Strategic Attorney

I love productivity tools.  I don’t know which I have more of on my iPhone: productivity tools or camera apps.  Recently, I was asked by a reporter to summarize some of my best tips. So for you, dear readers, in advance of any publication, are the six tips that anyone can use.  They don’t require you to have particular hardware and where I recommend software, I am careful to provide a choice.

1.  Use just one system for your todo’s.  Whether it’s post-it notes or Toodledo on the iPhone and Web (my own favorite), be true to your system.  If you step outside of your system, you are far more likely to lose key actions you need to take.  Knowing that, you’re also likely to lose piece of mind.

2. Use a time segmentation method (like the Pomodoro method) to handle lengthy tasks.  These methods have you work, using a timer, for a specific period of time, say, 10 minutes, then take a break for a specific period of time, say, 2 minutes.  All you need is a kitchen timer and determination to eat that elephant one bite at a time.

3. Set your top priorities (I limit myself to 7) each day before you begin work; or even the night before.  Keep going back to those priorities throughout the day so that you don’t get side-tracked down less-important rabbit holes.

4. Stay on top of delegated tasks daily.  The more confidence you have that you know what you’ve delegated to whom and when you’ll get it back, the more you’ll be able to comfortably delegate.  Its a virtuous cycle that can take hours of work off of your desk every day.

5. If you’re afraid to use the delete key, use the archive key with your email inbox.  Whatever it takes, get that non-essential mail out of there.  I think having an empty inbox is a worthy goal but even if you can’t get to that, you can delete all the spam, newsletters and other non-essentials.

6. Use a todo management system that fits your style and desired level of complexity.  If it’s too complex, you won’t use it.  If it’s too simple, you’ll be frustrated by its limitations every day.  For those who like a full-featured todo system, I recommend www.toodledo.com or www.nozbe.com.  For those who want something simple, a stack of post it notes and a board to rearrange them on can be perfect.

What are your top productivity tips?