SAMPLE

AYearofLivingProductivelyhelpedmequicklyseewhichproductivitymethodwould work with my current habits. It’s an encyclopedia of productivitystrategies!Dr.Wilsonoutlineshow each strategyworkswith real-life pros andcons.Youcanquickly identifywhichmethodwillwork foryoubasedonyouruniquesituation.

AmyMichaelsBookBrilliantKids.com

IwasencouragedasIreadaboutDr.Wilson’sproductivityexperiments.BeforereadingAYearofLivingProductively,IhadneverthoughtofhabitsIalreadyhaveasproductivitytoolsandwasempoweredtoknowI’malreadydoingsomethingswell. And I gained understanding of new strategies to try, especially thoserecommended for specific situations.Thank you,Melanie, for compiling yourexperienceandresearchintosuchaneasilydigestedformat.

BethNapoliTechieHomeschoolMom.com

Someofus areborn toproductivity, andothersofus…not somuch. If youcountyourselfamongst thenot-so-naturally-productive,you’ve justgot topickupthisbook.Step-by-step,Melaniewalksusthroughthoseareasofourlivesthatseem to vex the non-intuitive and shows the reader the way to a moreproductive,farlessstressfullife.

KendraFletcherAuthorofLeavingLegalismandLostandFound:

LosingReligion,FindingGrace

AYearofLivingProductivelyislikelytobeoneofyourwisestpurchases!Youwillsaveprecious time,money, and the agonyof stayingon thehamsterwheelweoftenfindourselveson.Melaniehascompiled80+productivitystrategiestofityour unique situation and personality. Tried and true methods are describedalong with the strategies that didn’t work. If you are ready to discover theproductivityyoudeserve,thisbookisforyou.

BrandyAldermanOurThriftyHome.com

AYearofLivingProductively

MelanieWilson’scommitmenttotruthful,firsthandexperiencemademefallinlove. Why? She follows the tradition of brave scientists who experiment onthemselves first, before drawing conclusions. This approach takes courage andpersistence, making this book a must-have for anyone interested in personaldevelopment.

FrancisWade2TimeLabsandauthorofPerfectTime-BasedProductivity

Everyonewantsthatmagicalproductivityapproachwhichwillrelieveguilt,endoverwhelm,bringclarity,andachievemassiveresults.Thebadnewsisthisone-size-fits-all system doesn’t exist. The good news is you can create your ownapproach – one that truly works for you as an individual. The best way todiscover what works for you will be to learn what works for others, to thinkaboutyoursituation,andthentopossiblyexperimentwithsomenewstrategiesor behaviors. To that end, Melanie has assembled the best list I’ve seen ofpopularproductivitysystemsandtips.AYearofLivingProductivelywillgetyouthinkingdeeply about your ownwayofworking andwill give youmore thanenoughideastodramaticallyimprovehowyouperform.

LorenPinilisLifeOfASteward.com

ThisbookisoneofthemostpracticalsolutionsIhaveseenonorganizationandtimemanagement.Itisfullofstrategiestohelpyougetmoredoneandbemoreontopofyour life,but inawaythat iseasy to follow.Youcan identify if thestrategieswillwork for you,weigh the pros and cons, and learn about similarsystems thatmightbeabetter fit.Whetheryouareaparent, student,businessowner,oranyonewhowants to stopbeingavictimof thechaosof their lives,thisisanamazingtoolthatyouneedonyourshelf!

RebeccaSpoonerHomeschoolOn.com

Asabusywork-at-home,homeschoolingmother,myto-dolistisalwayssolongthat I find myself doing a lot but accomplishing nothing. A Year of LivingProductively has allowed me to try different methods of productivity todeterminewhichtechniquesworkbestformeandmylife.Thankyou,Melanie,forgivingmethetoolstosaygoodbyetomerelysurvivingwhilegivingmeideasandconfidencetotrulythriveinallareasofmylife.

