Productivity & Organizing Myth #5 – the right planner (tool) is all you need
Myth: Having the right portfolio planner, calendar, mole skine and containers (tools) volition make someone productive.
Reality: Having the right tools is the get-go part to being productive, managing your time well, and being successful. The second part, which is even more vital, is that 1 knows how to utilize the tools.
None of us would await to be main gardeners just considering we purchased a shovel and rototiller. Nor would we think we could play Chopin because we purchased a piano. Ditto for playing like Tiger Woods simply because nosotros bought good golf clubs. Why would nosotros think we'd be magically productive and organized by having the correct tools?
Fortunately the second footstep to being productive and organized follows immediately on the heels of the get-go pace. The second pace is to create then implement personal standard operating procedures! Merely as we know that using those clubs, garden tools, and piano, correctly and practicing will yield a proficient golfer, gardener, or pianist, you tin can be assured of turning in projects on fourth dimension, having accurate budgets, and allocating your day effectively by using standard operating procedures (sops).
Simply, the solution is to take the tools AND learn how to use them proficiently. Notice I don't say use them perfectly – that's a quest that requires too much energy and time. Use tools proficiently and they will touch on your life in many positive ways.
The concept that makes SOPs virtually powerful is that you 'automate' things that you lot can so that y'all have free energy and focus for that which you cannot automate – planning, decision making, and communicating. For instance, if you know that you e'er list phone calls to return on the next line in your notebook you will e'er know where to look for someone'south number. Closely linked to this SOP is 'enter contacts into your address volume weekly' (or daily if that is meliorate for your own SOP). An boosted benefit of using the notebook (tool) consistently – emptying of scraps of paper that you have to toss into your inbox and process later so less clutter!
A quick list of useful SOP for productivity & arrangement that are meant to trigger your thinking as you develop your SOPs:
- Calendar SOP: list every time delivery in the agenda, print the agenda and mail service the copy at dwelling (update weekly)
- Agenda SOP: Colour code types of activities
- Business Meetings – the company color IE bluish for SAP
- Personal activities – Gilded (because that's what your fourth dimension is worth)
- Annual events like birthdays & anniversaries – Night Green
- Actions – Black
- Things to practise while driving around – Vivid Green
- Travel days – Red
- Kids Activities – Orange
- Inbox (paper) SOP: all unattended collect in the inbox. This includes receipts to be recorded, mail to be open, notes from others – everything. All things are held here until processed. Process the inbox in one case per day. (processing is a subject unto itself – for a future post)
- Moleskine notebook SOP: I'll refer you to Kathy Sierra at the Creating Passionate Users Weblog because it'southward ace!
- Addressbook SOP: categorize your contacts equally you enter them. This allows yous to create a Holiday Card mailing list, for example, throughout the twelvemonth rather than having to review every contact at that busy fourth dimension of the year. Yep, you're streamlined.
There are many sources from books to classes to coaches that volition help yous utilize your tools more than proficiently. Explore the assistance menus, view the tutorials, enquire a colleague, for their ideas on using productivity tools. You don't demand to larn to use them on your own!
Previous Myths:
- Productivity & Organizing Myth #iv – But Handle it Once
- Productivity & Organizing Myth #one – Born Organized
- Productivity & Organizing Myth #two – Can't stop influx
- Productivity & Organizing Myth #three – I don't have fourth dimension to prioritize
Susan Sabo is an intrepid traveler who has organized her life to be out of the country for months at a fourth dimension. Antarctica is the only unvisited continent (so far). She's the author at Productivity Cafe , consults with professionals on improving their personal productivity and presents motivating productivity SOPs & tips(such as how to become home for dinner) to groups.
Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/productivity-organizing-myth-5-%e2%80%93-the-right-planner-tool-is-all-you-need.html
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