49 twtips for boosting productivity

8/10/2019 49 TWTips for Boosting Productivity

1/21

49 TASKWORLD TIPS

FOR BOOSTINGPRODUCTIVITY


2/21

01 02 03

04 05 06

INTRODUCTION

LIFE PLANNING LIFE ORGANIZING TOOLS

TIME MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES

GETTINGS THE MOST

OUT OF WORK SE SSIONS2

10 14 17

3 6


3/21

WELCOME

TO OURPRODUCTIVITY

COMMUNITY!

Here at Taskworld, we are all about getting things done.

Our platform strives to save you time and make your

lives easier. We are committed to productivity, and as

such, we would like to share a couple tips on how to fully

optimize your time and your life.

Here are 49 of our top productivity tips. Enjoy!

INTRODUCTION


4/21

TIME

MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES

Time and Tide wait for no man, but a little bit of time

management will take you a long way.


5/21

THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE

is a time management strategy that segments your time into 25 minute work sessions followed by 5

minute breaks. 4 consecutive work sessions in a row are followed by a longer 15 - 20 minute break.

Its great for tackling a to-do list of lower level tasks, but it may not be ideal for projects that require

prolonged periods of higher level thinking.

#1

THE BULLET JOURNAL

is a great system for anyone that likes to take notes down on paper. Its a simple concept. You start with a

journal and you write all of your lists inside that journal with an index guiding you to them. Its a great way

to plan projects, small tasks, and events if you are the type of person who l ikes planners and post its.

#2

PARETO EFFECT 80/20 PRINCIPLE

also known as the Pareto effect, states that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. This means its more

advantageous to focus your time on the 20% of resources that will benet you the most. This means that

instead of worrying about booking travel or doing inventory, pass those easy tasks onto an assistant andfocus on the marketing and business strategy that will bring in more prot.

#3

KANBAN

Kanban is a productivity system originally developed to control inventory but has now evolved to become

a personal work management system. There are only two rules. One is to visualize your work. The other

is limit your work in progress. It aims to help you understand what is on your plate and how you carry it

out.

#4

TIMEMAN

AGEMENTSTRATEGIES

02

THE TWO MINUTE RULE

If a task takes 2 minutes or less, com plete it right then and there instead of postponing. Youll get small

tasks out of the way fast and the momentum you bu ild will carry you into nishing larger, more complex

tasks.

#5


6/21

SPLIT UP YOUR DAY

Tackle overwhelmingly long days by splitting up your to do l ist. Rewrite it onto a sheet that is broken

down into 2 hour blocks and space out the tasks according to how you want your day to play out. This

gives you a sense of how much you have to do within any given number of hours. Also, it m akes it easier to

say no to new tasks that may pop up throughout the day.

#7

PRIORITIZE

Lay out your tasks for the day and place a difculty/energy expenditure number next to it (ex. 1-5). Break

the most difcult tasks into smaller steps and get them out of the way before tackling the easier tasks.

This way, you get the hardest, most important tasks out of the way rst.

#8

PARKINSONS LAW

According to Parkinsons Law, work expands so as to ll the time available for its completion. This means

that the more time you have, the longer youll take to get something done. In short, keep busy. A full

schedule means youll feel pressure to nish things so you can t all your commitments.

#6

TIMEMAN

AGEMENTSTRATEGIES

02


7/21

GETTINGS THE

MOST OUT OF

WORK SESSIONS

Working hard and working smart sometimes can be

two different things.

Byron Dorgan


8/21

GETTINGT

HEMOSTOUTOFWORK

SESSIONS

03

INDIVIDUAL BRAINSTORMING (IDEA MAPS)

Get the most out of personal brainstorm sessions by mapping your thoughts out.

Make branches of associated thoughts that radiate from a central thought node. Related ideas can come

out of those associated thoughts.

#9

SET STRICT TIME LIMITS ON MEETINGS

Meetings are a great way to get updates quickly and easily, but more often than not, they can drag on for

much too long, cutting into valuable strategic thinking time. Control this by setting strict timelines for

meetings. Allot your time, let others know what that alloted time is, and stick to it.

#10

USE YOUR MOMENTUM

Having momentum is huge when it comes to productivity. When you feel yourself getting into the swing

of things and your work seems to ju st come owing out of you, dont stop! Keep pushing forward until

you feel yourself start to wane. When that happens, its ok to take a quick break, just r emember to get

back into it when you feel your momentum start to surge again.

#11

CHANGE LOCATIONS EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE

One simple way to freshen your perspective during a group brainstorm is to change locations every once

in awhile. Your brain unconsciously gets accustomed to its surroundings, making it all too easy for ideas

to get stale. Simply by getting up and nding a new study room or coffee shop, your brain gets singles that

something has changed, making you sharper and able to think on your feet faster.

