There’s no shortage Popular Productivity of advice when it comes to getting more done in less time. But is it all really useful? Fast Company asked productivity experts what advice many people give that actually does more harm than good – and what we should actually do instead. The editor of the book Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine , Find Your Focus and Sharpen Your Creative Mind, Jocelyn Glei, warns that the problem with this type of advice is that it tries to propose a one-size-fits-all solution; the concept of productivity for someone opening a small business or startup is different from that of someone writing a book. “Focusing too much on productivity can make us forget what we’re trying to accomplish,” she says. In addition to believing that there’s only one recipe, other myths should also be avoided. We’ve listed three of the most popular ones:
1. The “search field” eliminates the need for an email archiving system
Personal productivity expert Peggy country wise email marketing list Duncan says that’s not quite the case. “If you don’t have an organized filing system, you’ll have to search through all your files, which will waste your time.” She groups everything into broad categories with related subcategories. “With this logical system, I can narrow down the folders I search,” she explains.
2. Set priorities
“You don’t set priorities, you have them,” says the most important elements of writing a marketing article that make a difference David Allen, author of the book “Getting Things Done: A Stress-Free Formula for Setting Priorities and Delivering Solutions on Time.” What we need to do is recognize them. His suggestion is to empty our minds, from time to time, of everything that is occupying our attention – this way, priorities will emerge naturally and it will be easier to decide on the next steps.
3. Start your day by looking at your to-do list
“It’s a terrible time to do it,” says Julie caseno data Morgens, author of Never Check Email in the Morning . “If you wait until the morning to organize your day, it’s too late and the tasks will come crashing down on you,” she advises. She says it’s best to end the day by looking at your to-do list for the next day, so that if there’s something that’s no longer relevant or possible, you’ll have time to cancel or reschedule it.