HeatherBowenBlogger&ownerofLifeofaHomeschoolMom.com

andHomeschoolBlogging.com

A Year of Living Productively is another masterpiece written by Dr. MelanieWilson.Inthismust-readself-helpbook, shesharesacompilationofexecutiveskills used by those who have accomplished life-long goals.Whether you arehomeschooling, working, or earning a degree, use the tools presented by Dr.Wilsonandyouwillhaveyourmostproductiveyearever.Makesagreatgiftforgraduatesoranyonewhowantstosucceed.

JKMergensLearnMathFastBooks.com

AfterhavingusedTheOrganizedHomeschoolLifesuccessfullyfortwoyears,IwasthrilledtoreadAYearofLivingProductively!Dr.MelanieWilsonisoneofthemostorganizedandproductivepersonsIknow.Sheisstraighttothepointandhas a gift tohelpothersbecomeorganized andproductive aswell. Inhernewbook, she includes clear descriptions of several productivity methods she hasexperimentedwith,alongwithprosandconstoeachandpracticalexampleswecanallrelateto.Thisbooksavesushoursofreadingabouteachofthesesystems.Ithelpsustoeasilyidentifywhichsystemswouldworkbestforusaccordingtoourownpersonality,needs,lifestyle,andseasoninlife.ReadingAYearofLivingProductively helped me identify where I was lacking productivity and how tomaximizemytimetobemorefruitful.

AnaWillisHebrewForHomeschoolers.com

Contents

Introduction

Before“AYearofLivingProductively”

SacredTime

Exercise

WorkwithYourPersonality

Decluttering

Deadlines

StartEarly

Reminders

Rules

TreatDepression

Nutrition

BreakBadHabitsandAddictions

CutCommitments

Don’tBreaktheChain

ThemeDays

TicklerFile

Autofocus

Resistance-FreeFiling&Tidying

WorkingAlonevs.WorkingwithOthers

RememberYourWhy

“AYearofLivingProductively”

Introductionto“AYearofLivingProductively”

Week1:PaperTo-DoList

Week2:Covey’sQuadrantApproach

Week3:Routines

Week4:PaperPlanner

Week5:MarkForster’sSimplestandMostEffectiveMethodofAll

(SMEMA)

Week6:GuiltHour

Week7:EnvisionYourIdealDay

Week8:DoItTomorrow

Week9:PomodoroTechnique

Week10:TimeWarriorbySteveChandler

Week11:Scheduling

Week12:TheRepeatTest

Week13:PersonalKanban

Week14:EatThatFrog

Week15:Vacations

Week16:DavidSeah’s7:15AMRitual

Week17:AnotherSimpleandEffectiveMethodbyMarkForster

Week18:Daily/Weekly/MonthlyTo-DoList

Week19:MarkForster’sUltimateTimeManagementSystem

Week20:DavidAllen’sGettingThingsDone

Week21:TimeBlocking

Week22:AMorningRitual

Week23:BeattheWeek

Week24:AProductivityRitual

Week25:MakeitHappeninTenMinutesaDay

Week26:Focus&ReliefList

Week27:AccountabilityChart

Week28:LimitChoices

Week29:ZentoDone

Week30:Heatmapping

Week31:Gamification

Week32:The12WeekYear

Week33:TenforTenfromDavidSeah

Week34:DavidSeah’sEmergentTaskPlanner

Week35:DoItNowwithSteveKamb

Week36:RisingEarly

Week37:ComputerShortcuts

Week38:InterruptionsLog

Week39:ProjectManagement

Week40:Little&Often

Week41:Problem-SolvingApproach

Week42:InboxZero

Week43:ResistanceList

Week44:TimeTracking

Week45:NoList

Week46:Delegating

Week47:WritinganeBookin21Days

After“AYearofLivingProductively”

ManageAnxiety

AdequateSleep

DigitalMulti-Tasking

EstablishBoundaries

RefusetoChoose

LoopScheduling

MasterYourWorkdayNow

RandomTaskActioning

ChangetheWorkEnvironment

Mentors

Automation

Checklists

DailyRewards

Systems

DeepWork

ProductivityEvaluation

ApproachesIConsideredbutDidn’tTest

Conclusion

MoreResources

AbouttheAuthor

Creating routines changed my life. I started to believe I could homeschool,accomplishmywritingandspeakinggoals,andstillhavetimeforhobbies.Soon,otherpeoplebelievedit,too.

