The Strategies That Make the Biggest Difference
Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
—Albert Einstein
The last line of Einstein’s quote, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” has fundamentally changed the way I think about problems. For years I envisioned problems as nagging things to be solved instead of opportunities to be seized.
The challenges you face with your own productivity are not problems—they are distinct opportunities to not only get more things done, but to efficiently do the things that matter most.
This chapter outlines the top three productivity strategies that I have identified, tested, and optimized over the last few years. These strategies began as nagging problems in my life and then transformed into opportunities to reach my own productive potential.
I strongly encourage you to take each strategy to its respective limit. Your biggest successes will come from stretching yourself and your tools to the edge and back. Meekly attempting to implement a strategy will likely return lackluster results. Diving in head first and completely immersing yourself is the best scenario to push the boundaries of your own potential and achieve the outcomes you are hoping for.
STEP 5: PRODUCTIVITY STRATEGIES
Welcome to the fifth step of The 5 AM Blueprint, implementing the top three productivity strategies: consolidation, focus, and Equilibrium Zero.
In the previous chapter you created your ideal week, ideal morning routine, and ideal evening routine. The strategies presented in this chapter are designed to work in line with your ideal schedule and make just about everything you do more efficient.
All of these strategies can be adopted into your life, even if your daily calendar appears to be random, irregular, or downright crazy. There’s a good chance you are already utilizing these strategies in some form, but as I mentioned, taking them to their full potential is where the magic happens.
Let’s dive in!
STRATEGY 1: CONSOLIDATION
Attempting to manage your day with dozens of systems, note- taking tools, calendars, and Post-it notes could overwhelm even the most organized person. In order to reach an optimal state of productivity, it’s best to consolidate everything in your life down to the fewest number of systems that you can.
Here are three consolidation techniques, with corresponding tools, that should amplify your productivity and take it to the next level.
Consolidate Your Tasks, Projects, and Events
Of all the tools I use, my task manager is my favorite. Essentially, a task manager is a glorified Post-it note. It is a singular tool for organizing all of your tasks, projects, and lists in your personal and professional life. Some task managers even double as calendars, communication tools, and personal assistants. Without a doubt, my task manager is the most important tool in my productive arsenal.
Whether you realize it or not, you have been using various forms of task managers for years. Whenever you make a list of things to do, book an appointment on a calendar, or prioritize your goals for the day, you are managing your tasks.
My hope is that you have not fallen into the trap of managing your daily tasks in a dozen different ways. I began that way, jotting down my grocery list on a notepad I found in the kitchen, breaking down a new marathon goal in a Word document, and scheduling an upcoming social event on my Outlook calendar at the office.
After reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done and adopting his methodology, I consolidated all of my tasks, projects, events, lists, and random commitments into Nozbe, a singular digital task management system. Though I use and love Nozbe, there are many others to choose from (e.g. Wunderlist, OmniFocus, Apple’s Reminders app), and your organizational needs will likely vary quite a bit from mine.
The key is to find one system that you trust and dump your whole life into it, from personal tasks to work projects and everything in between. It’s incredible how easy it is to organize your life when everything is in one streamlined location.
Consolidate Your Documents, Files, and Folders
When I graduated from college in 2007, I bought a big, wooden file cabinet, thinking that it would serve me well for years to come. Within a year I had transitioned to a paperless lifestyle and emptied that filing cabinet.
One of the smartest choices I made in those first few months after college was to consolidate my digital documents, files, and folders into one location. Though I have changed where those items are stored, the system has remained intact and served me very well ever since.
If you don’t currently house all (and I mean all) of your documents, files, PDFs, scans, receipts, and other important pieces of content in one location, then I believe your whole life is about to change when you do. Having access to everything in one location gives you control like you have never had before. It also eliminates a huge amount of waste as you are able to delete duplicate files and old documents while also combining similar items together.
Some of the most popular digital filing services include Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive. I use Google Drive, but feel free to choose whichever system best fits your needs. I will also note that despite amazing search technology, digital filing services like these are the new junk closets—helpful to store huge amounts of stuff while also making it quite easy to find exactly what you need when you need it. It’s also quite handy that many of these services offer great backup solutions too, so you don’t end up losing your important content.
