Everyone has plans, targets, and goals. However, there are times when, while we continue to be confident in our powers, we feel that no progress is made. Or that we are not able to manage the time and the tasks that we have to do.
The miraculous and universal solution is always just a click away. We call on the Google agent who, without too much thought, returns the problem and all the literature dedicated to solving it.
In our case, the lack of productivity and all the remedies/secrets that treat it. And gentlemen, there are a lot. You will find numerous clickbait articles that promise you the holy grail of productivity with the most important 7, 10, 15, 30 secrets that will improve your life. You will also find out how important it is to have a diary, to read tirelessly, to brainstorm, to learn continually, or to have a positive attitude.
I can guarantee that all these secrets are real and they work. But, if it is so simple, if this information is practically accessible to any person, why not everyone is as productive as they would like?
The answer is simple because we lose ourselves in details. Because in our epoch, access to information and knowledge is not something we need to worry about. The main issue is the ability to extract relevant information from an avalanche of sources and channels.
So you won’t find out any secret from me, but you’ll find three essential principles to improve your productivity.
1. Prioritize
As simple as it may seem, it is so difficult. All the more so that everything that surrounds us changes rapidly, and flexibility and adaptability are the most sought-after qualities.
It’s not easy because we live in a world full of perfectionists. Who did not hear this dictum:
“How you do anything is how you do everything. “
But it is true? Can we attach the same importance to each situation we are in? Warren Buffet, one of the most successful business people, strongly recommends that you choose the most critical three from which to focus your attention. Only after you have done, you pass to the next. For those interested in Warren Buffet’s method, you can find more details on Nathan Grieve’s blog.
2. Focus
Although we may think that prioritization means an increased determination automatically to achieve set goals, reality shows that many people end up being diverted from established planning, most of the time without realizing.
The main enemy of the focus is the procrastination, postponing the achievement of small but at the same time essential tasks. And the perversity of the postponement is that it prefigures a new postponement and entry into a postponement trap.
That’s why a simple and useful solution, at everyone’s fingertips, is the so-called conquest of the morning. That is, doing little things and seemingly unimportant, but fueling motivation and favoring the achievement of more important things throughout the day. Not by accident, the first thing that is learned in the army and the first pregnancy that is attributed to the recruits is making the bed. To help you focus and get things right you might also want to invest in a time tracking app to increase productivity.
3. Create habits
Probably the idea I should start with. Because it is the most difficult and does not happen from one day to the next. It is scientifically and practically proven that in order to form a habit, it takes at least 21 consecutive days in which to repeat what you want to become a habit.
Nathan Grieve describes the practical way in which a habit is formed and involves the following three stages: trigger, response, and reward.
Finally, some advice on productivity
It is essential to remember that we can all work to improve productivity if we really want it. How to do this was intense, but for each one, there was a different recipe — but obliviously built as a result of prioritization, focus, and habits.