I tried other methods to increase my productivity even more. Some worked;somedidn’t. Iwas confusedwhen someof thepopularmethods I trieddidn’twork forme. Iwondered if somethingwaswrongwithmeor if Ihadn’tusedthemcorrectly.ButIkeptexperimentingandimproving.

I continued homeschooling, writing, and speaking, and we added threemorechildrentoourfamily.

TheBeginningof“AYearofLivingProductively”

In2013,Idecidedtowriteaboutmyexperiencetestingadifferentproductivityhackeachweekonmyblog,Psychowith6.(I’mapsychologistwithsixkids,thusthe name.) I was surprised and delighted by the response to my series ofexperiments. Business people, productivity experts, as well as homeschoolingmomsfollowedmyjourney.Manywrotetotellmeoftheirsuccessinusingthemethods I introduced them to. My plan was to write a book about myexperience at the end of a year. In fact, one of the experiments was testingwhether I couldwrite the book in 21days.The answer, as this book is beingpublishedfiveyearslater,isobviouslyno.Atleastitwasn’tpossibleformethen.

After“AYearofLivingProductively”

Intheyearssincecompletingtheseries,Ihavecontinuedtoexperiment.Intheprocess,Ihavefoundnewmethodsthathavegreatlyincreasedmyproductivity.Ialsoobtainednewresultswitholdmethods.Somethathadinitiallyworkednolonger did, and some that hadn’tworked in 2013were performingbrilliantly.MyexperiencechangedthewayIthoughtaboutproductivity.

HowAYearofLivingProductivelyCanMakeYouMoreProductive

WhenIbeganoutliningthebookbasedonmyyearofexperimenting,IthoughtI would be writing a best-practices book. I foolishly believed that I coulddeterminewhichmethodswouldworkbestforyou.TheyearsthatfollowedtheseriestaughtmethatIcouldn’tevenpredictwhichmethodswouldworkforme!

WeeklyExperimentsin

Getting Done

MelanieWilson,Ph.D.

Introduction

You’reoverwhelmed.Youhavesuchalongto-dolist,whetherthelistismental,paper,ordigital,thatyoudon’tknowwhattodofirst.Foreverytaskyoucrossoff your list, twomore appear.Youwant to honor your commitment to yourwork, your family, and even to yourself, but getting everything done feelsimpossible.

Soyouprocrastinate.Youputoffworkingonyourgoalsbecause just gettingthrough theday is exhausting.You tell yourself you’llmakeprogress on thoseimportant projects later, after you get organized. You’ll clear the clutter, cleanout your email inbox, and be ready to work…as soon as you have a freeweekend.

Butyouknowyou’recapableofgettingmoredone.Therewasatimeinyourlifewhenyouwereproductive,butforsomereason,youcannotregainyourfire.Youblameitonyourwork,yourfamily,oryourseasonoflife,butyouwonderifthere’sanotherexplanation.

Ifyou’reoverwhelmed,procrastinating,orunhappywithhowyouspendyourtime,thisbookistheanswer.

Whetheryouwork inanofficeor athome;whetheryou’reaprofessionalor astudent;whetheryou’reahomeeducator,entrepreneur,orboth,younowhavethesolutiontogettingmoredone.Youcanbecometwo,five,orevententimesmoreproductiveasyoucompletetheexperimentsdescribed inthisbook.Iamconfidentofthisbecausethesepagesdonotofferaone-size-fits-allproductivitysolution. Instead, I will show you the path that has led me to the mostproductive,mostsatisfyingdaysofmylife.Bystudyinghowyouworkbest,youwill have an approach customized to your circumstances today that can easilyadjusttochangesinthefuture.

