Productivity Voice

“Ninety percent of what we call ‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.”
– Peter Drucker

The most interesting thing is that, most of the time, we are based on this definition, “managing” ourselves.
When I get asked why I work on little tricks instead of big theories, is simply because I had learn that I should work hard to simplify the rules that guide my life. I have said:

In Productivity, most of the time, if it works for a two year old child, will work for us

We go to this complex setup, complex system, complex rules, when we should go exactly on the opposite direction, our own rules need to work for a two years old, otherwise, must likely, eventually they will fail.
For some reason, we have been convinced that we need more, more complexity, more layers, more information, more work, more money, more of anything if nothing else.
The problem is that as part of the trick, no one has told you that if you just want more, you are never going to be happy. Yes, you will have more of all those things that money can get, but not enough of those that you really and deeply care.
We get our lives so complex, that we forget how to slow down and enjoy the simply things. We have this tendency that things need to be hard, complex and difficult in order to believe they are worth.
What if we try the opposite approach? What if we try to simplify our life? To have simply setups? simple rules? We live our life as we will try to make a two year old happy. You will discover it is also a challenge, you just will laugh and have fun more often.

Do you have the Pharmacy Membership Card, YMCA, Groceries (most likely two or three, like me) Lego Store, Library, Panera… You get the idea. Each one of those great membership plans give you this nice card that you can put in your wallet (and end up with a George Constanza Wallet) or a keyring one (and end up like Saint Peter but without any keys, only memberships.) This is what happen, you carry the ones you use the most. It is uncomfortable. The rest of them, you get a new membership every time or forfeit the reward.
I use an app for the iPhone called CardScan that allow me to Scan all those bar codes, and carry them all on my pocket. Most places can scan directly from the phone screen or simply type the numbers. No more cards, no more forfeit rewards, no more George Constanza Wallet either. At this writing, I have over 100 cards.
Before I found CardScan, I used my smartphone (Treo650) and took a picture and carry them that way. Most likely the picture is not going to work to be scanned, but they will be able to type the numbers.

Need more time to think? Need more time for you to finish important projects? Try for 2 weeks go to bed earlier and wake up at 4:00AM. (The first week will be to adapt yourself, and most likely not really productive, the second one will be the productive one, trust me it is worth)
Most likely between 4:30AM (Giving that you shower and have coffee) and 6:30AM you will get two hours of Focus Work, no interruptions, no noise, no distractions. You will discover how many unfocused hours you have during the day, how many interruptions, how loud is your environment and how distracted you are. In my experience, after trying this for two to four weeks, you will do it again every time you need to accomplish anything really important.

We forgot how far be nice can go. Open the door to a lady. Help her carry her bags. Bring breakfast once a month (even better once a week) to that homeless guy in the corner you turn to work everyday. Cut the front lawn of your neighbor just because you are doing yours. Pay the starbucks coffee to the person behind you (or pay only $2 or their coffee, trust me, you will make their day). I guarantee you, that if you do something good for someone, you will simply be a happier person.
i.e. If you don’t believe me, think how nice it is when the person ahead of you pay for your coffee in Starbucks. If this had never happen to you, do it, and see the smile of the person behind you.
i.e.2 One of my favorite things to do in the store is to ask old people if they need help. Most of the time they do, and most of the time, you make their day.

 
How many DVDs do you have in your living room? your bed room? the other TV? We use to have more than 120. When we where childless they were even alphabetically organized. (Guess what, I had that time) After our daughter was born, it was more or less a big mess. Spending hours sorting so she could knock them out because they where accessible for her, wasn’t fun at all for me. I begin converting all our movies into digital. Guess how many of those 120 you will never see again? (around 100 unless you count disney movies for your child)
The time that takes to kept clean, organized, and more it is huge. Begin converting in digital, or even better, toss them all (sell them and buy the ones you really like digital or get something like Netflix, or Amazon Prime)
A soon as you get rid of those movies, you will never again will want anything other than a digital movie, even if that means buy it more than once.

This is one of those tough things, specially for a person that drool over technology, and useless shine stuff. During years I had bough useless junk just for the reason that it is shiny and had circuits. I have hacked computers, PDAs and more. All that I learned is that until you simplify your technology, you will have a lot of fun playing with it, but not necessarily being really productive.
Kindle, iPad, iPod, iPhone, Headphones with microphone, Noise Cancelation headphones, Voice Recorder, Camera, Android Tablet, Laptop, Moleskines (5 actually), pens (3), USB Pen Drives (5), Cables (too many)
This list is the backpack contents of a client of mine, before we begin working together. That was the I need, I wish, I have in case of… Simplify your technology, not only you are spending an incredible amount of hours dealing with keeping update, sync and more, but you are spending on an incredible amount of money on redundant equipment. If you like iOS, use only iOS. if you like Android, same. Unless your work requires, use MacOS or Windows or UNIX. You don’t need to carry all of them with you. Stick with one, and learn how to use it really well. Most people that have many devices have them because they had never learned to really use them well.
After we work on simplifying her technology approach, this was the backpack content:
Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Headphones with Mic (A good ones, instead of a cheap ones) (Software for Voice Recorder, Camera), 1 Moleskine (divided appropriately), 2 Pens (Current use and Backup), 1 USB Pen Drive, No cables, unless the trip is longer than 1 day.
Big Difference.
i.e. As this writing, I carry most of the time, my iPhone, my iPad, Logitech k810, Kindle PaperWhite, a Pen and 10-15 Index Cards (Plain White and Levenger Ruled) That’s the full set. The ultraportable one is just the iPhone. I can do almost everything there.

