Productivity Ramblings

This post has been running through my head for a while, and it has had many potential titles.  I’ve thought of calling it “Saying Yes and Saying No”, “Creativity”, “Getting Stuff Done”, etc.  I’ve settled on “Productivity.”

I’ve been listening to a podcast called Beyond the To-Do List.  The host, Erik Fisher, interviews different people about their productivity strategies and practices. This has got me thinking about how I can be more productive.

There are two apps on my phone that I started using.  One is the calendar.  I always mean to use a calendar, either the one that hangs on the kitchen wall or one that I’ve drawn out on lined paper in my binder. Neither one lasts for long, but without it I start to feel a bit panicky as I feel like I’m going to forget an important event or appointment.  Last week I started using the calendar on my phone, which is great because it is almost always with me and when I open my phone I can immediately see the events of the next few days.

The other app is Keep.  I don’t know where it is from because it was on my phone when I bought it from my dad.  It is a note-taking app.  When I got this phone, I thought there was no note-taking app on it because the Keep icon has a light bulb on it so I thought it was a flashlight app.  However, my dad showed me that it was a note-taking app.  It’s actually really cool.  You can write notes or make lists.  The lists have check boxes which is fun.  I love being able to check off the items.  There is also the option of adding labels to the notes and lists which is really handy for organizing.

I’ve also been streamlining how I do things.  I’m trying the uniform system to minimize time trying to decide what to wear.  My current “uniform” is jeans and a t-shirt with a hoodie or cardigan.  At work I wear a t-shirt and jeans or sometimes shorts, while at home I wear jeans and a t-shirt with warm socks and a thick sweater.

The main thing I find helps with productivity is being purposeful/focused in what I do.  I feel much more productive if I do things like going on Facebook or reading a book after I DECIDE to do them rather than doing them because I FEEL like doing them instead of doing something else that I have DECIDED to do.

I’d love to hear your productivity strategies! (Or podcast suggestions.  I’ve discovered a love for podcasts, especially investigative or documentary style podcasts.)