The Ultimate Guide to Productivity Group Writing Project

April 24, 2007

Ultimate Guide to Productivity Button

Jimi Hendrix once asked, “Are you experienced?” Well…

This is neither the time or place to get into that sort of debate, but something we can talk about, and something we all struggle with, is productivity.

Although multitasking is a very popular concept, I’m not a huge fan. And I struggle daily with productivity, given the myriad of distractions I face. Twitter and MyBlogLog alone take up chunks of time I’ll never get back.

So what’s your secret to being productive?

Today I’m announcing the start of a new Group Writing Project Meme to create the Ultimate Guide to Productivity. It’s simple:

  1. Write a post on your best productivity tips. Challenge yourself by picking your single best productivity tip (although this isn’t a requirement; you can give us more if you want!)
  2. Include links to other people that have written posts, or include their tips in your post with proper attribution.

    Note: I’m not asking that you link to everyone in the group writing project meme; pick the ones you want to connect with. You certainly can link to everyone, but it’s not a requirement. I like leaving more decision making power in your hands so this isn’t just a link grab, but you’re thinking about what your audience & community wants to read about.

    A link back to this post is appreciated though, to help spread the word!

  3. If you use Technorati Tags then tag your post “ultimate guide to productivity”.
  4. Tag others in your post to spread the meme. Tag as many people as you like!
  5. If you link back to Instigator Blog and email me I’ll make sure to include at least 2 links back to you. But this isn’t a requirement, it just helps me keep track of what’s going on.

Each person tagged should write their own post and repeat the process.

Since this is something that I hope spreads for quite some time, there’s no deadline or end to the project. Hopefully we see a trail of tags, posts and links for many weeks to come.

I’ll do my best to collect all of the tips, to give us The Ultimate Guide to Productivity.

Without further ado, here’s my Productivity Tip of the Day:

Work in short bursts. The length of a productive burst will vary from person to person, but I’ve found myself to be most productive in 1-1.5 hour increments. Even 30-45 minute bursts are good. Focus on a solitary task during that time, bury yourself in it, but get out quickly. Take a short break, rinse and repeat.

And since I’m kicking the writing project off, I’d be curious to hear from Alister Cameron, Adam Kayce, Chris Brogan, Guy Kawasaki, Andrew Wee, David Armano, Tony Clark, Mike Sansone and Chris Cree.

But everyone else, feel free to take on the group writing project and start it off yourself!

(PS. Feel free to use the graphic at the top of the post with proper attribution.)

Are You Productive? What’s your secret? Please Share!

Update: Some participants in the project have started talking about producing an e-book of the content under the Creative Commons license, where the content would remain free and sharable with proper attribution. Please join that conversation and let us know what you think.

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Comments
  • Fine idea. I've done it and 'passed it on on my blog'. I've decided to do it as a graph - seen here http://www.plooptionary.com/archives/176
  • I have a really easy tip. First thing when I get in, I check email. Answer what needs to be answered, ignore the rest. Hit send. Review the rest one more time. Anything critical that needs attention? Didn't think so. Turn email off. Leave it off till lunch. Repeat above. It gives you chunks of time.

    Want more tips? Listen to Tony Robbins' Time of Your Life. Seriously. (Hey Ben, how did you like Tony?) Mega tips on time management which gives you the time to FOCUS on the RIGHT THINGS and get the job done.

    Within 10 seconds of hitting submit here, my email goes off. One more thing. No Blackberry, no Twitter, no MyBlogLog. Dead serious. Do or do not. No "try". No pretending.....
  • Andy - thanks for the tip. I can't resist the BlackBerry, Twitter and MyBlogLog...I'm a conversational kinda guy! *grin*

    Hope to see your productivity tips on your blog...
  • Great idea Ben, and I have to agree, I am a conversational person too - online! My Productivity Tip is to use Google Alert. I've actually linked to a relative post on my SOHO-Life.com blog for this comment.

