“You will become a production beast, cranking out one task after the other”
Time is extremely hard to decipher and understand. The only thing I am completely sure of at this point in my life is that I cannot control time any more than I can control my height.
You will never get back the time you just used to play video games, watch a TV show, or wasting your time contemplating what do to with your time. These are all things that I have done religiously throughout my life, always wasting too much time in the process.
I have asked myself consistently, “How do I improve my time management, stop wasting time, and become more productive in the process?”
This is the answer I have finally come to after months of contemplation: Planning.
Yes, I know, basic.
But it works. Effectively. But this isn’t your cliche, make a list and then do it planning strategy. No.
What I’m going to show you actually works, actually produces results, actually changes how you go about your day, how many tasks you get done, how productive you feel and are.
Here’s the strategy:
1: Write down, on paper, a list of the top 5 things you want to get done the next day.
2: Circle the hardest one. You will do that one first.
3: The other four, take a wild guess about how long you think they will take, it doesn’t even have to be remotely accurate, but put the time next to each.
4: Put a number next to each of the tasks that are not the hardest, which should already be circled. Label them 1-4 based on the order you want to get them done in.
5: The next day, do your hardest task first, followed by a 30-minute break. Then work in 25-minute intervals followed by 5-minute breaks until you get all 4 tasks remaining finished. If you cannot work on a task until a given time during the day, then work more diligently on the tasks that have no time restriction on them.
6: After you finish with the day, look back, and reflect on your progress. Go back into wherever you originally put down the 5 tasks and put a checkbox next to each of them, and in a different color than what the tasks were written in, put a check in that checkbox next to each task you completed.
7: This is a mental checklist and motivation as much as it is just a simple validation that you actually completed each task. Then, if you completed each task, prepare 5 more for the next day, circle the hardest one, and repeat writing down 1-4 based on the order you are going to complete the tasks in. If you did not complete all 5 tasks, that is completely fine. Just move whatever unfinished tasks you have from the previous day to the next day, and circle, reorder and number them in addition to whatever new tasks you’ve given yourself.
Why follow this system?
This is a foolproof way to make sure that you complete your tasks that need to get completed. The most beautiful part about this, is as long as you stay accountable in what tasks you actually completed or didn’t, this system is seamless.
You will become a production beast, cranking out one task after the other, until the only thing left to do is have as much fun as humanly possible.
Go get your objectives for tomorrow, do them, and then party because you just became productive for the first time in your life. This is also a one-way route to becoming increasingly confident in yourself.
As I explained in my guide to Greek God confidence, which you can read here: Confidence, the basic completion of tasks over and over, continuously validating yourself inside of your own accomplishments, creates a beast so full of confidence that they can do anything without the fear of failure!
This is why you will want to start planning out your tasks, completing them, and consistently building upon your previous self. Who’s with me??
Come win with us.