How to Build a Productivity System That Actually Helps You

[Image description: A busy entrepreneur checks tasks off their list, while on the phone, and watching Shia LaBeouf’s “Just Do It motivational video. Suffice it to say, they are highly motivated.]

Everyone in business has eventually been forced to create a productivity system of some kind because in order to make a good living you simply need a large, regular income created by either producing lots of products or receiving lots of clients. Productivity is a humbling discovery that you can’t do everything yourself, and that you need tools and support to become a success.

Once you get past that first vulnerable hurtle, the next step is to figure out exactly what kind of support and systems you do need. You’ll get bogged down if you only use other people’s systems. So start building your own from the get-go!

Table of contents

1. Create a system that lets you follow your intuition

2. Decide between an online or paper system

3. Build a system that brings you to zero inbox each week

4. Clear your clutter

5. Cultivate sacred focus time

6. Learn the 4 zones of work (from Gay Hendricks's The Big Leap)

1. Create a system that lets you follow your intuition

When I first became a productivity geek, I made a big mistake. I learned the Getting Things Done system in detail and created digital and physical versions of it by the book. It worked pretty well but took a lot more upkeep than I was expecting. It turns out it was much too complex a system for my needs. But those who know me know how determined I am, so I took the complexity as an ego challenge and double down on the weekly review that was used to upkeep the system.

Now anyone who practices the GTD system would know that my “perfect system” was in fact not a very good GTD system. David Allen is very clear that the purpose of productivity is to allow a mind-like-water state, where we are free from mental clutter and available for creative thinking. It slowly became clear to me that I was trying to hard, and was caught in my own system. What I needed to do was loosen up a bit and make the system more intuitive and lighter to use. That way it would genuinely suit my needs and support me without needing to be supported itself nearly as much.

I have since created a malleable system that I tweak depending on my needs. And I feel very comfortable doing so because I know the power of following my intuition. As you go about setting up a refining your productivity system, where do you notice room to follow your intuition?

2. Decide between an online or paper system

Most people think they have to set up their productivity system online, but Ryder Carroll the creator of the Bullet Journal proved that otherwise. There is a whole family of people who love productivity and love a paper-based system that totally works for them. Without going into your analytical brain, what sounds better a digital system or a paper system? Let your intuitive brain answer and then go with that. It will reward you. And seriously if you’re a paper person check out Bullet Journal. I have no affiliation to them but Ryder’s method is frikkin’ genius. You’ll love it.

3. Build a system that brings you to zero inbox each week

If you’re like anyone else in existence, you inherited email as a form of professional communication. But email was made as a digital version of snail mail, it wasn’t made for business use where we need to identify tasks and projects, important communication threads, and ongoing conversation channels.

Sending your family a meme of Bernie Sanders as a cactus is one thing, but when you receive dozens of emails every day with important tasks in them you need a way to:

1. Quickly parse out the important information from the rest.

2. Sort out specific tasks from notes and other project information.

3. Respond to time-sensitive requests in a rapid manner.

4. Do all of the above in a brief amount of time so you can spend the majority of time focused on your work and your zone of genius.

So, it’s time to sort out the Flying Spaghetti Monster that is your email system (pardon the blasphemy Bobby Henderson).

My recommendations:

Start by creating folders for action items/tasks and replies. Then go through every unread or unarchived email and sort them or archive them. Your search functionality will help you find everything so no need to spend ages labeling emails. Set it up in one sitting. If you need help just DM me, I’ve got your back and can help you get it all done in one day. In summary: just say “no” to the email system that you can’t stand. There is a better way.

4. Clear your clutter

Marie Kondo has it right. The first step to living an organized life free from object or project overwhelm is to clear out the clutter. If you’ve been thinking it’s about time to get organized, then start your engines, it’s time to clear the clutter. I’m getting excited for you over here. The de-clutter and new system setup phase is one of my favorites!

I know organizing isn’t everyone’s favorite activity though, so it’s ok to hire someone to help you (feel free to DM me for help). Getting help doesn’t mean you’re a failure. In fact it means you’re brilliant because you’re willing to do what it takes to spend more time in your zone of genius - which is what productivity is all about in the first place. Your next action, if you haven’t already done it, is to schedule a block of time to de-clutter your email, tasks, projects, and if you’re an organization geek like me your physical space as well.

5. Cultivate sacred focus time

Your focus time is where you’ll be the most creative, contribute the most to the world, and fill your energy pools. I used to treat focus time like the time to force myself to sit down, be disciplined, and churn out as much required work as I could. Now everything about that sentence makes me cringe. My focus time now is sacred, precious time foe me to fully express myself. I consider many things to fit within my focus time.

• Focus time is writing. It’s where I develop and articulate thoughts.

• Focus time is movement practice. It’s where I learn about my body.

• Focus time is meditation. It’s where I rest my mind and look right into it.

• Focus time is taking a bath. It’s where I like to contemplate my biggest questions about life.

• Focus time is collaboration. It’s where I play, grow, and increase my skill.

What about you? What is focus time for you? It’s important to see how significant that time actually is and to protect it by carving out time dedicated to it.

6. Learn the 4 zones of work (from Gay Hendricks’s The Big Leap)

The 4 zones of work that @hendricks.gay put forward changed the game of productivity radically, and you’ll immediately see why. In the productivity-geek world there’s a lot of discussion and confusion about what work to delegate and when to delegate it. Gay created a very clear way to tell what work you are most ideally suited to be doing and what you can pass off to others to boost your creativity, productivity, sales, and business success.

These are the 4 zones, learn them well:

Incompetence

Activities you’re no good at and don’t like to do yet you persist in doing for a host of fear-based, ego-based, or specific situation-based reasons.

Competence

Activities you do as well as anyone, but you don’t like doing them, they drain your energy, and yet you persist often because you can’t find a good enough reason to stop doing them or you’ve never even conceived of passing them off to someone else more qualified.

Excellence

The trickiest zone. Activities you do better than most people, you’re ok doing them for a while but in the long term they burn you out. You persist in them because you get praise, money, and ego satisfaction despite feeling drained inside.

Genius

The zone we all want to be in. Activities you do with a unique inspiration and expression that is singular to you. Everything in your zone of genius comes easily and intuitively to you, and because of that you like to constantly challenge yourself making your zone of genius activities often highly skilled, complex, or appearing challenging to others. It’s not easy as in simple, but it’s easy as in despite the effort and energy you put in, you gain so much energy back that it doesn’t feel like you’re spending energy, it feels easy.

Finally this is where you make your biggest contribution to humanity. Your zone of genius could include anything from parenting to music to therapy to writing to designing road systems. It’s unique to you. The point of all productivity is to spend more time in your zone of genius. The more time you spend there, the better off humanity is and the planet is.

In Conclusion

I hope these tips are helpful! Have any other strategies for building a productivity system that really works? Leave them in the comments below.