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"Joelle Steiniger is the co-founder of Small HQ, HookFeed and\u00A0Minimalytics. This post originally appeared on the Crew blog.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nYou have no problem keeping busy. No problem crossing things off your to-do list. You multitask like it\u2019s going out of style.\u00A0But the weeks continue to fly by and you can\u2019t help but be dissatisfied with what you\u2019ve actually accomplished. Not only that, but you\u2019re exhausted. Your creative juices don\u2019t flow the way the used to and you feel stressed and inadequate.\u00A0You\u2019re treading water.\r\n\r\nI got sick of this pattern. So I changed it.\r\n\r\nSomething that I always knew in the back of my mind, but never really faced, was this one simple fact:\u00A0The biggest myth about productivity is that it\u2019s a measure of how much you get done.\r\n\r\nIf you can come to terms with it, really embrace what it means, you\u2019ll be on the fast track out of this ugly cycle too.\r\nWhat productivity is really about\r\nBeing productive isn\u2019t just about quantity. And it\u2019s not just about quality either. It\u2019s about getting the most important, impactful things done efficiently, and to a high degree of quality, without getting hung up on perfection.\r\n\r\nThis last part is especially tough for many of us.\r\n\r\nLike most things in life, there are two ends of the spectrum.\u00A0On one end you\u2019ve got no structure. You bounce from task to task and back again, free-flowing and aimless. Constantly jumping between mental states, conversations, browser tabs, etc.\r\n\r\nAlternatively, if you look up articles on \u2018productivity\u2019 you\u2019ll find a lot written about what I consider to be the other end of the spectrum. Rigid routines, rules, and structures that are hard to follow. For example, the\u00A0Pomodoro technique, where you\u2019re prompted to set a timer and work in 25 minute blocks, followed by a short break each time the timer goes off.\r\n\r\nI have a problem sticking with this kind of rigidity. I don\u2019t live the rest of my life like this, (and I doubt you do either), so it\u2019s tough to expect such a radical deviation in the hours spent at work.\r\n\r\nTo me, most formalized productivity structures are like crash diets. You may do fine for a short while, but it\u2019s ultimately unsustainable. You\u2019re setting yourself up for failure.\r\n\r\nEven more importantly, excessive structure doesn\u2019t leave room for working on things when inspiration strikes, which is my favorite part of being an entrepreneur.\u00A0If I remove the freedom to do that, I\u2019ve squashed one of the biggest benefits of doing any of this in the first place.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLike most things, I needed to visualize the problem before I could figure out the best solution, so I sketched out a primitive version of this little \u201Cproductivity spectrum\u201D. Then I scribbled over the section of the line where I thought I fell (it was where you see the red square now).\r\n\r\nMy goal was to move to my theoretical \u201COptimal Zone\u201D while adding as little structure and as few rules as possible.\r\n\r\nI ended up only making three changes to how I work, but the impact has been remarkable.\r\n1. Force Focus\r\nBefore layering on any new habits to my routine, I started by eliminating a bad one; multitasking.\r\n\r\nI know, I know \u2013 you don\u2019t want another lecture about how saturated we are with stimuli and the evils of the inbox and social media. I\u2019ll spare you the lecture. But I did a little research and what I found was pretty alarming.\r\n\r\nAn article published in the\u00A0American Psychological Journal, detailed numerous research studies that help to illustrate the harmful effects of multitasking and task switching.\r\n\r\nIn an experiment where students were asked to solve math problems, the ones that were also asked to switch to other tasks performed\u00A040 percent slower than those who were allowed to focus only on the problem. This is because we\u2019re essentially competing to use the same part of our brain. Just like a computer when it gets overloaded, it simply slows down.\r\n\u201CWhen we switch from one task to another and back again, our brain is pushing pause and play buttons,\u201D says neuroscientist Jordan Grafman.\r\nAnother study published on\u00A0BBC News\u00A0even found that\u00A0those distracted by incoming email and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ \u2013 more than twice that found in studies of the impact of smoking marijuana.\r\n\r\nSlowing you down is only the half of it. Studies have shown that this cognitive overload contributes greatly to high levels of stress, exhaustion, and a slew of other physical maladies.\r\n\r\nAccording to an article published in\u00A0Psychology Today\u00A0by Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., mental fatigue manifests itself in a number of physical and harmful ways, including but not limited to: impaired concentration, poor attention span, insomnia, anxiety, depression, irritability, stomach pains, dizziness and migraines.\r\n\r\nI also knew deep down that I was using multitasking and task switching as a guilt-free way of putting off the hard work I had to do.\r\n\r\nIf I was cruising through a to-do list a mile long it didn\u2019t matter how unimportant the tasks were, I justified to myself that I was being productive. This is dangerous territory.