales, typically 80% of revenue comes from 20% of the sales team.

As an entrepreneur you need to budget your time and actions wisely - find out

what brings you the most results and delegate, outsource or give up the rest.

How to Apply it?

You can use the 80/20 rule to cut out or delegate categories of tasks or focus on

individual tasks in your to-so list.

Harvard Business Review suggests writing down your top six priorities of the day

and then crossing out the bottom five.

If you have trouble prioritizing your tasks, the Inc. suggests another strategy:

When you make a "to do" list, prioritize each item by the amount of effort required

(1 to 10, with 1 being the least amount of effort) and the potential positive results

(1 to 10, with 10 being the highest impact.)

Now divide the potential results by the amount of effort to get a "priority" ranking.

Do the items with the lowest resulting priority number first.

Here's a simple example:

! Task 1: Write report on trip meeting.

! Effort=10, Result=2, Priority=5

! Task 2: Prepare presentation for marketing.

! Effort=4, Result=4, Priority=1

! Task 3: Call current customer about referral.

Effort=1, Result=10, Priority=0.1

See your new priority-based order? You do Task 3 first, Task 2 second, and Task 1

lastif at all.

This way, you ensure you do those important low-effort tasks that make up 80% ofyour success.

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Efficiency: Biorhythms

Circadian and Ultradian Biorhythms

Throughout the 24 hour period our bodies are governed by Circadian Rhythm.

This is genetically given and there are 2 categories of people: those who are most

easily stimulated in the mornings and before noon (early risers) and those who

are most easily stimulated in the afternoon and evenings (night owls).

Recently an elementary school in the UK divided its pupils in 2 groups and

adapted their schedule, allowing night owls to start their day later.

The result was higher alertness and 45% improvement in grades.

In addition to 24 hour circadian rhythms our bodies are governed by Ultradian

Rhythms 90-120 minute periods that start with higher alertness and finish with

lowered energy.

The best way to learn about your biorhythms is to track them, start by grade your

energy, focus and mood on the scale of 1-3 for a week:

Then put it in chart to find out your peak performance and low energy times

throughout the day.

Once you defined your daily biorhythm, plan your day accordingly e.g. schedule

your breaks for low performance times and try to maximize the peak times for

work.

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Efficiency: Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro Technique: Simple Productivity System

The Pomodoro Technique was invented in the early 90s by developer,

entrepeneur, and author Francesco Cirillo.

Cirillo named the system "Pomodoro" after the tomato-shaped timer he used to

track his work as a university student.

The methodology is simple: When faced with any large task or series of tasks,

break the work down into short, timed intervals (called "Pomodoros") that are

spaced out by short breaks.

This trains your brain to focus for short periods and helps you stay on top of

deadlines or constantly-refilling inboxes.

With time it can even help improve your attention span and concentration .

It is a cyclical system - you work in short sprints , which makes sure you're

consistently productive. You also get to take regular breaks that bolster your motivation and keep you

creative.

The Pomodoro Technique is probably one of the simplest productivity methods to

implement. All you'll need is a timer:

1. Choose a task to be accomplished.

2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)

3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of

paper

4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)

5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

That "longer break" is usually on the order of 15-30 minutes, whatever it takes to

make you feel recharged and ready to start another 25-minute work session.

Repeat that process a few times over the course of a workday, and you actually

get a lot accomplished.

It's important to note that a pomodoro is an indivisible unit of workthat means if

you're distracted part-way by a coworker, meeting, or emergency, you either have

to end the pomodoro there (saving your work and starting a new one later), or

you have to postpone the distraction until the pomodoro is complete.

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Task Management

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Task Management

Choosing the Right To-Do Method

There are so many things you need to do, and so many ways to keep track of

those to-dos.

Search the App Store for "todo list" and you'll find thousands of tools that all

promise to help you increase your productivity and get more done.

But choosing the app is only one aspect of setting up your task-management

system as there are numerous methods to choose from.

When it comes different methods, there's no one-size-fits-all - some methods will

fit you perfectly while other may never work no matter how hard you try.

That's why it's important to research different methods of managing your tasks to

find what works for you.

The following pages provide an overview of the most popular task management

methods:! The "Grocery List

! The Text Editor Method

! Getting Things Done

! The Kanban Method

! Rows, Columns n' Sheets

"The secret of all

victory lies in the

organization ofthe non-obvious.

Marcus Aurelius

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Task Management Methods

The Grocery List

The "Grocery List" method, or just organizing tasks in simple lists, is by far the

most popular task management method. It's the way you'll likely organize tasks without even thinking about it. It puts all

tasks and their respective due dates front-and-center with no fluff.

There are so many Grocery List-style to-do apps that you'll find a lot of variety in

the design of the app.

Grocery List apps often have some essential organization features to go along

with the bare tasks.

For instance, most have the ability to set a due date and some (namely, Apple's

Reminders app) can set reminders for tasks using a device's location.

This method may not be practical for everyone - if you need to manage small

tasks within larger tasks or like being able to track the progress of a task orproject, you need a more complex solution. The Text Editor Method

Using text editors for task management has been around for quite some time.