HowcanImakesuchaboldclaim?

ThisisthepointatwhichIamtoinspireyouwithmystoryandconvinceyouofmy authority to write a productivity book.Here’s the short version. I have aPh.D. in clinical psychology. I have experience conducting research. But thatisn’twhyIhave theauthority towriteabookaboutproductivityexperiments.Instead, I have the authority to write because I’ve gone from being stuck indisorganization, procrastination, and overwhelm to living as an accomplishedentrepreneur,author,andhomeeducator.

Sincewriting a blog series by the same title as this book, I have achievedmybiggestgoals. Ihave successfullygraduated threeofmyhomeschooledstudentsand have continued to homeschool three more; I’ve created three years ofpodcastsforTheHomeschoolSanityShow;I’vewrittenTheOrganizedHomeschoolLife book and planner; and I’ve published three volumes of the elementarylanguageartscurriculum,GrammarGalaxy.I’vebecomeapopularpublisherandspeaker in the homeschooling niche. Yet I still have time for my family andfriends,volunteerwork, and severalhobbies. Ihaveneverbeenhappier.But ittookanumberoftrialstoarriveatthisplace.Yourlearningcurvecanbemuch,muchquicker.

Inaslittleasonedayoftestingtherightmethod,youcanenjoy:

Improvedclarity.Knowwhattodowhenyoustartyourworkday.A sense of control. Experience peace ofmind, improved focus, and arelaxedapproachtoyourwork.Progress on yourmost important goals. Accomplish more than youdreamedwaspossibleandbemoreeffectiveinyourdailywork.

I know you can experience these results because I have been your researchassistantandyourguineapig.First, Ihaveassembleda listofmorethan80ofthemostpowerfulproductivitymethodsavailable. Inyourhandsyouhave theinstructionsforusingeachone.Butyoudon’thavetotrythemblind.I’vetestedthem!You’llknowhowapsychologistturnedhomeschoolingmotherofsix,whowritesandspeaksforaliving,respondstoeachone.

Iknowwhatyou’rethinking.(Theytaughtusmindreadingingraduateschool.)If I’mnotapsychologist,homeeducator,writer,orentrepreneur,howdoyou

makeagoodguineapigforme?Goodquestion.I’llansweritshortly.ButfirstIwanttoexplainwhyIstartedexperimentingwithproductivity.

Before“AYearofLivingProductively”

In high school and college, Imanaged to succeed inmy classes and activities,despite my distractibility, habit of overcommitting, and lack of any type ofproductivitysystem.Ireliedonmymemoryandall-nighters.

WhenIstartedgraduateschoolinpsychology,lifebegantounravel.Ilivedalonefor the first time and did not regularly do dishes, take out the trash, or putpapers away. Ihadnomethod formanagingmy finances,my schedule,ormylaundry. I feared I would be kicked out of my graduate program and myapartment.

Igotmarriedbeforefinishingmydegree.Myhusband’sdailyhabitsmademeabetterhousekeeper,butIwasstilldisorganized.Whenwehadguestsontheway,I would shove everything into laundry baskets and stow them in the garage.Once out of sight, the items in the baskets (which included bills and otherimportantpapers)wereoutofmind. Imissed appointments andputworkoffuntiljustbeforethedeadline.Asaresult,Ihadtoworkweeksof18-hourdaystofinishmydissertationandearnmyPh.D.

After graduation, I worked in a private practice and taught developmentalpsychology. After our first two children arrived, I chose to stay home and dofreelancewritingandspeaking.WhenIwasexpectingourthirdchildIfeltcalledtohomeschool.IwasreluctantbecauseIdidn’tbelieveIcouldhomeschoolandwrite and speak, too. But I decided to give homeschooling my oldest forpreschoolatry.Howhardcouldthatbe?

Itturnsoutthathomeschoolingwasveryhardforme.Yes,Ihadababyandatoddler in addition to a preschooler, but each day I accomplished nothing.Nothing. Iwasn’t teaching,myhomewasawreck,andIhadno ideawhat tohavefordinner.Myhusbandwasn’thappy.NeitherwasI.IrealizedthatIwouldhavetosendmykidstoschoolandthathavinganymorechildrenwasoutofthequestion.

