what ARE productive systems?

What are productivity

systems and why are they
necessary?
Productivity systems are practices, guidelines, or systematic methodologies
that help people get things done in an efficient manner.

The best productivity systems are structured — but flexible — and are
generally easy to adopt. There are many, many types of productivity
systems out there, but the right one for you will depend on your
personality, work style, motivators, and habits.

In 1956, cognitive psychologist George Miller hypothesized that our working

memory can hold anywhere between 5 and 9 “chunks of information” at any
given time. His studies inspired other researchers to look more closely at
memory and how we store information. While we still don’t
know definitively how much information we can stow away in our minds,
psychologists and neuroscientists both agree that our working memory has a
limited capacity.

And let’s not forget the aforementioned distractions.

I’d be willing to bet you’ve been distracted at least a few times since you
started reading this article. If not, maybe you don’t need to keep reading.
Wait. Please keep reading!
Speaking of distractions … data from the University of California show that
once you’ve been sidetracked from a task, it takes a whopping 23 minutes on
average to get back on task. Yikes.

This is why we need productively systems — they help keep our attention
(squirrel!) focused so we can get more done. With attention spans shorter
than ever (shorter than a goldfish!), this has never been more important.

While it sounds easy in theory, “I’m going to be more productive today!” isn’t a
great strategy for following through on that goal. However, with a system in
place, you’ve got a roadmap that will help you execute and stay on task so
you get more done in less time.

Here are 6 productivity systems that can help.

Try monday.com

Productivity System #1:

Getting Things Done (GTD)
GTD. Getting Things Done.

Getting Things Done is a productivity system created by David Allen, author of

the book by the same name. It helps with organizing tasks and priorities so
you’re able to manage your day more easily.

“Getting Things Done is essential so you don’t get lost in a sea of tasks,” said
Phil Janecic, Founder of The Mind of Steel.

The system is broken down into the following 5 steps:

1. 1. Capture: Record everything you need to remember — ideas,
assignments, projects, goals, appointments — all of it. Write ’em down on
a sticky note, in a notebook, Word document, a task management app, or
anywhere that is trackable. The goal: capture an external copy of the
important information you have stored in your working memory.
2. Clarify: How are you going to complete those tasks? Create measurable
actions. For example, if “work on marketing plan” was something you
captured in step #1, be more specific in this step. It could look like this:
“solidify 3 new strategies for email marketing” or “make a list of 10
prospective micro-influencers.” The more specific, the better.
3. Organize: Prioritize your tasks. Arrange your list into categories such as
urgent, important, medium priority, and so on. You can also prioritize tasks
by due dates or based on which assignments deliver the most value.
4. Reflect: Think of this step as quality control. Review your list to see what
adjustments can be made to improve your productivity system. Optimize
your list! Note: Reflection is an ongoing process. Goals and priorities will
change over time.
5. Engage: Or said another way, DO … get things done. The goal of this step
isn’t to start tasks, it’s to complete them. Knock items off your list one by
one so you can devote 100% of your mental energy to completing one
assignment before shifting your focus to the next task.

GTD is all about discipline and consistency … sticking to the program,

capturing ideas, reflecting on your list, and so on.

Regardless of whether you’re leading a team or you’re just managing your

personal responsibilities, the GTD approach can help you complete important
tasks and tackle challenges more efficiently. It’s a great way to clear your
mind of any distracting thoughts that chip away at your productivity, while also
providing you with a system that allows you to track assignments and
measure your progress over time.

Get started

Productivity System #2:

The Daily Trifecta
This productivity system focuses on creating a list of three key things you
want to get done each day by writing them down the night before.

The theory behind this approach is that even if you only get those three things
done, the day is a win. Or WIN-WIN-WIN. See what I did there?

“The Daily Trifecta helps me set clear intentions for each day and identifies
the tasks to focus on in the morning, as well as the potential barriers to those
tasks.” —Jason Keath, Founder of SocialFresh.

The Daily Trifecta helps to limit “to-do list overload,” helping you stay realistic
about accomplishing not every task, but only those that are most essential.

Get started

Productivity System #3:

The Pomodoro
Technique/Time Blocking
25 minutes on; 5 minutes off. Repeat 4x. Then take a 15-20 minute break.

That’s essentially The Pomodoro Technique. We tried it and then recorded

our pros and cons.

An alternate, less rigid, version is time blocking. Instead of 25 on, 5 off, daily
tasks are separated 30-90 minute blocks of time, allowing for more “single-
tasking” (the opposite of multi-tasking).

Read more about time blocking in our step-by-step guide.

 Get started

Productivity System #4:

Bullet Journaling
Bullet journaling (called BuJo® for short) was developed by digital product
designer Ryder Carroll. Carroll was diagnosed with ADHD and learning
disabilities as a young adult, so he had to find new ways to be productive–
which is how bullet journaling was born.

Bullet journaling is a productivity system that serves as a form of mindfulness

designed to help people organize their what while remaining mindful of
their why. There’s a whole system and language (and website) dedicated to
this approach.

The above 4-minute video is a pretty good explainer.

Get started

Productivity System #5:

Seinfeld Calendar System
Yeah. THAT Jerry Seinfeld, of Seinfeld fame.

Jerry Seinfeld’s ultra-simple calendar challenge is the ultimate productivity

hack … err … system.

Way back in 2007, software developer Brad Isaac shared a story with

Lifehacker about an encounter with Jerry Seinfeld where he asked the
comedian for some “tips for a young comic.”
Seinfeld told him to “write every day.” In order to maintain motivation (and
accountability), he shared his “unique calendar system he used to pressure
himself to write.”

In Isaac’s words, “He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year
on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big
red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to
put a big red X over that day. After a few days, you’ll have a chain. Just keep
at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain,
especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to
not break the chain.”

Don’t break the chain.

Productivity System #6:

Eat That Frog
From wall calendars and chains to frogs.

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you
the rest of the day.” – Mark Twain

The Eat That Frog productivity system is all about knocking out your

biggest, most daunting task first thing in the morning so it’s done and
out of the way.

Again, we tried Eat That Frog. Here is what we learned.

If your ambition, focus, and energy lags later in the day, this approach will
help you capitalize on your morning momentum. Use it to get the big, scary
stuff done and off your list first thing.
 Get started

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