Text editors give you the freedom to manage tasks how you'd like and be free of

the visual distractions of a Grocery List app.

There are many different methods of using a text editor to manage tasks. Two of

the more popular are Todo.txt and Today.txt. With Todo.txt, you can create single-

line tasks within a text file.

These can be arranged by priority and can be tagged with its corresponding

project. To create different lists, just create a new text file, it's that easy.

When using Todo.txt on your computer, you can link your text file to a supportedTodo.txt application for iPhone, making for an easier to read and more enjoyable

experience.

Today.txt is even simpler than Todo.txt: it's a three line paragraph stressing one

task.

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Getting Things Done (GTD)

This method of task management, popularized by the book with the same name,

is simply a powerful way of using lists and details to manage your tasks. Apps based on this method may look similar to standard grocery list-style apps,

but they'll also have sub-lists, time management tools and more built in.

Most standard GTD apps have note taking and file-drop capabilities - this is very

useful when starting a project as you can attach all of your ideas and related files

to the task, ensuring you won't forget any small details and giving you a one-stop-

shop for your task's resources.

Additionally, apps like OmniFocus let you attach location data to tasks, something

great for running errands.

The basic idea with GTD is that you can get everything out of your head and into

your todo list app, organized in lists of related tasks with each task tagged (or

categorized) according to the place or context in which youll do the task, and

with any data related to that task attached as a note.

Its a lot of stuff in each tasks to make sure you wont have to juggle anything in

your head and can focus on what youre doing.

GTD applications are generally desktop-focused, and for good reason: creating

tasks and adding additional criteria can be tough when typing on a smartphone

keyboard.

However, many GTD appsincluding OmniFocushave created great mobile

apps that sync with their desktop counterparts, making for a seamless on-the-go

task management experience.

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The Kanban Method

Kanban is Japanese for visual signal or card. Toyota line-workers used a

kanban (i.e., an actual card) to signal steps in their manufacturing process. To start, split your white board into three sections: to do, doing, and done.

Write tasks on color-coded Post-It notes and stick them in their respective step of

progression - as your tasks progress, move them to their new spots on the cork

board to track them.

You can color-code tasks by client, project, or any other differentiator, and can

add as much or little detail to each task as you want.

If you prefer tracking tasks digitally, Kanban can still fit your workflow. Apps like

Trello and Leankit all use the Kanban method to manage tasks in the cloud.

The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text and 90% of

the data that comes to our brain - suggesting that our neurological pathways

might even prefer pictorial displays over text

Kanban helps you harness the power of visual information by using sticky notes

on a whiteboard to create a picture of your work.

The Rows, Columns n' Sheets Method

Spreadsheets are often overlooked when it comes to task management,

especially in the mobile space.

But they can be as powerful of a tool for task management as you let them be.

Due to spreadsheets' flexibility, they're an especially great way to manage a ton

of projects and tasks.

When using a spreadsheet, you can make different sheets for different types of

tasks.

For example, one sheet can be for work tasks and another for home errands, each

with columns to keep track of data that makes sense for each.

Tasks can be placed in individual rows, and cells can be color-coded to represent

their importance or other key parts of a task.

If you're working in a team, you can use Google Sheet to make a no-frills group

task management system.

And since Google Sheets has a built-in chat client, it's easy to collaborate with

team members.

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Workplace Productivity

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Workplace Productivity

Objectives and Key Results Methodology (OKR)

The OKR system came from Intel. Google took to OKRs pretty much immediately

and has been using it ever since.OKRs are a simple way to create structure forcompanies, teams, and individuals.

Heres how they work:

First, you set up an Objective. Then you set up a number of "Key Results" that are

quantifiable that will help you hit your objective.

Your objectives should be definitive and measurable. Don't say, for instance, I

want to make my website prettier.

Say you want to make your website 30% faster. Or you want to increase

engagement by 15%.

At Google, all OKRs are public from Larry Page on down. You can look up what

your co-workers' OKRs are in the employee directory.

The benefit of OKRs is that they can be used by employees to keep an eye on

what they've accomplished, but are also simple, and straightforward.

Most engineers at Google, Zynga, Palantir, Square, etc. admit that they were most

productive when they closely tracked their OKRs

"Productivity of

work isn't the

responsibility of a

worker yet of a

manager.

Peter Drucker

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Workplace Productivity: Tips

Does moving forwardrequire a real-time

conversation?

Do I need outside input

to make progress?

Have I thought through

this situation?

Schedule and prepare for

a meeting.

Does this necessitate a

face-to-face meeting?

Schedule a time for

strategic thinking.

Schedule time for doing

the work.Send an email.

Use chat, call or schedule

a video conference.

Some Meeting Are Necessary

A study conducted by Atlassian shows that tech employees spend over 30 hours

a month on meetings and over 50% of that time is unproductive. While daily stand-ups can minimise the amount of meeting required some

meeting are necessary.

Although scheduling a meeting can be the right solution in many instances, its

not always the best answer.

