One word: self-awareness.
There are a lot of good tactics out there, but the question for every single one is: does it work for you?
Instead of trying to force yourself to make a GTD time management system work, when you’re obviously miserable in it, spend some time learning what actually makes you tick, or work, in this case.
I think very little people know themselves well enough to be able to tell how they work best.
Spend a month learning how your brain and body function, and you can start designing your life and environment in a way that allows you to be very productive.
Here are some starting points.
1. Take a few quizzes
You’d be surprised at how much quizzes teach you about yourself. You have to do the right ones of course, not the Facebook-which-kind-of-car-should-you-buy-type of quizzes.
Here are 5 that have helped me:
1. Personality type according to Myers-Briggs (INFJ, etc.)
2. The Habit Tendency Quiz by Gretchen Rubin (I’m an Upholder, watch the videos she has about the types)
3. The Bad Habit Breaker Quiz (shows you whether you best abandon your bad habits abruptly, over time, or have to replace them) <= I created this one myself
4. Chris Guillebeau’s Born For This Quiz (this is about your career goals, but has some valuable working style questions as well)
5. What’s your learning style? (20 questions, has helped me see I like when people talk to me one on one, e.g. via video, and I then write down what I learned instantly)
I’ve learned from these quizzes that I best work alone, but to enjoy teamwork occasionally, though I don’t like the daily office vibe. I do best if I make my own hours, because I’m very self-motivated. If people give me responsibility and then hold me accountable to the results, I do my best.
2. Track your habits
Use a habit tracker (I like coach.me) and enter 10 habits you already have or things you want to track.
The most helpful ones for productivity are:
Don’t check email before 11 am
What gets tracked, gets measured, and only what you measure can you make progress on.
You’ll instantly see which of these come easy to you, and what you do already anyways, and learn what helps you get things done, and what doesn’t.
You’ll also find out whether tracking itself works for you, or whether you’re a free spirit and need to go with the flow.
I tracked 15 habits last year and writing a detailed report has helped me adjust my habits for 2016.
3. Run experimental changes in your work environment
The possibilities for work environments are endless, so tweak a few major points, test them for a week, and see which version you like best. These would fall under common tips, but the point is to change how you implement them until you’ve successfully customized them.
Here are some ideas:
1. Schedule your most important task (for me it’s writing) at the same time each day, and move that time around. Your alertness is highest in the morning, but some people really seem to be night owls (few, but it’s possible).
2. Change the duration of focused time blocks. The Pomodoro technique suggests 25 minutes of focused work followed by 5 minutes of a break. But maybe you need 20 minutes to really get in the zone on your coding work, so double the amounts to 50/10. Find out the best unit for you to focus and keep using that.
3. Switch workplaces. Working in a new environment helps you remember things better, so maybe switch between your cubicle and an empty conference room, or your couch and your desk, or the coffee shop and the library. Stick to one until you notice you become less efficient, then switch.
Some of the results of becoming self-aware are tough. Maybe you thrive in solitude, but really enjoy your coworkers’ company. You might learn that having a boss makes you miserable.
But don’t think of what you learn as discouraging, see it as taking the first steps towards building the life you want.
When you know yourself, you can go all in on those strengths and don’t have to worry about the things you suck at.
So learn what works and then build your life around that – I think that’s how really smart people work and also what makes them successful.