At the start of the year I emailed a number of famous productivity writers and bloggers asking them what their productivity message was for the new year. To my joy many of them wrote back to me (I really was flattered) – here is what they said. Enjoy – and be sure to check out their websites for more excellent advice.
Gretchin Rubin
Gretchin Rubin is a writer and blogger at The Happiness Project, where she test-drives the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific studies, and the lessons from popular culture about how to be happy–from Aristotle to Martin Seligman to Thoreau to Oprah. She just released a book called The Happiness Project which, at the time of writing her book is currently #2 on the New York Time’s Bestseller’s List. If you haven’t heard of her yet, I guarantee you will in the coming year.
If there’s something that you really want to get done, especially if it’s something you approach with some reluctance, do it first thing in the morning.
If you’re trying to get yourself to exercise more, go for that run or go to the gym before you do anything else. If you need to makes sales calls, pour yourself a cup of coffee and start dialing. If you need to write, plan to write for an hour before you turn to anything else.
As the day wears on, more obstacles appear — and it’s easier to find excuses to skip doing the task. On the other hand, accomplishing an important task right away gives energy for the rest of the day.
Mike Torres
Mike Torres is a technologist and writer in Seattle. Mike’s blog, Refocuser, is about focus; about willfully directing your attention to where attention is really deserved. Be sure to check out his excellent 12 goals series, a thorough introduction to goal setting, marketed as a beginner’s introduction, but really a pros guide. This is goal setting –for smart people.
If I were to pick my most important message for 2010, it would boil down to one word which can set a tone for the year ahead: CHOICE. There’s a big difference between people who CHOOSE what they want their life to be about and people who let others – or their circumstances – decide for them. This “power of choice” is something each of us have – it’s part of our human nature – yet so few people make their own choices about who they want to be, how they want to contribute to the world, or what things matter most to them.
Many times this apathy is related to fear, lack of information, or ingrained limiting beliefs about their potential. Lack of information leads to fear of the unknown, which in turn leads to a victim mentality and an inability to see yourself for the person you could be… and so the cycle continues. The end result is someone who never chooses to take ACTION and instead justifies inaction through statements and behaviors motivated by fear (usually fear of humiliation). The key is to get out of that dangerous spiral by taking control of the fear and gathering as much information on the thing you’re most frightened of. People who LEARN and have experience with something are rarely afraid of it, and once they realize that the worst possible outcome isn’t that bad at all, light bulbs go off about what’s POSSIBLE for them.
That’s how you start to make choices and change your life one bit at a time. We all have the ability to influence the world around us and how we perceive our place within it. It starts with CHOOSING to do so (and a little work!)… so make 2010 the year you start making your own choices.
Dave Seah
Dave Seah is one of those fascinating creatures who is impossible to classify – my attempt is that he lives somewhere in the overlap between productivity and graphical communication of information. For an insight into this fascinating mind check out his design portfolio, his blog an investigative look into design, productivity and inspiration. I like Dave for his Jobsian perfectionism – reading his blog you see a man who designs things principally for himself, always a good sign.
I think the main thing I’ve discovered for myself is that once you figure something out that seems to work, turn off your brain and work that angle until it runs dry. This is a productive kind of clarity. Count your blessings and count your results, and then try something new. The search for a productivity system that works is rewarding once you’re able to turn it into something reliable. I’m finding that I have a few productivity machines that I turn on depending on my mood, but what really matters is being able to account for what you’ve done in some way that builds to your goals. I’ve not done that accounting as much this past year, instead participating in a flurry of activities, and I need to get back to it.
So, my theme for 2010 is to put my head down and do the work. After exploring productivity systems for the past five years, I’ve figured out what’s important to me and how I’ve determined that, and now my mind is clear on what needs to be done.