#12

REWARDS YOURSELF WITH HOBBIES

Every time you have nished something on your list, reward yourself by spending some time doing your

favorite hobby. If you nish big tasks, allocate more time. That way, you start to get better at your hobby

all while getting work done.

#13


9/21

GETTINGT

HEMOSTOUTOFWORK

SESSIONS

03

TRICK YOURSELF INTO GETTING STARTED

Anytime you feel like procrastinating, do it. Just one thing rst. Start working on a task for 10 minutes.

Set a timer so you stick to it. When the timer rings, go ahead and procrastinate, but it makes you think

twice. Many times, you will want to go ahead and nish anyway.

#14

WORK REALLY FAST RIGHT WHEN YOU START

The key to getting into the zone fast is to work fast. Dive ri ght into your task before you can justify

a break and work without fear of making mistakes. Then, once you have nished the rst thing at

breakneck speed, go back and revise. You will have already built up enoug h momentum to get into

revising your work and your day will breeze right by you.

#15

REWARDS VS BREAKS

Are you motivated by getting breathing time away from work or by getting some tangible reward. Are

you instrinsically motivated by getting time to read that thought piece youve been saving or would you

rather have a cookie. Test out your theories for a week by switching tangible rewards with work breaks.Then, use the results to motivate yourself in the future.

#16

LOOK AT PICTURE OF CUTE ANIMALS

Im not kidding. Japanese researcher Hiroshi Nittono, author of The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute

Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus, concluded that looking at cute

images at work can boost attention to detail and overall performance. Results show that participants

performed tasks requiring focused attention more carefully after viewing cute images. This is interpreted

as the result of a narrowed attentional focus induced by the cuteness-triggered positive emotion that is

associated with approach motivation and the tendency toward systematic processing. Make sure to do it

in small spurts or el se you may get easily side tracked by hours of pug puppies.

#17


10/21

GETTINGT

HEMOSTOUTOFWORKSESSIONS

03

HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF A GROUP STUDY SESSION

For all you students out there, get the most out of a group stud y session by limiting the number of people

you invite. The more people that are there, the easier it will be to get distracted. The ideal number is

around 3 - 4 people. Its enough to garner lively conversation about a topic, even if some members get

shy, yet small enough to keep productivity up.

#18

LISTEN TO REPETITIVE MUSIC

If you are the type of person that needs to listen to music to get anything done, make sure you are

listening to something repetitve. It doesnt necessarily have to be classical music. As long as the beats are

stable and lyrics dont change, your brain will acclimate to it and allow you to save the cognition usually

reserved for processing new changes for the work at hand.

#19

BREAK IT DOWN

Any task can seem daunting when you rst start out. It gets a little less scary when you break it down

into the smallest, possible details. For example, planning a retreat for your entire company is intimidating

and encompasses many different tasks. When you break it up into smaller parts like booking a venue,ordering food, and making invitations, it makes things a lot more manageable.

#21

PRINT OUT GOOD ADVICE AND PUT IT WHERE YOU WORK

Find any inspirational quote or message and stick it around you in your working place. That way, you cant

run away from it.

#22

SURF THE WEB A LITTLE

According to the study, Impact of Cyberloang on Psychological Engagement, by Don J.Q. Chen and

Vivien K.G Lim of the National Uni versity of Singapore, web browsing can actually refresh tired workersand enhance their productivity, compared to other activities such as making personal calls, texts or

emails, let alone working straight through with no rest at all. When browsing the Internet, people usually

choose to visit only the sites that they like-its like going for a coffee or snack break. Breaks of such

nature are pleasurable, rejuvenating the Web surfer, says Dr. Lim. The trick is to limit it so you dont get

sidetracked.

#20


11/21


12/21

LIFEPLAN

NING

04

SET YOUR GOALS FOR THE DAY

It is best to do your daily goal setting in the morning because knowing what you have for the rest of the

day and how long you have to do it gives you a sense of urgency. There are three different kinds of goals

you can be thinking of: daily, weekly, and monthly. Setting daily goals is essential, but reviewing monthly

goals gives you a go a way of orienting yourself forward.

#23

GET AT LEAST 30 MINS OF EXERCISE AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY

One of the best ways to stay mentally sharp is to get out and do something. Not only does exercise

help you stay healthy, it also pumps up brain function and has been shown to incr ease the number of

brain cells in the hippocampus. A study by Jim McKenna from the University of Bristol showed that

after exercising, participants returned to work more to lerant of themselves and more forgiving of their

colleagues. Their work performance was also consistently higher, as shown by better time management

and improved mental sharpness.

