Predictable Productivity that Lasts

In Case you Missed it…

The articles over the past few weeks have been about growth. Specifically, personal growth that helps you achieve an outcome. One of the hottest topics that surrounds personal growth is productivity. How do we achieve more with the limited time that we have?

Last we we discussed step 1 – Learn. Today’s focus is going to be on step two of the Growth Cycle – Act.

Taking Effortless Action in a Busy World

If there were more hours in the day, we’d be able to accomplish more, right? Not necessarily. Even though we all get 24 hours in a day, we all know people who seem to complete twice as much as others, and we also know people who can “work” on something all day and have nothing to show for it.

How do these productive souls manage it?

They’ve created systems, routines, and environments that make taking action effortless. And even more importantly, they stay consistent.

Supercharge Your Productivity in 3 Simple Steps

To break down the processes of improving your productivity (ability to act), I’m going to be using a miniature version of the Growth Cycle again.

Learn

There are certain things we have to consider even when taking action.

• Take the time to get to know your tools. If you’re going to write a blog post, understand how to use your text editor’s formatting. Making a video game? Watch some tutorials on the game engine. The list is endless. What’s important is that you aren’t getting frustrated with your tools. Remember, tools are meant to make your life easier, but you still have to know which end of the shovel to hold.

• What is your optimal environment of success? A major blocker to taking action is lack of energy. To avoid this, plan out taking action at times when you are naturally at your best. Some people like mornings, and others like the quiet of evening. Energy can be drained by more than a lack of sleep. If the environment you’re taking action in is cluttered or dirty, your mood is going to drop as well, and this makes you less likely to associate the action with good feelings.

Act

Doing this more often is the goal, but how do we make this effortless?

• Reduce friction. This is one of the many different approaches to making habits stick according to James Clear – author of Atomic Habits. The basics of this approach is the understanding that humans don’t like to switch from their current behavior if the effort involved is too great. A simple example from the book is how someone who wants to practice more guitar can reduce friction. Keep the guitar out of its case, on a stand, and in the Livingroom where it’s noticeable.

• Time block and create a routine. Productivity compounds over time, but it can only compound if actions are taken regularly. Pick a time, date, and place to take the action. You can further increase your odds if you pair the action you take with one you already take.

Feedback

As you take action, the action you take will provide its own feedback.

• Tweak as you work. If something isn’t feeling right, there’s no reason to keep doing things the same way. There’s a reason people are choosy about the kind of keyboard they use or the software they pick. How something feels is important to overall satisfaction while taking action.
• While creating, keep your outcome in mind. Is what you’re taking action on bringing you closer? Is what you’re creating communicating to your audience? It seems simple, but we can spend a lot of time taking action on things that don’t move the needle forward if we aren’t asking these questions.

That’s all for now. Next week we’ll dive into the final step of the Growth Cycle – Feedback.

Until then, continue making your productivity effortless. If you aren’t seeing the progress you’d like, ask yourself, “how can I make this even easier to start?”

You’ve got this!

Questions for You

What obstacles can you remove from taking action?

Have you taken the time to become familiar with your tools?

What day, time, and place are you taking action?

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I’d love to hear from you! Comment Below!

Disclaimer: Any links or mentions of companies/brands included in this newsletter are for educational use only. I’m not currently endorsing or affiliated with any products/companies/brands shared in this newsletter. Posts are inspired by my own experiences and research in various topics. I’m a student of the progress process.