I certainly recommend you optimize a paperless lifestyle by consolidating all of your digital files and documents in one place. This will heighten the importance of creating a well-thought-out system. Take your time and organize your content as effectively as you organize your day.
Consolidate Your Articles, Notes, and Ideas
Permanently recording your ah ha! moments is essential when you want to remember your best thoughts and brightest ideas. There was a time long, long ago when all of our ideas were stored in paper journals inside file cabinets and memorable articles were cut out of magazines and glued into binders. Thankfully, we have evolved from those primitive times and now we have the ability to access anything of value in mere seconds.
The question, though, is whether or not you are taking advantage of your ability to effectively organize the most valuable information in your life. Yes, you can use the document filing systems we just discussed to store important documentation, but there are other ways that may work even better for you.
Every day I create, store, and access my ideas, notes, and relevant articles in Evernote. There are many alternatives to most technologies, and for Evernote, these include Microsoft OneNote, Simplenote, and even Google Drive or other similar filing systems.
I rely on Evernote for managing my grand goals and Quarter System, for storing ideas for new blog posts and podcast episodes, and among thousands of other things, for keeping track of my past accomplishments and noteworthy life moments.
Evernote is a blank slate, so you can store just about anything you want. The key is to have one system that manages the important information in your life, a system that lets you easily add new data, store it intelligently and permanently, and access it quickly. With that kind of power you can dramatically amplify your own productivity overnight.
Another common issue is that we often find ourselves with a brilliant new idea and nowhere to easily record it. In addition to using Evernote, my phone, and even a paper notebook next to my bed for late-night inspiration, I also use AquaNotes, a waterproof notepad for my shower. As crazy as it sounds, it works really well. Though I take short showers I want to guarantee that every idea can be captured without having to rely on my memory.
After I record my new ideas on paper (physical notebook, Post-it note, AquaNotes, etc.), I then transfer those ideas into my preferred digital source (Evernote, task manager, calendar, etc.). This keeps my paperless system alive and well and minimizes the chance that I might forget or lose an idea that was originally recorded in a non-digital source.
STRATEGY 2: FOCUS LIKE YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE
Consolidation works wonders for bringing your resources together and provides easy access to your most important materials. The next stage in the process, making tangible progress on your goals, requires a keen ability to focus on your work to the exclusion of everything else.
There are three core techniques that can make focusing on your highest priorities a staple part of your productive routine: scheduling focused blocks of time, isolating yourself from distractions, and working on one task at a time.
Schedule Focused, Uninterrupted Blocks of Time
If you take just one strategy from this book, I would hope it would be intentionally planning your day. The second would be scheduling focused, uninterrupted blocks of time to work on your grandest goals.
A focused block of time is simply a predetermined amount of time when you are able to work on an important task without being distracted. It is a powerful and effective strategy that eliminates interruptions, provides the context for high-quality work, and gives your brain the chance to dig in deep with creative thought.
The key to executing focused blocks of time is to create solid boundaries around them that cannot be crossed. This is where most people lose their way, and it’s only the first step in the process. Your mission is to schedule beginning and end times around your blocks, and then guard them like the crown jewels. Think of it as scheduling an important, non-negotiable meeting with yourself. If a request for your time pops up that conflicts with your block of time, politely decline the invitation because you cannot renegotiate your commitment.
Your ideal week is the best place to turn to first when choosing the optimal times to schedule your recurring blocks. Revisit the ideal week you created in the previous chapter and determine when to schedule 90-minute blocks of time to work on your grandest goals. 90 minutes is only a suggestion, but that amount of time is usually enough to dig in deep and make significant progress on a project.
If your normal workday is typically filled with distractions, you will be amazed at how much high-quality work can be accomplished in a short time period when you are totally focused.