That’swhenIwasintroducedtoafoundationalproductivitymethod:routines.

IrealizedthatexperimentingwithproductivitymethodsISthebestpractice.Itisn’tsomethingtoundertakefor justayearbutforas longasyoudesiretogetmoredone.Myconceptforhowthebookcouldhelpyouchangedfrombeingaprescription to amethod in itself.To that end, thebook is divided into threesections: Before “A Year of Living Productively,” “A Year of LivingProductively,”andAfter“AYearofLivingProductively.”

In the section titledBefore“AYearofLivingProductively,” I sharemyresultswithmethods I triedbefore Ibegan the seriesofweekly experiments.Someofthesemethodswere lifechanging formeandare stillkey to theproductivity Ienjoytoday.

The section titled “A Year of Living Productively” details the results of myweeklyexperimentsastheywereoriginallypublishedonthePsychowith6blog.Ihaveeditedthemonlytomakethemappropriateforbookformat.I left intheubiquitous proclamations of having found the productivity Holy Grail (howembarrassing), and I added an update. In the update, I share my currentexperiencewitheachmethod.

ThesectiontitledAfter“AYearofLivingProductively”includesmyexperiencewithnewmethodssincecompletingtheblogseries.

Eachmethod,independentofitssection,ispresentedasfollows:

Why the method should make us more productive. While I didn’texaminetheresearchliteratureformostmethods,Ihadreasontobelieveitcouldimproveproductivity.Thatrationaleisoutlined.Instructions.Youwillnothave to readabookorarticle to implementtheproductivitymethod immediately.A simple explanationplushow Ichosetotestthemethodisgiven.Whatworked. For each method, I will tell you what worked for meduring the testing period. I included not just greater productivity butsatisfactionandanysidebenefitsofthemethodshere.Whatdidn’twork. I listed the cons of themethod forme during thetestingperiodhere.Rating.Ididn’thaveametricformyresultsotherthan“Diditmakememoreproductive?”Trackingnumberoftaskscompletedeachweekwould

have been interesting but not entirely helpful. Some experimentsmotivated me to do many small, unimportant tasks while otherspromptedmetomakegreatprogressononecriticalproject.Ihaveratedeachmethod on a 1-5-star scale based on its usefulness tome overall.Theseratingshavechangedovertheyearsandarelikelytochangeinthefuture.Iassignedtop,five-starratingstomethodsIbelievetobevaluabletomelong-term.Youmayalsolike.Foreachmethod,Isharesimilarmethodsforyoutotryoravoidasyourresultsdictate.

What you won’t find in the description of each method are links to furtherreading materials or resources for implementation. These can be found atAYearLivingProductively.comwhereoutdatedlinkscanbeeasilyupdated.

Inreadingaboutmyexperimentsineachofthesections,you’lllearn:

Methods that have helped me overcome procrastination anddisorganizationTweaksthatturnedunproductivemethodsintostrategiesIrelyontodayHowImanagedtopublishthisbookafterafive-yeardelay

Inreadingmyexperiences,youmay findwehavea lotmore incommonthanyoufirstthought.ButwhenIamnotagoodguineapigforyou,youmaywishto readothers’ reviewsof themethods. Ihavecollected links tomanyof thesereviews into a document you can download at AYearLivingProductively.com.Youmay discovermethods thatworkwell for peoplewhosework and style ismoresimilartoyours.

Themost important thingIhopeyou’ll learn,however, is that there isnoonequitelikeyou.Incoordinatingdrugtrialsingraduateschool,Ilearnedthateachpersonhasauniqueresponsetoamedication.Somethingthatmakesonepersonfeelbetterwillmakeanother sicker. In the sameway,you’renotwrong if youhatemy five-starmethods. You’re normal even if you’re the only one of yourpeers who doesn’t rise early, use a paper planner, or benefit from the latestproductivitycraze.

