{"id":6425,"date":"2011-06-05T22:05:43","date_gmt":"2011-06-06T06:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=6425"},"modified":"2013-09-10T12:55:12","modified_gmt":"2013-09-10T20:55:12","slug":"the-diy-guide-to-rock-star-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/the-diy-guide-to-rock-star-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"The DIY Guide to Rock Star Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Working with rock star productivity is awesome. You get stuff done like nobody else, and let\u2019s face it, you\u2019re the envy of colleagues and competitors alike! If you want that, but don\u2019t feel like shelling out a thousand bucks for an expensive time management consultant, why not go the do-it-yourself way?<\/p>\n

I know you\u2019ve got the chops for it. So, roll up your sleeves, grab yourself a beer, and get ready to start building your productivity power house.<\/p>\n

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Assembly Instructions \u2014 Not!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, I know a handyperson like you doesn\u2019t need 100 pages of assembly instructions, so I\u2019m just going to give you one single rule to follow:<\/p>\n

Spend 20 minutes every day thinking about how you can do things smarter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not how you can get more work done, but how you can do things smarter<\/em>. Can you make more money per hour? Can you process your emails more efficiently? Can you spend less time on shopping and cooking? Is there a way to keep your office and apartment tidy with less hassle?<\/p>\n

The answer to all of these questions is \u201cyes\u201d; and by getting to it every day, you\u2019ll find a way in no time.<\/p>\n

Your Tool Box<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alright, no detailed manual then, but you do need a tool box. Here are two basic instruments all craftsmen should have at their disposal:<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>Systems<\/strong><\/p>\n

A system is a pre-defined sequence of steps to get a repetitively occurring task done. The better the system, the more efficiently the task is performed. You should try to install and improve systems in your workflow wherever you can.<\/p>\n

A basic example: I just assigned an MS Word short-cut key to the action of accepting changes that my editor makes to my blog posts. That\u2019s a simple thing to do, but it enables me to go through the corrections at least 25{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} faster.<\/p>\n

Think of similar opportunities:<\/p>\n