Isolate Yourself from Distractions
The technological boom in the last few years has morphed into an environment of nonstop communication. The pings and dings of mobile devices, flexibility of location independent jobs, and demands of 24/7 work cycles has made it more challenging now than ever to adhere to solid boundaries around your time. Because we are always connected, we are also always expected to be available at a moment’s notice. During your focused blocks of time, this expectation is going to be put on hold.
Instead of being available to others, you are going to block them and yourself from anything that is not your top priority. You can best accomplish this by completely removing yourself from the environments that breed distraction.
Isolate yourself. Be alone. Run and hide. Find the best location that provides only the resources you need and nothing else. My favorite isolated place is the library. My best workdays are the ones where I bring my laptop, headphones, and snacks up to the top floor. I find a cubby in a far corner and bury myself behind a tall bookcase.
I even go so far as to turn off my phone, email program, and other unnecessary technological devices. I love social media just as much as anyone, but I often find myself checking my phone and random websites throughout the day looking for a distraction when I should be focused on my work.
What has proven to work well for me is to install website-blocking software on my computers to hold me back from doing anything other than my work. This is exactly how great habits are formed: Get a solid reminder (website blocked), go back to performing the habit (doing your work), and then experience the reward (work accomplished!).
When in doubt, do whatever you can to stay on track, even blocking Facebook from yourself.
For all intents and purposes, when I am in my isolated zone, I don’t exist. No one can find me and no one can contact me. It’s a magical situation. In this environment, I get more high-quality work done than in any other location on earth. For the kind of work I do, this is ideal. Your work may require a different scenario, so create it. Disconnect from the world and focus on the work that needs your full energy, focus, and attention.
Work on One Task at a Time
The third technique that can have a dramatic impact on your ability to focus is to simply choose one task to work on at a time. Once again, this may sound obvious, but think back to the scenario I just discussed when you would have to turn off so many devices to simply focus on anything, let alone just one thing.
Attempting to work on multiple tasks at a time is a losing battle because your brain functions at its best when it can put all of its resources in one direction. Multitasking is a myth and it severely impedes your ability to dig deep into a project and think creatively.
Working on just one thing can be quite the challenge, but it’s often even more difficult to choose which task to focus on first. With so many priorities demanding your attention, you need a focusing mechanism to choose just the right thing to do. Gary Keller and Jay Papasan wrote a phenomenal book called The ONE Thing where they ask the most powerful qualifying question I have ever come across, “What’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
This question is a game-changer, especially when you are in the midst of a busy work cycle and need to focus on only the few things that will make the biggest difference. This question can be applied to much more than choosing what work to do during a focused block of time, but start there. Use the power of that question to make the best decision now and move forward quickly.
Another effective filter, or way to clarify how one decision is potentially better than another, is to use a technique from Greg McKeown’s phenomenal book, Essentialism. McKeown presents a concept that you can apply to just about any situation, “If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
The next time you are wondering whether or not to do something, make sure the answer is undoubtedly yes. If not, keep looking until you find it.
STRATEGY 3: EQUILIBRIUM ZERO
After spending a solid workday focusing your efforts on your grandest goals, it eventually becomes time to wrap up your work and land at a clean stopping point.
I created a concept called Equilibrium Zero to house all of the strategies that have allowed me to wrap up each day in the most simplified manner possible. Equilibrium Zero is the blanket term for describing its four components: Inbox Zero, Project Management Zero, Desktop Zero, and Home Base Zero.
When you implement the concepts in Equilibrium Zero, you are able to end each day clearly acknowledging what you accomplished and with a solid foundation to build from for the next day. The term equilibrium means “a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.” That’s the goal at the end of each day, to find an optimal state of balance and peace so you can rest easy and begin the next day right where you intended.
Inbox Zero. Your inbox is not your to-do list; that’s what your task manager is designed to handle. At least once a day you should reach a point where there are zero emails in your inbox. That’s not 10 emails that you have already read and will respond to tomorrow—this literally means zero emails because you have already properly processed every message that arrived in the last 24 hours.
If your inbox is out of control, this is your chance to clean it up for good using a concept called Inbox Zero that was created by productivity expect Merlin Mann. First, schedule one focused block of time (or more if you need it) to get your inbox fully emptied. Second, schedule a time each day to process all of your messages.
