Saying it isn’t exactly doing it. In fact, saying “I plan on being productive today” is kind of like wandering onto stripper row and saying, “I’m planning on avoiding a venereal disease tonight.” Just because you dodge the bullet once doesn’t mean you can dodge it all night long.
What were we talking about again? Right. Productivity. So, how do you stay on track?
Experts (HA!) say that the best way to maintain productivity levels is to break up your tasks into smaller, bite-sized tasks. Personally, I like to get those tiny sticky notes (the 1″ x 1″ ones) and write one item on them. Not a project, but a task of a project, like “Create the text highlighting section of the CSS for xyz.com.” Then you can group the tasks together into a project, if you want.
Of course, if you don’t like sticky notes (and really, who does – certainly not the owner of that Jaguar…) then you can use amazing Getting Things Done tools like Remember The Milk or Things.
I’m sure there are more – feel free to leave the ones you like in the comments.
In any case, the tool is only as good as the person putting it to use. If you don’t know how to hammer something, nothing’s gonna get nailed, got it? So, practice putting your methods to use, practice breaking tasks down, figure out what works for you and what doesn’t.
Going Green’s Not Just For Trees Anymore
While we’re here, a word to the wise – your environment makes all the difference. I recently moved my desk back a foot and a half because I felt like I was always getting stared at. Now, I don’t get distracted by the co-worker in the next cube over or the people walking through the door to the hallway in a constant stream.
I can’t, however, do anything about the chewing and food noises that my co-workers make… so I make sure to have my iPod handy for those moments. And I never listen to anything with words in it, because I know I’ll be paying attention to those words rather than the stuff I’m actually supposed to be paying attention to…
And if my frustration with my environment gets too high? I go for a walk. I take a breather and hope that whatever was bugging me is gone in five minutes.
Knowing yourself, your bad habits and your motivations – as well as what catches your attention or takes it away – will help you to work smarter.
Psychotic Resumes is a Gen-Y (Millennial) job survival guide created by Nick Armstrong to help new professionals build stronger resumes and cover letters so they can find a better job. It's our goal to help Gen-Y do better at interviews and on the job, promoting strong leadership, entrepreneurship, and common sense.
Worthless
What were we talking about again? Right. Productivity. So, how do you stay on track?
Experts (HA!) say that the best way to maintain productivity levels is to break up your tasks into smaller, bite-sized tasks. Personally, I like to get those tiny sticky notes (the 1″ x 1″ ones) and write one item on them. Not a project, but a task of a project, like “Create the text highlighting section of the CSS for xyz.com.” Then you can group the tasks together into a project, if you want.
Of course, if you don’t like sticky notes (and really, who does – certainly not the owner of that Jaguar…) then you can use amazing Getting Things Done tools like Remember The Milk or Things.
I’m sure there are more – feel free to leave the ones you like in the comments.
In any case, the tool is only as good as the person putting it to use. If you don’t know how to hammer something, nothing’s gonna get nailed, got it? So, practice putting your methods to use, practice breaking tasks down, figure out what works for you and what doesn’t.
While we’re here, a word to the wise – your environment makes all the difference. I recently moved my desk back a foot and a half because I felt like I was always getting stared at. Now, I don’t get distracted by the co-worker in the next cube over or the people walking through the door to the hallway in a constant stream.
I can’t, however, do anything about the chewing and food noises that my co-workers make… so I make sure to have my iPod handy for those moments. And I never listen to anything with words in it, because I know I’ll be paying attention to those words rather than the stuff I’m actually supposed to be paying attention to…
And if my frustration with my environment gets too high? I go for a walk. I take a breather and hope that whatever was bugging me is gone in five minutes.
Knowing yourself, your bad habits and your motivations – as well as what catches your attention or takes it away – will help you to work smarter.