For years I was convinced that I was a night owl. I struggle in the mornings, and thrive at nights. Last year in the name of productivity, (and desperation) I decided to test waking up at 4:00 A.M. to work. I was like many struggling with lack of focus, concentration and a day full of distractions, and was exhausted at night.
What began as a test out of desperation, looking for something that I had lost, quickly turn into one of the most interesting tricks I had discover in productivity.
Our house sleeps until around 7:00 A.M. Thats the time my 4 year old daughter wakes (or get waked up) and I need to get her ready to go to school. My old routine was simple, I wake up at 6:30 A.M., shower, dress and get coffee and do my daily review. Then I went and get my daughter ready.
When I decided to change the rules of the game, and begin waking up at 4:00 A.M. I discover that I could shower, dress and get coffee to do my daily review between 4:00 A.M. and 4:30 A.M. It was exactly there, that the best came, I was basically free of distractions, between 4:30 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. but even better, I had just sleep 7 to 8 hours and was totally fresh. In other words, I was in prime condition, and had two and a half free hours of silence and no interruptions.
I could not believe my luck, I had discover two hours of really quality time, without interruptions, and highly focus time. In many days I can accomplished more on those hours than the rest of the day, same as you will accomplished if begin doing this.
I understand that you are a night owl, as I was. I understand this will not work for you. For years I tried to get those hours at night, work hard all day, have my family time, wait for them to go to bed, and try to work after that. The problem was, that in many days I was simply exhausted. Even that I push trough, took me hours to accomplish the stuff I was looking forward to accomplished. The next morning I began the same race, and continue walking the world, simply exhausted.
These days, I go earlier to bed, sit in my desk at home at 4:30 A.M. and work for the next two and a half hours in silence and without interruptions and distractions. In many days, I accomplish more on those two hours, than the rest of the day. Not only that, on a bad day; you know those that you feel that you did nothing, I was really productive the first hours of my day. On a good day, I feel unstoppable.
Think for a moment what you can do with two hours of no distractions, stop snoozing television at night and go to bed. Wake up earlier and discover a couple of hours of full focus and without distractions, then begin working on that really important thing.
If you are wondering how I do it everyday, let me leave you with a little trick: “Negotiate your wake up time at night and avoid doing it in the morning” at the morning your brain is clever and will found a way to convince you to not do it.

Many of my friends writers as well as people that aspire to be one (the difference is simple, the first one is actually writing constantly, the second one is talking about it constantly) need to create a Writing Environment. Sit for a moment and considering what you will need to sit and write. What will make a perfect writing session?
A Computer? Paper? Silence? Music? Coffee? Tea? This is as important as the writing act per se. Until you learn to create a Writing Environment, you will most likely not write, not for any other reason, that your mind will distract you on how nice will be to have this or that.
i.e. Mine is simple, I need Water, Coffee (Double Espresso, no sugar please.) and LOUD music. Therefore I carry headphones and the music on my iPhone with me constantly. I can create a Writing Environment almost anywhere. (even with bad coffee)

I have wrote previously about this. My main machine is an iPad. Most of my work is contained into the iOS ecosystem. The reality is that like everyone I know, somedays I need help focusing, it is when my iPad (or even the iPhone) comes to the rescue.
Need focus on the iPhone or the iPad. Activate Guided Assistance (SETTINGS/GENERAL/ACCESSIBILITY) and next time you need to focus on something but your mind is to scattered, simply triple click on the home button, activate, and work with the assurance that the extra step will serve as a reminder of your real purpose.
i.e. Even when active, I will get distracted, but the fact that I need to enter the password and require one more step is in general enough for me to keep me in task.

Last december I decided to replace the Apple Bluetooth keyboard that I have been using since I got my original iPad. The reason was the Logitech K810.
I had been jelaous of the Mac Book Air iluminated keyboard for a while. I sit in my office at 4:30 A.M. and having light on the keyboard is really cool. Aside of that, it does 2 more things that really make a killing on the Apple keyboard.
First it has an ON-OFF switch. I know you can turn the Apple keyboard off, but it had turn on in the bag more than what I am willing to admit. This one has an actual switch, works fantastic.
Second allow you to use the same keyboard with up to three devices, and do fast switch between them. As my iPad is my main machine, my iPhone aside. I can now use the keyboard in one or the other, hiting F1 and F2. The switch is fast, and incredible convinient.
Those where the three reasons to get this keyboard, Lighted Keyboard, an ON-OFF Switch and the ability to use it in more than one device.