    Google Alert saves me so much time as I don't need to go searching out there for relevant topics, things, or just to check if someone has copied something of mine online. Google Alert tracks it all for me!
  • Kathie Thomas tagged me so I've added it to my blog and here is my tip.

    My No. 1 Productivity Tip is to do the most important thing first. Use your diary to block out the time and don't let anyone or anything distract you.
  • Lorraine - thanks for the tip! Did you post on your blog about your productivity tip or another one?

    I hope you will and tag others to keep the idea spreading...

    Thanks for stopping by!
  • What an awesome project! I've posted the following tip on my blog:

    Empty your inbox (both paper and electronic) every day. People have a tendency to leave items there as a reminder that they need to act on them, but too often they just get buried and forgotten. Instead, enter the action on your to-do list and put the email or document in an appropriate folder to be referenced when you’re ready to work on it.
  • Janet - thanks for participating. I struggle with my inbox regularly, although I know people who get hundreds of emails per day, which is insane!

    I definitely leave too many emails in my inbox as "to-dos" so what I'm doing now is setting a goal to tackle 10-20 older emails/day with the hope of clearing things out soon enough, while keeping on top of newer emails.
  • Hey Ben,

    Thanks for the nudge! There are some great posts coming out of this project... mine is all about clarity (you should see the trackback soon, I'm guessing).

    Great idea — and thanks again for asking me to contribute!
  • Nice idea - looking forward to the final collection of posts/comments. My best productivity secret (with all credit given to Nike) is JUST DO IT! The sooner you start the sooner you will finish.
  • Adam - thanks for participating and great job on your post about clarity. Digging through it now.

    Todd - I'm glad you like the idea and hope you'll participate as well...
  • Ben, looks like this writing project is really picking up some steam. Thanks for starting it.
  • Thanks Dawud - it's definitely looking good so far. We'll see who else jumps on board!
  • Hello Ben:

    Tip added to my blog (thanks to Janet Barclay for the tag) and email sent.

    There are a lot of great tips here! (My tip is in the blog post linked from this comment.)

    Cheers,
    Alex
  • Yeah, Ben, this thing is really flying... I've been following some of the tendrils as they make their way out, and I'm seeing some great posts and blogs I never would have found otherwise.

    Lovin' this...
  • KM
    Done .. good group writing project...

    http://demystifyingtechnolgoy.blogspot.com/2007...
  • Hi Ben

    Adam - Monk at Work - tagged me with this very interesting Meme. Already found some very useful tips being 'spread' around the blogosphere.

    Just published my own contribution to the meme

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)
  • Adam - it definitely is flying, which is wonderful. I hope people will follow lots of tendrils and keep me abreast of them if I lose track.

    Every trackback or email I get about a post will result in links back though, so hopefully we keep some form of master list!
  • My advice is to just get started. I posted an article called "Just Do Something, Already" as part of the group writing project. Thanks for the inspiration!
  • I love this writing project! Thanks for getting the ball rolling on it!

    My tip has to do with maintaining productivity in the midst of interruptions, posted over at my blog. With two lovely links to you, so please enjoy!
    Lexi
  • In case my trackback did not get through, I have done mine. My tip "I must win all the time" LOL.
  • My contribution to the project has been added. Hope you like it!
  • gia
    As I was sitting in front of my computer in a bit of a slump, I got word about the productivity project. What perfect timing. My biggest problem to productivity is procrastination so I shared my 10 (actually 11) greatest tips to getting beyond procrastination and on with productivity. Just writing it got me beyond my slump! Thanks, Ben, for getting my day back on track.
    gia
  • Gia - glad the project helped you beat a slump, that's always tough! And thank you for stopping by and commenting.
  • Great idea! My productivity tip has been posted. :)
  • This is a neat project you have started! Some really good submissions so far. Here is mine -

    Productivity Tip for Students (From the Other Side of the Fence)
  • Great to see the posts coming in and I'm also seeing people linking to one another which is wonderful to see. Hopefully people are discovering new blogs and new productivity tips at the same time.
  • Ok Ben. My contribution to this writing project has just been posted over at ProductivityGoal. From the other posts I've seen, it looks like this might not be an overlap; that's always a good thing.