#24

DO AT LEAST 1 NEW THING A MONTH

It doesnt matter what you do, as long as it is something youve never done before, you will feel refeshed

and your mind will be less likely to fall into the slow monotony of routine. Whether its trying a new coffee

shop or traversing a country thousands of miles away from home, do something The bottom line is that

monotony destroys optimism and ultimately undermines your mental health.

#25

MEMORIZE ONE NEW THING EVERYDAY

It can be anything you like: a fact, a word, or even lyrics to a song. Take a couple minutes out of your day to

memorize one thing and exercise your brain. The careful listening and attention you take to doing this one

simple task will sharpen thinking.

#26

Jan 2014


13/21

LEARN WHAT YOUR LEARNING STYLE IS

Gain a better understanding of yourself by evaluating the way you process information. This will make

it easier to develop strategies that enhance your learning potential. You will save time To gain a better

understanding of yourself as a learner, you need to evaluate the way you prefer to learn or process

information. By doing so, you will be able to develop strategies which will enhance your learning potential.

The following evaluation is a short , quick way of assessing your learning style. No studies have validated

this inventory. Its main benet is to get you to think about yourself, to consider learning alternatives; not

to rigidly classify you.

#28

RECOGNIZE COGNITIVE BIAS

Being human means were subject to cognitive bias, which are glitches in thinking that cause us to make

questionable decisions and reach erroneous conclusions. Some common cognitive bias are: conrmation

bias, agreeing with people who agree with us; in group bias, agreeing with what your intimate group

of friends think rather than searching for outside opinion; gamblers fallacy, putting a lot of weight on

previous events; and bandwagon effect, agreeing with how the majority is voting.

#29

DEVELOP SELF AWARENESS

Self awareness is having a clear perception of who you are as well as being emoti onally and mentally

present in any given situation. Developing self awareness is the rst step to focusing your attention,

emotions, and reaction. It helps you orient your behavior towards where you want to go in life.

#30

LIFEPLAN

NING

04

WORK ON YOUR MOTIVATION

Unfortunately, humans dont come with an ever owing well of motivation that comes from within. It

is something that you have to upkeep and seek constantly. We have a nite amount of willpower to get

something done, so the chances of doing it goes up when you work on your motivation for nishing.

#27


14/21

TAKE YOUR TURMERIC

Keep your brain healthy and sharp by taking tumeric supplements. This spice has been known to ward off

Alzheimers and helps keep your memory sharp. Michael Caine, star of the Batman series, learned about

the health benets of this spice from his Indian born wife 30 years ago and attributes it to h elping him

ward off old age. They eat a great deal of turmeric in their food. I have been taking turmeric tablets for

30 years and I have a memory like a computer. I remember everything.

#32

LIFEPLAN

NING

04

year 2

year 1

year 3

FORGOT THE 5 YEAR PLAN FOR A 2 TO 3 YEAR PLAN

Life moves much too fast for a 5 year plan. Hanging onto a plan that is denitely going to change

drastically within the next 2 to 3 years means that you will need to shorten the parameters of your plan.

The best way to do thi s is to think carefully about what you want and why, break big events down into

smaller steps, be exible, be patient, and have a contingency plan.

#31


15/21

LIFE

ORGANIZING

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so

that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.

A. A. Milne


16/21


17/21


18/21


19/21

STAY FOCUSD

This app delivers on its name. It blocks out those time wasting (but utterly fascinating) websites you end

up following down a rabbit hole. Provide a list of websites you would like to block and a time period for a

day. Stay Focused is great because it lets you set a buffer amount of time so you can still get your x, but

limit it to a couple minutes.

#42

ONETAB

is the millennial multi-taskers dream. Any time you feel like you have too many tabs open, click the

OneTab icon to convert all of your tabs into a li st. The app saves this list so you can restore them

individually or all at once when you want to access them again. It helps control the tab frenzy and forces

you to concentrate on one thing at a time.

#43

POCKET

This app makes it easier to mark pages to read when you have more time. When you are going through

your allotted time for browsing the web, save articles and content to read later with one simple click.Access the pages later when all your work is done and you want to reward yourself with a buzzfeed

picture article.

#44

THE GREAT SUSPENDER

This is another tab tool that actually gets rid of any tabs youre not using. The Great Suspender suspends

tabs youre not using so they dont use up CPU. Instead of fooling yourself into thinking youre using all

20 tabs you have open, keep your system working fast and saving r esources for things youre currently

paying attention to.

#45

TOOLS

06


20/21


21/21

Productivity is being able to

dothings that you were never

able to do before.

Franz Kafka

49 twtips for boosting productivity

Documents