Staying Productive…
Personally, I’ve found one of the hardest parts of being a multipotentialite is finding the time to work on more than one project at once.
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I think the key is consistently doing a little bit each day which eventually adds up to a lot. But even finding the time to do a little bit can be difficult.
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This is where productivity tools come in.
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My first foray into the wonderful world of productivity came through Tiago Forte’s class, Get Stuff Done Like a Boss. Originally it was offered on Skillshare but is now only offered through his own personal web site. It’s sadly more expensive this way but it’s definitely one of the most useful classes I’ve ever taken online.
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A very, very quick rundown is you basically make the to-do list to end all to-do lists. Instead of having all these tasks rattling around in your brain, you offload them onto your to-do list so you can then use your brain for more creative pursuits. You also break down each and every single project into the next actionable step, ie. the very next action you have to take in order to move forward, thus making it easier to find and keep a forward momentum. There’s more to it than that, but you hopefully get the general idea.
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This class brought me to Todoist which is where I currently maintain my own uber-list. I absolutely love it and don’t go a day without using it (unless I’m on vacation).
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But while Get Stuff Done Like a Boss and Todoist certainly helped me organize what I need to do each day, I still felt like my workday lacked structure (not only am I a multipotentialite, I’m also a freelancer!).
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Enter this incredibly helpful article by the Todoist staff.
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I devoured this Ultimate Guide to Personal Productivity Methods and finally settled on the Pomodoro Technique, which is basically set a timer, work for 25 minutes, break for 5 minutes and so on.
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For me, it really, really worked! Instead of working for 5 minutes and then wasting 55 minutes checking various social media sites, I could stay focused for longer periods of time. I find the Pomodoro technique especially useful for paid projects and contracts. For some reason, I have more trouble applying it to personal projects and sometimes the structure of it tires me.
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At this point, I’ve been using Todoist for about two years and the Pomodoro Technique for one and I love them!
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But recently I stumbled across How To Schedule Your Day For Peak Creative Performance and am now thinking of trying out this new style.
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I like that it places importance on areas outside of work – finding time for play, exercise and things outside of your comfort zone, and also gives specific workdays general themes. I think this could be a huge help in finding a good balance between my various pursuits and I’m excited to try it.
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In the end, I suppose my search for the perfectly structured day will never quite be complete! As your projects change, so too will your work day. Such is life - especially for a multipotentialite!
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For now, I’d love to hear if you have any productivity methods that work for you!