You can get more done when you discover the unique combination of

productivitymethodsthatworksforyou.That’stheessenceofwhatI’velearnedfrommyyearsofexperimenting.It’salsowhatIhopetohelpyoudo:findtheproductivitystrategiesthatareaperfectfitforyourlifeandwork.

HowtoUseThisBook

Iwish I could say therewas a reasonedplan for the order inwhich I didmyproductivity experiments. There wasn’t. In fact, there’s a good chance thatcompletingalltheexperimentsintheorderIdidthemwillbecompletelycrazy-making.Iwanttomakethiscrystalclear:Youcandoanyoftheexperimentsinanyorderyouchoose.Youcanalsoadaptthemandtestthemforanytimeframeyouchoose.

The instructions given for each experiment are just suggestions. Keep using amethod that worked for you while you test another or stop it while you trysomething new. Try one of themethods at the end of the last section that Ididn’ttest.It’syourchoice.

Many peoplewantmore guidance inwhere to start testing. So here are threeapproachestousingthisbookthatIrecommend:

Approach#1

Readtheentirebookandthendecidewhichof the80+methodsyou’d like totest.

Approach#2

Starttestinganyorallofmy5-starmethods,whicharestarredintheTableofContents.

Approach#3

Testmytoprecommendationsforcommonissues.

Procrastination

Deadlines

StartEarly

Resistance-FreeFiling&Tidying

WorkingAlonevs.WorkingwithOthers

RememberYourWhy

EatThatFrog

LittleandOften

FocusandReliefList

Mentors

RandomTaskActioning

ManageAnxiety

DisorganizationorOverwhelm

SacredTime

Decluttering

Exercise

CutCommitments

Routines

EatThatFrog

ZentoDone

AdequateSleep

ManageAnxiety

EstablishBoundaries

MasterYourWorkdayNow

LackofProgressonGoals

RisingEarly

12WeekYear

ZentoDone

TimeBlocking

ChangetheWorkEnvironment

EstablishBoundaries

ManageAnxiety

DeepWork

RefusetoChoose

Systems

Mentors

LackofEnergyorPurpose

SacredTime

AdequateSleep

WorkwithYourPersonality

Exercise

Nutrition

PaperPlanner

Vacations

DoItNow

Little&Often

TreatDepression

BreakBadHabitsandAddictions

DailyRewards

ADD/ADHD/EasilyDistracted

Exercise

Resistance-FreeFilingandTidying

Reminders

Rules

TreatDepression

BreakBadHabitsandAddictions

DoItNow

DeepWork

HomeEducators

SacredTime

RememberYourWhy

Routines

PaperPlanners

DoItNow

DailyRewards

LoopScheduling

Bloggers,Authors&Entrepreneurs

RememberYourWhy

Deadlines

Scheduling

ThemeDays

12WeekYear

TimeBlocking

DigitalMultitasking

Systems

NeedaCompleteSystem

ProductivityEvaluation

PaperPlanner

ZentoDone

Whicheverapproachyouchoose,Irecommendthatyourevieweachstrategyyoutest.Ifyoudon’thavearecordofyourexperiments,you’llbeleftwonderingwhyyoudidn’tkeepusingamethod.Asaresult,youmayfindyourselfrepeatingthe same experiments over and over and not improving. When yourcircumstanceschange,yourreviewswillgiveyouagoodideaofwhichmethodsmaybeuseful.IhaveafreeprintableatAYearLivingProductively.comthatyoucanusetorevieweachmethodyoutry.Itmaybeprintedorcompleteddigitally.

Experimentingcanbemoremotivating inagroup.WhenI started theblogseries, I was an active participant in a productivity forum. The forum was a

fruitful place for friendship and ideas. My hope is that our SupertaskersFacebook group (Facebook.com/groups/Supertaskers), for people whowant togetmoredone,willservethesamepurpose.Wewouldlovetohaveyoujoinandsharetheresultsofyourexperimentationwithus.