\r\n\r\nSo my first significant jump toward the\u00A0\u201COptimal Zone\u201D\u00A0on the spectrum came when I only allowed myself to work on a single task at a time. This means closing irrelevant browser tabs, email, chat windows, and putting your phone on silent in your bag and out of sight.\r\n\r\nPhysically removing the distractions also removes the mental load and effort that goes in to resisting the temptation in the first place. In other words: out of sight, out of mind.\r\n2. Identify Value\r\nFocusing on one task at a time is a strong start, but it ignores the ever-so-haunting fact that we\u2019re often working on the wrong thing at the wrong time. So again, I took to a little visualization.\r\n\r\nThis diagram (inspired by one from\u00A0Tarang Baxi) has been incredibly helpful.\u00A0It\u2019s a simple exercise that illuminates what you really ought to be focused on at any given time.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nYour\u00A0main goal may be building a stronger brand or growing your audience on social media. Whatever it is, put that on the y-axis where I currently show \u201Crevenue.\u201D\r\n\r\nPut all your tasks into the appropriate box, according to the impact each has on reaching your goal and the amount of effort it will take. Then work in order of the numbered boxes. (I bet you\u2019ll find that most of the things you tend to work on first really belong in bucket number 3).\r\n\r\nMy number one priority right now with\u00A0HookFeed\u00A0is building revenue so we can continue to grow. So each feature we build out, each piece of marketing we work on, every outreach attempt to potential customers, all get weighed against what will have the biggest impact on that goal. And this isn\u2019t always the \u201Cfun stuff\u201D.\r\n\r\nIf a task isn\u2019t having a big impact on your goal, bump it to the end of the line.\r\n3. Batch Recurring Tasks\r\nThis might have been one of the simplest changes I made to my routine and it had a massive impact on my cognitive load and efficiency.\r\n\r\nEach week I have a handful of tasks and responsibilities that are mainstays in my schedule. For example, I co-host\u00A0The Rocketship Podcast\u00A0and the series of tasks I have to complete each week are pretty much always the same:\r\n\r\n\tPrep and publish two episodes (we release one every Tuesday and Thursday)\r\n\tWrite and send out a newsletter\r\n\tPrep for and record two interviews\r\n\tReview the analytics for our sponsors\r\n\r\nAll in all this is about four to five\u00A0hours of work. I used to just fit in bits and pieces when I had time, and often it would turn into seven or eight\u00A0hours because I wasn\u2019t fully focused on knocking them out.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWe\u2019d schedule interviews throughout the week at various times, sometimes having as many as eight in one week. I always had a feeling I was forgetting something or juggling miscellaneous tasks in the back of my head. It was killing momentum on HookFeed and burning me out on\u2013what started as\u2013a passion project.\r\n\r\nI made a simple change. I batch all the production for the week\u2019s episodes on Monday nights. It doesn\u2019t require much creativity so I save it for later in the day. Now we only schedule new interviews on Fridays in two time slots. Same time every week.\r\n\r\nI also do this for some of my recurring\u00A0HookFeed\u00A0tasks as well. The result is that I have a few hours each week blocked out for the \u201Cmainstays.\u201D The tasks are black and white, and I know exactly how long each will take. It removes a massive amount of mental load so I can focus on the big stuff.\r\nMost surprising benefit\u00A0of these changes:\r\nI work less.\r\n\r\nMy original goal in trying to achieve a better level of productivity was squarely focused on what more I\u2019d get done, but I didn\u2019t really think about the notion that I\u2019d free up more time. I was so used to treading water and always feeling like there was more to do and never enough time. Initially, all I wanted was to make progress toward my goals any way I could.\r\n\r\nA huge part about anything you do in life is making sure you have time to recharge your batteries. A funny thing happens when you realize midway through the day that you\u2019ve gotten your most important things done already, and made solid progress toward your goals\u2026 you\u2019re able to step away!\r\n\r\nWhen you start weigh the lower level priorities with the option to recharge, it becomes much easier to go take advantage of some free time and not feel guilty about it.\r\n\r\nI\u2019d even argue that the activities you do in your free time are in fact higher priority and more impactful on reaching your goals than other lower level priorities. There is no substitute for the positive impacts on the quality of work I produce than living a balanced life. This has been by far the most important lesson for me in all of this.\r\n\r\nThough I strongly encourage you to try the focus and prioritization techniques I found so helpful in improving my productivity, remember that there\u2019s no hope of being truly productive if you\u2019re burnt out. And feeling guilt-free about prioritizing my free time has made me better at everything I work on.\r\n\r\nSo conquer your most impactful tasks first, and then go grab a happy hour drink, exercise, watch a movie, read a book, cook a good meal, or spend time with friends and family. The value of doing so outweighs the little odds and ends that previously kept you spinning your wheels. Trust me.\r\n\r\nRead next:\u00A0The key to better work? E-mail less, flow more"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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