Writing and Productivity

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We've all been there. Your neatly organised task lists have grown into a sea of unfinished jobs you're afraid to look at, you're avoiding more work than you've completed all month. You have so many "Next Actions" you're spending half your time going round and round deciding which one to do next, and whenever you start to work on something the pile of things hanging over you pulls at your attention like a traffic accident.

You're at the bottom of the productivity pit, and you're thrashing yourself deeper every hour.

The good news is, you've made the first step in getting out: You know you're in there. We end up in the pit because we become unaware of the big picture, lose sight of the structure of what we're doing (and why), and end up endlessly thrashing around, mired in the muck and going nowhere. We have to take a step back (often it comes at the point of real desperation) to realise we're in the pit, and that somewhere above us is light.

So you've looked up. That's good. What do you do now?

1. Stop thrashing. Stop digging away at whatever's currently got your attention. Relax, take a deep breath. Remember that you've been here before, and you're still alive. There's a way out. Now you're going to find it.
2. Put aside the time needed to replan. A solid hour, at the very least. If you're thinking "But if I stop to replan it's just going to get worse", just look at how much you're actually achieving right now.
3. Get a fresh birds-eye view. Right now, your usual task management tools (RTM, GTD, to-do lists, project management tools, notebooks) aren't working for you, because when you look at them it's all just part of the mess you're buried in. Grab a clean sheet of paper, a text document or a flipchart, and start making simple lists. Don't copy down blindly from the lists that aren't working for you, just use them as a prompt and actually think about what needs doing right now.
   
4. Identify the unimportant things. If it doesn't need doing right now, if it's not time-limited, throw it on a pile to deal with later. When you throw it on the pile, consciously think "That's under control; it'll get done; let it go". Strip down your list until you've got nothing but the things that need doing right now. I guarantee it'll be shorter than you think.
   
5. Replan your time. How much time have you got left today? Pick out the actions you can comfortably get done. Everything else can be thrown in the no-worry pile. Include one thing you've been actively avoiding - those little packets of poison need clearing out of the way, but you don't have to take them on all at once. Leave yourself half an hour at the end of the day to review.
   
6. Knock out the quick things first. Each one will give you a little burst of calm and new energy as you get a bit closer to the light above. As you complete a task, cross it off with a flourish.
   
7. At the end of the day, review what you've achieved, and take a moment to really appreciate your crossed-out items and that one poison packet you don't have to deal with any more. Then, go back to step 4 and plan tomorrow exactly the same way. Leave your desk (kitchen table, workshop, coffee-shop sofa...) knowing that, slowly but steadily, you're climbing out of the pit.

I'll see you in the sunlight.

Labels: big picture, desperation, Getting Things Done, pit, productivity, Project management, Remember The Milk, rethinking, RTM, stress, Task management, tasks, thrashing