{"id":1609,"date":"2014-07-01T03:00:49","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T03:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2014-07-01T03:00:49","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T03:00:49","slug":"50-tricks-to-get-things-done-faster-better-and-more-easily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/50-tricks-to-get-things-done-faster-better-and-more-easily\/","title":{"rendered":"50 Tricks to Get Things Done Faster, Better, and More Easily"},"content":{"rendered":"
To that end, here\u2019s a collection of 50 hacks, tips, tricks, and mnemonic devices I\u2019ve collected that can help you work better.<\/p>\n
At the start of each day (or the night before) highlight the three or four most important things you have to do in the coming day.\u00a0 Do them first.\u00a0 If you get nothing else accomplished aside from your MITs, you\u2019ve still had a pretty productive day.<\/p>\n
The big projects you\u2019re working on at any given moment. Set aside time every day or week to move your big rocks forward.<\/p>\n
Decide what to do with every email you get, the moment you read it.\u00a0 If there\u2019s something you need to do, either do it or add it to your todo list and delete or file the email.\u00a0 If it\u2019s something you need for reference, file it.\u00a0 Empty your email inbox every day.<\/p>\n
Add a productive hour to your day by getting up an hour earlier \u2014 before everyone else starts imposing on your time.<\/p>\n
Avoid clutter by adopting a replacement-only standard.\u00a0 Every time you but something new, you throw out or donate something old.\u00a0 For example, you buy a new shirt, you get rid of an old one. (Variation<\/strong>: One in, Two Out \u2014 useful when you begin to feel overwhelmed by your possessions.<\/em>)<\/p>\n The act of generating dozens of ideas without editing or censoring yourself.\u00a0 Lots of people use mindmaps for this: stick the thing you want to think about in the middle (a problem you need to solve, a theme you want to write about, etc.<\/em>) and start writing whatever you think of.<\/p>\n Build off of each of the sub-topics, and each of their<\/em> sub-topics.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about whether the ideas are any good or not \u2014 you don\u2019t have to follow through on them, just get them out of your head.\u00a0 After a while, you\u2019ll start surprising yourself with some really creative concepts.<\/p>\n Always carry something to take notes with \u2014 a pen and paper, a PDA, a stack of index cards.\u00a0 Capture every thought that comes into your mind, whether it\u2019s an idea for a project you\u2019d like to do, an appointment you need to make, something you need to pick up next time you\u2019re at the store, whatever.\u00a0 Review it regularly and transfer everything to where it belongs: a todo list, a filing system, a journal, etc.<\/p>\n Sleep is essential<\/a> to health, learning, and awareness.\u00a0 Research shows the body goes through a complete sleep cycle in about 90 minutes, so napping for less than that doesn\u2019t have the same effect that real sleep does (although it does make you feel better<\/em>).<\/p>\n Get 8 hours a night, at least. Learn to see sleep as a pleasure, not a necessary evil or a luxury.<\/p>\n Work in short spurts of 10 minutes, interrupted by 2-minute breaks.\u00a0 Use a timer. Do this 5 times an hour to stay on target without over-taxing your physical and mental resources. Spend those 2 minutes getting a drink, going to the bathroom, or staring out a window.<\/p>\n A rubric for creating and pursuing your goals, helping to avoid setting goals that are simply unattainable. Stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.<\/p>\n From Chip and Dan Heath\u2019s book, Made to Stick<\/em>, SUCCESS is a set of characteristics that make ideas memorable (\u201csticky\u201d): sticky ideas are Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Stories.<\/p>\n Do your most unpleasant task first. Based on the saying that if the first thing you do in the morning is to eat a frog, the day can only get better from then on.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, the 80\/20 Principle says that most of our results come from a small portion of our actual work, and conversely, that we spend most of our energy doing things that aren\u2019t ultimately all that important. Figure out which part of your work has the greatest results and focus as much of your energy as you can on that part.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t plan out everything you need to do to finish a project, just focus on the very next thing you need to do to move it forward. Usually doing the next, little thing will lead to another, and another, until we\u2019re either done or we run into a block: we need more information, we need someone else to catch up, etc. Be as concrete and discrete as possible: you can\u2019t \u201cinstall cable\u201d, all you can do is \u201ccall the cable company to request cable installation\u201d.<\/p>\n There is no secret.<\/p>\n Make time for yourself. Eat slowly. Enjoy a lazy weekend day. Take the time to do things right, and keep a balance between the rush-rush world of work and the rest of your life.<\/p>\n Assign a set amount of time per day to work on a task or project.\u00a0 Focus entirely on that one thing during that time. Don\u2019t worry about finishing it, just worry about giving that amount of undivided attention to the project. (Variation: fixed goals. For example, you don\u2019t get up until you\u2019ve written 1,000 words, or processed 10 orders, or whatever.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Do all your similar tasks together.\u00a0 For example, don\u2019t deal with emails sporadically throughout the day; instead, set aside an hour to go through your email inbox and respond to emails.\u00a0 Do the same with voice mail, phone calls, responding to letters, filing, and so on \u2014 any routine, repetitive tasks.<\/p>\n A system for assigning priorities.\u00a0 Two axes, one for importance, the other for urgency, intersect.\u00a0 Tasks are assigned to one of the four quadrants: not important, not urgent; not important, urgent; important, not urgent; and important and urgent.<\/p>\n Purge the tasks that are neither important nor urgent, defer the unimportant but urgent ones, try to avoid letting the important ones become urgent, and as much as possible work on the tasks in the important but not urgent quadrant.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t set things aside hoping you\u2019ll have time to deal with them later.\u00a0 Ask yourself \u201cWhat do I need to do with this\u201d every time you pick up something from your email list, and either do it, schedule it for later, defer it to someone else, or file it.<\/p>\n Use a calendar to track your daily goals.\u00a0 Every day you do something, like working out or writing 1,000 words, make a big red \u201cX\u201d.\u00a0 Every day the chain will grow longer.\u00a0 Don\u2019t break the chain! That is, don\u2019t let any non-X days interrupt your chain of successful days.<\/p>\n Schedule a time with yourself every week to look over what you\u2019ve done that week and what you want to do the next week. Ask yourself if there are any new projects you should be starting and if what you\u2019re working on is moving you closer to your goals for your life.<\/p>\n Everyone fills several different roles in their life.\u00a0 For instance, I\u2019m a teacher, a student, a writer, a step-father, a partner, a brother, a son, an uncle, an anthropologist, and so on. Understanding your different roles and learning to keep them distinct when necessary can help you keep some sense of balance between them.<\/p>\n Make goals around the various roles you fill, and make sure that your goals fit with your goals in other roles.<\/p>\n6. Brainstorming:<\/h3>\n
7. Ubiquitous Capture:<\/h3>\n
8. Get more sleep:<\/h3>\n
9. 10+2*5:<\/h3>\n
10. SMART goals:<\/h3>\n
11. SUCCESS:<\/h3>\n
12. Eat the Frog:<\/h3>\n
13. 80\/20 Rule\/Pareto Principle:<\/h3>\n
14. What\u2019s the Next Action?:<\/h3>\n
15. The Secret:<\/h3>\n
16. Slow Down:<\/h3>\n
17. Time Boxing:<\/h3>\n
18. Batch Process:<\/h3>\n
19. Covey Quadrants:<\/h3>\n
20. Handle Everything Once:<\/h3>\n
21. Don\u2019t Break the Chain:<\/h3>\n
22. Review:<\/h3>\n
23. Roles:<\/h3>\n
24. Flow:<\/h3>\n