Are Your Processes Slowing You Down?

One of the surprising drags on most people’s productivity is the system itself. There are too many steps, too much organising and thus not enough time to do the work.

The way we collect our tasks, commitments, and notes need to be fast and intuitive with as few steps as possible. Organising what we collect should be almost automatic, so it takes up a tiny percentage of what we do each day. And we should be seeking ways to maximise the doing.

For instance, you will likely find if you try to push through a three-hour focused work session, the second half is much less productive than the first half. Recognising that and taking a ten to fifteen-minute fresh air break could be the tweak that maximises that focused time. Yet often, we stubbornly push through, resulting in diminishing returns and more errors to correct later.

Or it could be you are trying to use a full-blown project manager to manage your tasks. Project managers were designed for teams (apps such as Trello, ClickUp and Monday.com), not for individuals attempting to manage their daily tasks. That’s like using an eighteen-wheel truck to take your kids to school. It’s overkill and will radically slow you down when organising your work and planning your day.

And then there are the app switchers. People who are always switching to the latest…