But for now, let’s not waste any more time. You have important things toaccomplish!Chooseanapproachtousingthisbookandstartyourownyearoflivingproductively.

WEEK1PaperTo-DoList

Whyapaperto-dolistcouldmakeusmoreproductive.Writingthingsdownisaprovenmemoryaid.Havingavisuallistcanalsotransformtheoverwhelminourheads intomanageable tasks that fitonasheet.Paperalsoallowsus togetawayfromthecomputer,whichcanbeadistraction.

Instructions.Youcanuseasheetofpaper,aprettynotebook,oranotecard–justnostickynotes.Writedownanythingyouhavetodoonyourlistandcrossitoffasyoucompleteit.Therearenootherrulesthanthat.

Results

WhenItoldafriendwhomImetonaproductivityforumthatIwasgoingtobeusingapaperto-dolist thisweek,she laughedandsaid,“TechnoGirl isgoingpaper,huh?”

Yeah, I’mout ofmy element. I haven’t consistently used a paper to-do list inmanyyears.Thoseofyouwho’vealwaysusedpapermaybefrustratedwithme.First,I’vediscoveredbenefitsofpaperthatareno-brainersforyou.Butsecond,I’ve also discovered some frustrationswith paper that youwill think aren’t anissueatall.

WhatWorked

Asenseofcompletion.ThebiggestunexpectedbenefitwasfeelinglikeIactuallyaccomplishedsomething.IdothinkIdidmorethannormal,butevenifIdidn’t,IfeltlikeIdid.Mostdigitalto-dolistsdismisscompletedtasksfromview,leavingmewiththefeelingthatIhaven’taccomplishedanything. In fact, I assumed that Ihadn’t gottenmuchdone thisweekuntil I noticed that most of my tasks are crossed off. There’s justsomethingaboutcrossingoffataskwithapen,too.

Reduced overwhelm. Because I only planned to use paper for theworkweek, Ididn’t list everything that I couldpotentiallydo in twentylifetimes–whichiswhatItendtodoonadigitallist.SeveraltimeswhenIfelt stressed, I reviewed my list and thought, “That’s all?” A limitednumberofpotentialtasksisaverygoodthingforsomeonelikeme.I left itbehind.Oneof the things I assumedwasadrawbackofpaperwas actually a benefit to me this week. Because I didn’t take my listeverywherewithmelikeIdowithdigitallistsonmyphone,IfeltlikeIdidn’thave todoanythingbut enjoy theactivity athand.So I chattedwithfriendsat thekids’P.E.classratherthantryingtofigureoutwhattasksIcoulddoatthesametime.

WhatDidn’tWork

Lackofintegrationwithe-mail. Iamaccustomedtohavingmyemailandtasksworktogether.Ididn’tlikethefeelingofwastingtimewritingdown email-related tasks. I expect that paper users don’t do this, butbecauseIcleanoutmyinboxconstantly,Ididn’tknowwhatelsetodo.Penfailure.Notonlydidmypenrunoutofink,butittoremypaperasI tried toget it towork.ThenIcouldn’t findadecentpen.That’s thekindofthingthatdrivesmenutty.Poorfollow-upsystem.IfIknewIwasn’tgoingtoworkonataskuntilafter this week, I didn’t have a good place to put it. I chose to use adigitalapproachbecauseInolongeruseapaperplanner,nordoIkeepwritten notes. Forme, it seemed silly to have tomove back and forthfrompapertodigital,andall-paperisoutofthequestionforthiswomanwhoneedsdigitalalarmstorememberanykindofappointment.

DidaPaperTo-DoListHelpMeGetMoreDone?

Yes! Iwasmoremotivated to crossoff tasks that remainedonmy list and feltproductive finishingmy to-do’s for a change.While I am ready to return to adigitallistthisweek,IrealizethatIhavetofindawaytolimitmylistsANDseeeverythingthatI’vefinished.

Update

I still occasionallymakepaper lists and like themwhen Ido.Butmyprimary

task lists are digital because of integration with email and the convenience ofhavingmyphonewithmeatalltimes.