The problems occur when meetings get more regular and become a part of the

company culture. To avoid that from happening, require all team members follow a decision tree

below to help you quickly determine if a meeting makes the most sense.

Source: Harvard Business Review

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References

Brain Pickings: Scott Belsky on How to Avoid Idea Plateaus

PsyBlog: Perform Better Under Stress Using Self-Affirmation

PsyBlog: Self-Control Instantly Replenished by Self-AffirmationPsyBlog: How to Improve Your Self-Control

James Clear for Huffington Post: How Long Does It Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science)

99u: The Future of Self-Improvement, Part I: Grit Is More Important Than Talent

Stanford University

Carol Dweck: Can Personality Be Changed? The Role of Beliefs in Personality and Change (Stanford University)

Fast Company: The Secret to Changing Your Habits

Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford: 3 Steps to New Habits

Dr. Jim Taylor for Huffington Post: Myth of Multitasking

Berkeley University: How to Focus a Wandering Mind

Lifehack: 10 Ways To Remove The Distractions That Keep You From Doing the Best At Work

Tim Ferriss: How to Check E-mail Twice a Day And Have Your Boss Accept It

Tim Ferriss: The Not-To-Do List: 9 Habits to Stop Now

The Art of Manliness: Live Life at the Limits: How to Hack Your Flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)

Asian Efficiency: The Pareto Principle (Or 80/20 Rule)

Lifehacker: Work Less and Do More by Applying the Pareto Principle to Your Task List

Lifehacker: Productivity 101: A Primer to The Pomodoro Technique

Zapier: Beyond the List: 8 Powerful Ways to Manage Your Tasks

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https://zapier.com/blog/task-management-strategies/http://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730http://lifehacker.com/5914877/stop-wasting-time-by-applying-the-pareto-principle-to-your-task-listhttp://www.asianefficiency.com/mindsets/the-pareto-principle-or-8020-rule/http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/03/04/live-life-at-the-limits-how-to-hack-your-flow/http://fourhourworkweek.com/2007/08/16/the-not-to-do-list-9-habits-to-stop-now/http://fourhourworkweek.com/2007/03/22/how-to-check-e-mail-twice-a-day-or-once-every-10-days/http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-ways-remove-the-distractions-that-keep-you-from-doing-the-best-work.htmlhttp://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_focus_a_wandering_mindhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jim-taylor/myth-of-multitasking_b_842550.htmlhttp://www.slideshare.net/captology/3-steps-to-new-habitshttp://www.fastcompany.com/3022830/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-secret-to-changing-your-habits-start-incredibly-smallhttp://web.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/cgi-bin/drupalm/system/files/cdweckpersonalitychanged.pdfhttp://alumni.stanford.edu/content/magazine/artfiles/dweck_2007_2.pdfhttp://99u.com/articles/7094/the-future-of-self-improvement-part-i-grit-is-more-important-than-talenthttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/forming-new-habits_b_5104807.htmlhttp://www.spring.org.uk/2008/09/how-to-improve-your-self-control.phphttp://www.spring.org.uk/2010/03/self-control-instantly-replenished-by-self-affirmation.phhttp://www.spring.org.uk/2013/05/perform-better-under-stress-using-self-affirmation.phphttp://www.brainpickings.org/2011/03/18/scott-belsky-idea-plateaus/


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References

Thought You May Ask: Getting Things Done #2

LeanKit: What is Kanban?

DeskTime: Motivating your employees what youre doing wrong and how to fix itAdidas Group: 7 tips to build a high-performance team

Checkside: Motivation revamped: A summary of Daniel H. Pinks new theory of what motivates us

Business Insider: This Is The Internal Grading System Google Uses For Its Employees And You Should Use It Too

iDoneThis: Silicon Valleys Productivity Secret

Harvard Business Review: Do You Really Need to Hold That Meeting?

Atlassian: You waste a lot of time at work

30.
https://www.atlassian.com/time-wasting-at-work-infographichttps://hbr.org/2015/03/do-you-really-need-to-hold-that-meetinghttp://blog.idonethis.com/silicon-valleys-productivity-secret/http://www.businessinsider.com/googles-ranking-system-okr-2014-1https://checkside.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/motivation-revamped-a-summary-of-daniel-h-pinks-new-theory-of-what-motivates-us/http://blog.adidas-group.com/2015/02/7-tips-to-build-a-high-performance-team/http://blog.desktime.com/2013/06/12/motivating-your-employees-what-youre-doing-wrong-and-how-to-fix-it/http://leankit.com/kanban/what-is-kanban/http://www.thoughtyoumayask.com/picsbtqq/getting-things-done/2


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This whitepaper is published by Appster (Pty) Ltd. Although the greatest care has been taken in the preparation and compilation of this course material, no liability or

responsibility of any kind (to extent permitted by law), including responsibility for negligence is accepted by the Appster (Pty) Ltd, its servants or agents.

All information gathered is believed correct at April 2015. All corrections should be sent to the Appster (Pty) Ltd for future editions.
http://www.appsterhq.com/

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