The One Thing I’ve Unlearned About Getting Things Done

What is the secret to productivity? What habits, routines, and rituals guarantee real progress?

I’ve been looking for answers to these questions for years. I’ve tried a lot of productivity systems. I’m still exploring.

I’ve tried Getting Things Done (GTD), Timeboxing, Biological Prime Time, Personal Kanban, The “To-Do” list, The “Must Do” list, Pomodoro Technique, Eisenhower Matrix, Don’t Break The Chain, and Eat That Frog.

Today, I use a combination of productivity ideas from many sources. Getting things done better or smarter is an experiment in progress.

I’m learning how to work with my body instead of working against it. In the process, I’ve unlearned a lot. I keep narrowing the rules and creating new ones for myself.

I want to make working on my body of work as simple as possible. Every process, system, routine, or ritual is questionable. There are no universal principles. That’s how I keep an open mind about getting things done.

Many high performers have figured things out and rely on a set of habits to make progress. I’ve made it my business to uncover and experiment with as many systems as possible.

So far, I’ve not found a single perfect recipe or routine for getting things done faster. You can’t replicate Laura Vanderkam or Charles Duhigg’s routine and expect the same results. Their goals, expectations, and motivations are different from yours.

You don’t have to use every tool out there to get more things done

What you can do, is to experiment and be prepared to unlearn what doesn’t work for your personal circumstances.

You can only become more productive or prolific if you learn more about yourself first and do more of what makes you work faster.

Productivity is deeply personal. You have to find or design your own personal ritual. You can combine many lessons, habits, and systems to create a unique set of practices that work for you.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to replicate productivity gurus’ routine or ritual, remember, they are doing what works for them.

A remote creator’s schedule will be different from someone who consistently commutes to an office. An early bird’s routine will be different from a night owl’s rituals. You can’t copy-and-paste productivity systems.

To get more things done, think about what helps YOU make progress.

Thomas A. Edison wisely said, “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”

Productivity is simply a collection of habits, repeated deliberately, in a particular order, plus the tools that support the behaviors.

What actions have worked for you in the past?

To get more things done fast, think like an artist: find your styles, techniques, and tools design your own productivity system around them.

“A method that used to work for you might become a burden to maintain later on, or you may need a more robust system to tackle a growing workload. Be flexible and don’t be afraid to make a change,” writes Tricina Elliker of Doist.

Do to-do lists help you get things done? Do you work better in the morning, midday, or late afternoon? Does a done list inspire you to get even more things done? Do you work better in a distraction-free environment? Do you prefer to separate your important tasks from urgent ones?

The point is to measure your past productivity styles and do more of what’s working for you — use only the tools that help you make progress.

Refine what works for you

Jim Rohn once said, “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” You can only run the day if you are in charge of your energy and plan your work when you are most active.

The pressure to do more can cause burnout, especially if you are consistently behind schedule. The best thing you can do for yourself every day is to work with both your mind and body — don’t fight your circadian rhythm.

Use your energy level to your advantage. Give your brain the much-needed break it needs to keep delivering what you expect of it. You can do more, achieve more, and make real decisions progress if you give up the perfect productivity system mindset.

I’ve found the best routines are designed on purpose, with your specific needs (goals, habits, biological clock, and personality) in mind.

Productivity is a mindset — highly prolific people are always in the process of refining how they work. Whatever processes and systems you use for your work, remember, no system is fixed or permanent.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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