Rating:

YouMayAlsoLike:

PaperPlanner

AutoFocus

FocusandReliefList

WEEK2Covey’sQuadrantApproach

WhyCovey’squadrantapproachcouldmakeusmoreproductive.The lateDr.StephenCovey’sapproachtoproductivityexplainedinFirstThingsFirstcanbe distilled down to his focus on four kinds of work: urgent/important(Quadrant I); not urgent/important (Quadrant II); urgent/unimportant(QuadrantIII);andnoturgent/unimportant(QuadrantIV).HeemphasizedtheimportanceofspendingtimeinQuadrantII:noturgent/important.Urgentandimportanttasksareattendedtowithoutmucheffort,butthoseactivitieswhichenableustogrow,buildrelationships,orfulfillourdreamsaresooftenputonthebackburnerbecause theydon’tdemandour time.That isunlessyouhavemy kids and husband. They demandmy time! But I’m thankful for that.Ofcourse,Coveyurgedustospendlesstimedoingunimportantthings,urgentornot.

Instructions.Categorizeyourtasksbyquadrant.Tagtheminadigitalto-dolistor divide a sheet of paper into four squares andwrite them in the applicablequadrant.SeektospendmostofyourtimeinQuadrantsI&IIandlittletonotimeinQuadrantsIII&IV.

Results

I chose to create labels for eachquadrantusing adigital taskmanager. I spentquite a bit of time assigning my tasks to these categories and here’s what Idiscoveredaboutthisproductivityphilosophy.

WhatWorked

I know I already understandwhat’s important and I do importantthings.Ihadabouttwicetheamountofimportantandnon-urgenttasksasIdidimportantandurgenttasks.Idon’tthinkthat’sbecauseIamnotspendingenoughtimeinQuadrantII,however.Iamwithmychildren,

andtoasignificantextent,myhusbandallday.Nexttomytimesetapartfor prayer and Bible reading, they are my top priority. The tasks inQuadrant II are generally related to writing and organizing. There arejustaLOTofthingsIshouldgetaroundtodoinginthoseareas.AndIdo spend a lot of time doing them. All of that to say, knowing what’simportant in your life is paramount to choosing tasks. Committing tospending time doing those important, non-urgent tasks is also vital. Ihavebothofthosedown,butthereareproblemsusingthisphilosophyasyouronlyproductivitymethod.

WhatDidn’tWork

I already have my tasks tagged for priority. The Important/Urgenttasks correspond to my must-do tasks with due dates. TheImportant/NotUrgent taskscorrespondtomyshould-do taskswithnoorlonger-termduedates.Thelabelsaddednothingnew.Iwasoverwhelmed.Usingonly the categories towork from, Ihad40important/urgent tasks and80 important/non-urgent tasks.Asopposedto lastweekwhen I testedpaper and feltmotivated, thisweek Ididn’twanttodoanything.Idon’tputunimportanttasksinmytasklist.Idon’twritedown“surftheweb”or“spendanhouronFacebook.”IjustDOthosethings.ThematrixhadnoeffectonwhetherornotIengagedincertainactivities.Importance is confusing. Even the activities that most people wouldlabel unimportantmay have been important tome at the time. Socialmediaisimportanttome,whereasitisn’ttootherpeople.

DidCovey’sQuadrantsHelpMeGetMoreDone?

Unequivocally,NO.Myproductivitytookanosedive.WasthatbecauseIdidn’tusepaperasIdidlastweek?I’mcertainlywillingtoentertainthatpossibilityandplantotestotherpaperapproachesthisyear.Forme,though,Covey’squadrantsaremoreofaphilosophicalapproachtotasksthathavenothingtodowithhowmuchyoudo–evenimportantthings.

Update

While I don’t organize my tasks in a task list by quadrants, I have a new

appreciation for focusing on the important but not urgent tasks.My currentapproach is to schedule these typesof tasks as early in theday aspossible andplanthemusingthe12WeekYear.

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