I want to get more done today...
HumanOS Volume VI
Hello, everyone! As I mentioned last week, I want to spend the next two weeks focusing on being productive remotely based on Thomas Frank's "Working from Home" series. This week's edition is centered around planning your days more effectively. 🧠
Thomas Frank - Working From Home: How to Plan Your Day💰
Why should I watch this video? 🧠
Just like last week: Other than being a productivity guru, Thomas Frank has spent the majority of his career working from home. He is a great resource for those of us who just now are gearing up for the upcoming year.
Why should I even plan my day? 🌎
With everyone working remotely, it is more critical than ever to plan your day.
There is so much freedom and overlap in home and work life that when the management is on you, it is crucial to be able to plan the right priorities
How should I approach working from home? 👩🏽⚕️
Think of it as a video game!
APM (actions per minute)
Every second counts- it could mean the difference between victory and defeat
You need to move fast or get left behind
BUT the number of actions is half the battle...
Requires greater vision to ensure each task is the right one or you will be wasting energy
How can I plan my day-to-day? 🍎
Create a daily list. This can be on:
Paper, whiteboard, task managers, etc.
When planning, you’re in planning mode. Take advantage of this so that when you working, you can stay in working mode.
There are a few things to keep in mind:
Due dates are not a perfect picture of what you can do today
Don't let your intentions eclipse your ability
Keep the list limited to what you can actually do
When you fail, make an observation so you can plan more accurately for the next day
Productivity Technique: Time-Boxing - Slot your tasks into small time blocks into your calendar
This is really easy with Google Calendar
This is not for everyone - but it really helps with procrastination
If you don't want to do this: List tasks out in order of planned completion
Do the worst first:
It is really easy to get distracted with checking emails or organizing your home/dorm in the morning, but you are going to have to finish that dreaded task at some point!
How can I plan my long term goals? 🍇
Remember that a high number of APM only matters if it is guided by a strong game plan
Productivity Technique: Kanban - Break down the project into small, actionable items.
Cards
Details of individual tasks
Lists
Stage of progress
How can I create a to-do list that works for me? 📩
I’ll be writing on how to use specific apps like Things 3, Apple Reminders, Todoist, etc. but for now, use any medium!
Remember to not let intentions eclipse ability and take some time each day to reflect on what you finished and on how you can better organize your time/plan your tasks better in the future.
You need to figure out what works best for you in terms of prioritization. There are so many ways to organize your tasks but Thomas Frank mentioned a new system I hadn’t heard of before:
"Martin's system" - Make lists based on priority, not type
A system like this may already integrated into your task management system but here is one thing to consider: Are there tasks that you keep finding yourself postponing often? If so, this is a great alternative that stops your daily task manager from constantly being overwhelmed each day.
Vitamins
A list of the tasks you do every day
Front-Burner
A list of the tasks you are currently looking at and what is high priority for today
Back-Burner
A list of tasks that not urgent that you can work on if you have extra time
Oven
A list of scheduled items that happen every once in a while (weekly reports, rent, etc.)
Don’t forget to check out last week's newsletter on setting up a remote workspace and thanks for reading the sixth issue of HumanOS!
- Ariz, HumanOS Creator ⚡️
P.S. I added a few more fantastic Notion templates for you all to use, check them out!
👨🏽🎓 Struggling to stay productive during quarantine? Check out Study with me
💭 Thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Email me back!