    One Is A Productive Number
    http://www.productivitygoal.com/2007/05/one_is_...
  • Here’s my ultimate productivity tip:

    My love/hate relationship with the kitchen ended when I started planning meals. Usually done on the weekend, with pen and paper in hand, I sit at the kitchen table with my recipe books (or use Recipezaar — I swear, it’s saved my marriage on numerous occasions) and plan all my meals for the week ahead. From that, I make my grocery list and go shopping. Not only does this save time, it also saves money and prevents the frustration of going through the aisles and not really knowing what to buy.

    You can read the entire post here: http://blog.cristinafavreau.com/2007/05/ultimat...
  • Seems like a great project, I am enjoying reading all the different tips, yet another way for me to avoid any actual productivity! ;-)
    I look forward to reading the e-book.
  • Cassandra
    Great post! A very interactive kind of entry. Here's my Secret to Being Productive:DEAL.

    Definition: Figure out what you want, get over your fears,see past society’s “expectations”, and figure out what it will really cost to get to where you want. It can be surprisingly cheap, costing less than what you’re paying now.

    Elimination:is about Time Management, or rather about NOT managing time. Instead, apply the 80/20 rule to focus only on those tasks that contribute the majority of benefit. Also apply it ruthlessly to all aspects of your life to eliminate the small minority of factors that waste 80% of your time. Forget time management, focus instead on getting the really important and results-producing tasks done.

    Automation is all about building a sustainable, automatic source of income. This is a section that is, practically speaking, aboutBusiness and Business Management. The trick is to avoid is building a business that requires your presence, because that just burns up all your time.

    Liberation: Once you’ve successfully automated your lifestyle,liberate yourself from your geographical location and your job. It’s a lot easier than you think, once you’ve gotten through the previous three steps. With mobility comes the ability to leverage economic advantages across the world. (Source).

    And read more here: www.fourhourworkweek.com
    It has a book available at Barnes&Nobles.com.

    Thanks for this wonderful post!
  • GP
    what synchronicity.. I'm just finishing up a post on my blog on how a good run or ride makes me even more productive... time expands to include it all

    That and my Ical
    GP in Montana
  • GP - It's a small world right? Ping me when the post goes live and tag others to talk productivity as well...we're nearing 100 submissions.
  • http://www.keybusinesspartners.wordpress.com/2007/05/15/virtual-assistants-and-ultimate-guide-to -productivity/

    This was all started by the Instigator Blog to ask each of us our #1 productivity tip.
  • lindsaybanks
    I use the "Power of 48 Minutes." I used to be a Gmail chat addict, but I decided to try this productivity method--work uninterrupted for 48 minutes, then take a 12 minute break. In the 12 minutes, I check my email, chat with a friend for a minute, refill my coffee, etc. I get so much more done!

    Here's a blog article about this idea:
    http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/09...
  • Linday - thanks for the comment.

    I'm still a Gmail addict but getting better. And I appreciate the link...
  • I’m as attached as anybody to getting things done. I have endless ideas and projects popping up in my mind. Every day there are hundreds of things I would like to do. Some things I have to do. And more things I should do. There is an endless conveyor belt heaping more and more things to do on my ever-expanding plate.

    Having seen my productive capacity land me in burn out a few times, I've learned to approach productivity more strategically.

    Read my contribution here:
    http://maryanncopson.typepad.com/evenstar/2007/...
  • Mary Ann - thank you for contributing and commenting.

    Productive capacity leading to burn out...too productive which results in doing too much which results in burn out?