How to process your email:
1. Delete or file all spam, junk mail, and messages that do not require a reply.
2. Reply to the messages that require a quick or reasonable response time, and then delete or file those messages.
3. If a message requires significant effort, further research, or is a task itself, reply back to the sender and tell them when you will provide a full response. Then, schedule that task in your task manager and file the email in a separate folder outside of your inbox.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 over and over again until your inbox is empty.
How to prevent email buildup:
1. Unsubscribe from all unneeded newsletters.
2. Communicate with your team and let them know that Inbox Zero is a priority to you. It’s best when everyone adheres to this policy as it cuts down on unneeded emails being sent in the first place.
3. Schedule time each day to process email and stick to Inbox Zero once every 24 hours.
4. Schedule focused blocks of time to catch up on emails if you get behind.
If you have too many emails to handle yourself, consider restructuring your work schedule to manage your email or even hiring an assistant to filter and process emails for you.
Communicating quickly and effectively is a critical tool for enhanced productivity. When you adhere to Inbox Zero you see a dramatic improvement in the pace at which you complete tasks and projects, not to mention the respect from those who are communicating with you.
Project Management Zero. There’s not much I hate worse than going to bed with an unfinished task on my mind. In order to prevent this from happening, I started a daily practice of only scheduling my highest-priority tasks and ensuring it was reasonable to complete those tasks before the day was over.
The concept of Project Management Zero simply refers to your commitment to fully finish a task or project before moving on to the next one. I’ve already discussed that it is best to work on one task at a time and avoid multitasking. With Project Management Zero, you will focus on one aspect of a project at a time while not trying to juggle too many items at once.
The tendency for most is to get distracted or excited about an upcoming task. We often find ourselves starting many things, but finishing nothing. Make it your priority to completely finish what you are working on before you make any moves toward your future goals. Utilize your task manager or note-taking system to create a list for all of those great future ideas.
At the end of each day, find a clean stopping point on your current project by finishing the task you are working on and scheduling the next task for the next most appropriate time slot.
Desktop Zero. Think of your desktop as your email inbox; it should be totally clear by the end of the day. The difference between Inbox Zero and Desktop Zero is that your desk will likely have a few key items on it that are supposed to be there all the time (e.g. computer, keyboard, mouse, lamp, etc.).
The desk I use in my home office has a select few items on it, and those items remain there regardless of what projects I am working on at the time. However, at the end of each task, and especially at the end of each day, I clear the open space where random project materials end up.
Because of this practice, my desk is clean and organized 99 percent of the time. The other 1 percent is the rare moment I have many materials on it, but those are cleared away quickly and efficiently before I move on to my next task at hand.
Adhering to Desktop Zero is the same as making your bed. There is a specific look that is clean, organized, and attractive to the eye. Your goal is to achieve that look 99 percent of the time, or at least once a day.
Home Base Zero. Much like Desktop Zero, Home Base Zero is the commitment to clear the unneeded items from your home and office at the end of each day. Whether you realize it or not, everything has an ideal and organized place where it belongs. Home Base Zero challenges you to identify that specific location for every item you own or use.
At the office you may have files, folders, office supplies, furniture, or other project materials that ideally will end up stored in a cabinet, drawer, or another organizing system. At home you may have kitchen appliances, children’s toys, clothing, and other household items that all belong somewhere very specific.
On an ideal day, you would head off to bed knowing that every single item you own has been put away exactly where it belongs. When this happens, you have an incredibly clean and organized environment from which you can begin your projects the very next morning. This may sound like a pipe dream, but this is possible to achieve and it is a glorious way to live day-to-day.
To summarize what we have covered so far, think of it this way:
Imagine you begin your day (bright and early) by waking up to your task manager (Nozbe), which outlines today’s workout and meditation practice (healthy habits), as well as your highest-priority tasks (part of your ideal morning routine). You begin your first focused block of time for the day (working on one of this quarter’s grand goals) by accessing the important documents you need in your digital filing system (Google Drive).
