The ONLY 3 productivity tools you will ever need

Raghunath Soman

IntroductionYou want to streamline your work, be more productive, and be more efficient. You take a look around and find productivity tools and techniques galore, enough to intimidate you back into your un-managed ways.

So, what is the easiest — and probably the best! — way to get things done, without investing too much time and effort into myriad approaches?

The ONLY 3 tools you needFrom personal experience, just three tools can create the biggest impact on your productivity, as well as efficiency:

1. Task list2. Checklist 3. Scheduler

Let's see how to use these...

WHAT to do: The Task List▪ Make a list of all the tasks. Brainstorm. Ask your spouse, parents.

Ask your office peers. Consider all the facets of your life: ▪ Financial: Paying bills, loan premiums,…▪ Social: Calling up friends, visits to relatives,…▪ Professional: Status reports, Data backups,…▪ Spiritual: Yoga classes,…▪ Recreational: Movies, books, gym, swimming,…

▪ Identifying the tasks must be a daily, routine activity. ▪ Next, separate the chores that you need to repeatedly perform with

some regular frequency. ▪ Sending out a status report every Friday, or, washing your car every 15 days.

▪ Move these items to a Scheduler (See the Scheduler section).

ToolsFor the non-recurring tasks, I recommend the Eisenhower Matrix. In simple terms, classify the tasks as:

1. Important AND Urgent2. Important but NOT Urgent3. Urgent but NOT Important4. NOT Important AND NOT Urgent

Success Mantra

Make all tasks SMART: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-bound

"I want to reduce weight" is merely a wish; Convert it to something like “Reduce weight by 5 kg. over the next 3 months by jogging for 30 minutes every morning from 7 AM to 7:30 AM".

Track each and every task to its logical conclusion. This does not mean that you must finish each and every task; but if you decide to drop a task, it needs to be a conscious decision, and not just the lack of effort.

HOW to do: The Checklist

Checklists are a list of items that help you to perform a task in the best possible manner and to verify if a completed task meets the requirements. Create a checklist for everything you do fairly repeatedly…

Need to send a status report? Make a checklistPlanning a trip? Create a checklist

A checklist for the items to carry every time you go out of home would probably be a good start.

I use the acronym MKWI: Mobile, Keys, Wallet, Items for the specific errand

Success Mantra

▪ Keep your checklists handy: If you can’t find them when you need them, you’d be less inclined to use them. ▪ Checklist must be live: always in use and constantly

evolving. ▪ Be honest with yourself while using the checklists.▪ Share your generic checklists with others, and urge to use

them.

WHEN to do: The SchedulerFrom the Task list, classify the tasks depending on their frequency, for example:▪ Weekly: Status reports, …▪ Monthly: Bill payments,…▪ Bi-Monthly▪ Quarterly ▪ Yearly: Birthdays,…For the tasks that are not so clearly well-defined, take into consideration their urgency and importance. For example, washing of your vehicle will depend on its usage: Do you need to do it on a weekly basis, or will once a month suffice? For each repetitive task, you must have a schedule and a reminder mechanism.

Success MantraWhen the alarm goes off, just do it.

It’s you who set out the time for it, so it is important.

Make your calendar sacred, something that no one can override… Not even you, not without a good reason at least.

If you marked a time-slot for studying Linux then hanging out in a mall with friends during that time should be avoided, however tempting it might be.

Of course, you cannot always have things your way. If you mark a Friday evening to watch a football match on TV and your wife informs, “We are visiting my parents today evening”, it would be wise not to insist too much on preserving the integrity of your calendar.

ConclusionUsing these three basic tools in a disciplined way is guaranteed to bring a huge improvement in your productivity and efficiency.

Related resources:

Using Task ListsThe Checklist Manifesto