3 simple productivity techniques

Being productive is crucial. The more you accomplish the better. The problem is that many people think that by working hard for long hours they will accomplish a lot. That unfortunately is not true. It is not (just) about working hard, but it is about working smart.

Another problem is that with all the noise and distractions around us, it is very difficult to get really productive.

So today, I want to share with you three simple productivity techniques. These techniques have several things in common:

– they all use a timer
– they require focusing 100% on whatever is you are doing
– they require taking breaks and recover
– and although they are (extremely) simple, they are effective

Check out the videos.

Power Hour

Fearsome Focus

The Pomodoro Technique

So … which one works best? …. Well, it is up to you! I personally have tried all three techniques and the one that works best for me is Alex Mandossian’s Power Hour, because most of my tasks take longer than the 25 minutes bust of energy from the Pomodoro Technique and I would just keep going “two more minutes here, three more minutes there” … so I decide that longer blocks of time would work best for me.

Another reason why I particularly use more often the Power Hour technique is that in the past I used to block my entire day on Fearsome Focus blocks and I was very satisfied. I accomplished a lot and I thought it was great. However, by the end of the day I was exhausted. So, I integrated the idea of just using the Power Hour three or four times during the day and not only I kept accomplishing a lot but I had lots of energy.

Also, when I set in my calendar “Power Hour Time“, I know that “it’s showtime!” and it is time to really get my goals closer. So I really look forward to it.

It is funny when some people tell me stuff like “I see you ‘all the time’ on Facebook and Twitter, how come you get anything done“. Well, what they do not know is that most of the time the period I am active on different social media platforms is the 10 minutes break after 50 minutes of complete and total focus.

I can tell you that these techniques work and if you are serious about accomplishing anything, well, I strongly recommend you to implement any of these techniques, or even better come up with one of your own. But do something! That is the key!

Do you have any other techniques you would like to share?