    The ideas of burn out and productivity are most certainly intertwined and well worth further discussion.
  • Hi Ben, this was really fun and also a great way to consider others' thoughts. Here's the link to my post published today...http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com/2007/05/challenge-your-brain-for-higher.html
  • GP
    http://fishcreekhouse.blogspot.com/2007/01/hous...
    Greetings ben and all productivity players I've found with innkeeping or any other endeavour... the more i have to do , the more I can do

    Just another day in the life of an innkeeper
  • Ben -

    Great project. I was tagged by Roger Carr and have contributed my post at http://www.WorldWantingPeace.com

    Thanks,

    David Perdew
  • [...]Ground Hog Day without the alarm

    “There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.”
    -Peter Drucker

    As a student of human behavior, I have always taken an interest in how decisions beget decisions. Life presents you with options. Each decision you make influences the options you have later. Some decisions close options. Some reveal options you didn’t anticipate.[...]
  • Hi Ben,

    I was tagged by Kivi Leroux Miller at Nonprofit Communications.

    Go to http://www.everydaygivingblog.com/2007/05/kivi_... to read my contribution.

    Thanks,
    Roger Carr
  • Roger - Thank you for participating. I should be linking back to your post tomorrow.
  • Ben,
    I saw this on a friends blog and just posted my tip on my blog.
    http://www.fosterscreations.us/blog/blog.html
  • Shannon - Thank you for participating. I'll be linking back in the next few days.
  • Kent Schnaith
    I have a temp folder on my PC, in it are directories labeled may01, may02, may03, ...
    Each day I save the text files, error investigations, screen shots, document drafts, etc., in that days folder. At the end of the month, they are moved into a archive folder labeled temp/2007/05. It's a digital notebook.
    More important files are saved in our CM system.
  • Hope I'm not too late to join the fun!

    My productivity tip is based on my own experience, which is that quality is more important than quantity. What good does it do me to do a bunch 'o stuff, if it's the wrong stuff?

    So, here's the tip: whenever thinking about doing something, ask yourself a question: "Will doing this help me find, know, feel or achieve something that's important to me?"

    If not, why do it? If so, why not do it?

    Warmly,
    Erika
  • I would have to say making a list and putting it right next to me usually does the trick! Great Post
  • I'm thinking about compiling all how to rise early techniques from my website into a single page for the purpose of your project so you could refer it. Let me know if you want my content to be included, or just tag me and I'll know what to do next ;)
  • I have found something called morning coffee. It is a plug in for Firefox. It bookmarks pages that you want to visit each day for whatever reason. It lets you book mark some for certain days of the week as well. I find this helps for my marketing/client hunting purposes. I try to do at least an hour of that every day and this has all my lists ready to go for me. I just thought that I would share, maybe it could help someone.

    Thanks
    Giselle
  • Yeah, I'm not as productive as I can be. But it's not a problem because life is not-the-way-how-to-be-super-productive. I have another goals
  • Hey its not only you who is not productive people are with more than 1 work at 1 time and they are multitasking.
  • My best tool to increase productivity is to put big headphones on my head and cut myself away with music from surroundings and start to work on the computer. Second best thing is to use Mind Mapping software to visualize my ideas and draw connections between them - it saves me a lot of time in comparison to arranging the ideas in my head.
  • Google Alert saves me so much time as I don’t need to go searching out there for relevant topics, things, or just to check if someone has copied something of mine online. Google Alert tracks it all for me!
  • The thing that's really helped me is to get an office. I guess a lot of people here 'work' in the lounge, in front of the TV etc... Don't! Do work in the office, don't work when you are not in the office. Simple but effective.
  • have a really easy tip. First thing when I get in, I check email. Answer what needs to be answered, ignore the rest. Hit send. Review the rest one more time. Anything critical that needs attention? Didn't think so. Turn email off. Leave it off till lunch. Repeat above. It gives you chunks of time. thanks
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