How To Get Things Done

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Are you ready to become the most productive person you know? Wouldn’t it be great to work smarter instead of harder and have more time for the really important things? Are you stressed out by your to-do list? Today we’re going to talk about how to get things done and done right, without overwhelming yourself in the process.

Don’t wait for perfect conditions to start something. Start before you’re ready (or feel ready). Getting started is always the hardest part.
Set inspiring goals that energize you and revisit them every day to stay motivated.
Start with the biggest, most important and urgent task on your to-do list.
Create and follow routines. Go to and get out of bed at the same time every day. Start work at the same time every day.
Say no to things that you don’t want to do or don’t save your goal.
Stop multi-tasking and start focusing on one task at a time. You’ll actually finish it faster and do it better.
Drink water and work out. You’ll have a lot more energy.
Listen to audiobooks or podcasts during your commute.
Turn off your mobile devices when you need to focus. Or use an app like Forest. Also get rid of notifications.
Work in blocks of 90 minutes and take a ten minute break after each block to recharge. Take a moment to stretch your legs and move around a bit.
Only “allow” yourself to check your email twice a day. And if your work allows it, don’t do it at the start of your day or you’ll get sucked into answering them and fixing other people’s (small) problems first.
If it takes less than two minutes to do, do it right away.
Don’t make massive to-do lists, but make 1-3-5 lists: 1 big task, 3 medium sized tasks and 5 small tasks.
Use one planner or planning app instead of writing your to-do’s and appointments in several different places.
Listen to music without lyrics.

Great Books On How To Get Things Done

If you’d like to read more about how to increase your productivity, I recommend reading these books:

Getting Things Done by David Allen*

Getting Things Done is a famous system for stress-free productivity by David Allen. With this system, you’ll be able to work your way through enormous amounts of The five steps of the Getting Things Done method are:

Capture your thoughts in a “thought bucket” to free up your mind;
Get clear on what each item is and what you can do with it;
Organize the outcomes into your Calendar, your Projects, Next Actions, Someday/Maybe and Waiting For lists;
Reflect on what’s important to you and review the items on your lists;
Prioritize your items and pick what you work on based on context and time and energy available.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey*

The seven habits in Covey’s book will help you become more successful in your work and life in general by teaching you how to be effective. These are the seven habits:

Be proactive
Begin with an end in mind
Put first things first
Think win-win
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Synergize
Sharpen the saw

I definitely recommend reading this book if you haven’t already, it has been a complete game-changer for us.

I hope you enjoyed this post and you feel motivated to become more productive and check everything off your to-do list. Do you like to check things off your list, cross them off or do you keep a digital to-do list?

Cheers,
Maud

How To Get Things Done