Halfway through your focused block, you record a few new ideas in your online notebook (Evernote). After repeating this process a few times throughout the day, you wrap up by answering all of your emails (Inbox Zero), completing your unfinished tasks (Project Management Zero), clearing your desk (Desktop Zero), and putting away all of your project materials at home and in the office (Home Base Zero). The day comes to a close as you review your tasks for the next day and spend a few minutes with your favorite book (part of your ideal evening routine).
With the combination of clearly articulated grand goals, a focused Quarter System, properly aligned healthy habits, an ideal week, ideal morning routine, ideal evening routine, and these highly effective productivity strategies of consolidation, focused blocks of time, and Equilibrium Zero, I’m not sure how you wouldn’t completely dominate your day.
But wait—there’s more!
In the next two chapters, I will outline how to monitor your progress through strategic review systems, accountability meetings, and the all-important daily trackers, as well as introduce advanced strategies to optimize The 5 AM Blueprint system in its entirety.
KILL THE SNOOZE BUTTON
Pitfalls, Mistakes, and Problems to Avoid
More is not always better.
I know that I am throwing a lot at you in this book, so I’ll go ahead and let you off the hook. You don’t have to do everything.
In fact, as with most things in life, building off the fundamentals is the only strategy you will ever need. More may not be the solution at all. In the world of productivity there will always be more strategies to implement, ideas to investigate, apps to download, conferences to attend, and books to buy.
At the end of this book, I will be outlining an action plan to guide you through the process of implementing every idea I present in these chapters. It’s up to you to decide which of the strategies you ultimately adopt and I will be the first to tell you that you probably only need a couple of them.
Sure, my life is based off of these principles, tools, and strategies, but I only reached this point after years of experimentation and customization. Though I exert quite a bit of effort tinkering with the tiny details to squeeze the most out of each day, I always come back to a few fundamentals that make the biggest difference.
The true goal of this book is for you to find your fundamentals and stick to them. They will be your guiding light whenever the chaos gets too intense and the demands of life are knocking loudly at your door.
In the end, simplicity wins.
QUICK REVIEW: THE PRODUCTIVITY STRATEGIES
1. Consolidating everything into a few systems is the best way to see your whole life at a glance, make adjustments, and move forward with greater efficiency.
2. Working in focused blocks of time is the smartest strategy for doing better work faster.
3. Maintaining Equilibrium Zero across all spectrums of your life ensures that you wrap up all of your projects, emails, and clutter, providing a clean space and a clear head.
4. When you bring all of the strategies together you can truly dominate your day.
1. Consolidate your life’s goals (personal and professional), events, projects, and tasks into the fewest locations possible.
Your dedicated task manager (Nozbe, Wunderlist, OmniFocus, etc.):
Date when you will consolidate (or clean up) your tasks in this system:
Your calendar application (Apple Calendar, Outlook, Google Calendar, etc.):
Date when you will consolidate (or clean up) your events in this system:
Your online document filing system (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.):
Date when you will consolidate (or clean up) your files in this system:
Your online research and note-taking System (Evernote, OneNote, Simplenote, etc.):
Date when you will consolidate (or clean up) your notes in this system:
2. When are you most productive? Schedule and guard focused blocks of time around your most important daily goals.
Grand goal #1:
Location and focused block of time each day/week when you will work on this goal:
Grand goal #2:
Location and focused block of time each day/week when you will work on this goal:
Grand goal #3:
Location and focused block of time each day/week when you will work on this goal:
3. Implement Equilibrium Zero once every 24 hours (Inbox Zero, Project Management Zero, Desktop Zero, and Home Base Zero). Also create a daily reminder in your task manager to get to zero in each of these areas every day.
Date when you will clear your current inbox to zero emails:
Time each day that you will get to Inbox Zero:
Date when you will get your current grand goal to zero partially completed tasks:
Time each day that you will get to Project Management Zero:
Date when you will clear off your desk to the bare essentials:
Time each day that you will get to Desktop Zero:
Date when you will clean up your home and office, leaving out only what’s needed:
Time each day that you will get to Home Base Zero: