Don't forget to tune in this Tuesday, October 9th, on Channel 7, on Good Afternoon Arkansas at 3 PM, to hear About Space give some productivity hacks!
I gave a presentation last week about a few of these productivity hacks, and I'll share more tips on the show. I suggest dating a few of these ideas, and with some effort, you might find the right productivity hack for you.
1) The OHIO method: Only Handle it Once.
I didn't come up with this (and I don't know who did), but I try to employ this method with most things, including paper, and it especially works well with mail (both E and snail variations). If you have a steady stream of paper coming into your space, you need to learn to both discard or recycle unnecessary paper (like junk mail) immediately, and also set up a filing system to catch those pieces that are important and that you’ll need..
***Don't forget to check out my resources page for websites to get your name and address OFF of the snail-mail cycle (prevent clutter before it starts!)
2) The 2 minute rule:
It’s inevitable that tasks will come up throughout the day, don’t waste time considering whether or not, or when, you will accomplish it. Ask yourself, will it take less than 2 minutes? If the answer is yes, do it right away. If the answer is no, add it below your list of to-do's. The only thing you have to lose is 2 minutes.
3) A daily list of 3 Non-negotiable tasks:
These are things that you MUST do before the end of the day. Make a list a manageable things, like 1) like call to get an extra recycle bin 2) take the kids to school 3) take out the trash. Start there with easy stuff. Once it becomes a habit, make 1 of those tasks a little harder, like hang the new curtain or write a blog post (ahem). By starting with easier "must do" tasks for a few weeks (that, let's face it, you will probably do anyway) you work up a habit of getting these 3 things done, you build confidence and momentum, and you can add more complicated tasks to your non-negotiable task lists. The whole idea behind this is that you make "task listing and task doing" a habit.
Peace, love, and organizing people!
Meg