GETTING THINGS DONETIPS AND TRICKS

Brian Frank@bfrank

Product Manager, Palm VP of Product, Timeful

“[Brian] is a *machine* of execution, getting more done in a day (in priority order) than almost anyone I’ve met.”

- Leading Tech Exec

GETTING THINGS DONE

PROVEN METHODS

▸ Establish Rituals

▸ Do the ‘Hard Thing’ First

▸ Delay Reading Email

▸ Avoid Structured Procrastination

▸ Protect Your Most Productive Time

▸ Schedule Yourself First

▸ Ban Meetings - At Least for One Day

▸ Run Effective Meetings

▸ Schedule Others - And Be Nice

▸ Clearly Articulate Your Rules

RITUALS

GETTING THINGS DONE

RITUALS ARE POWERFUL

▸ Focuses your mind

▸ Makes you consistent

▸ Set you up for a ‘good day’

▸ Tip: Write the 3 things you need to get done that day right when you walk into the office.

DO THE ‘HARD THING’ FIRST

GETTING THINGS DONE

‘EAT A LIVE FROG FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND NOTHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN THE REST OF THE DAY’ - MARK TWAIN

▸ You’re prepared to do the difficult stuff

▸ 85-90% are most productive first thing in the morning

▸ Getting the hard thing done makes you feel better

▸ Tip: Schedule chunks of a hard, multi-day project first thing in the morning

DELAY EMAIL

GETTING THINGS DONE

EMAIL IS A ‘TIME SINK’

▸ There’s ALWAYS going to be plenty of email first thing in the morning

▸ People are conditioned to pick up their phone after waking up. Resist! (If you can’t, ‘triage’)

▸ It’ll be there when you get to it, and we have periods of low productivity where checking email is the perfect task

▸ Tip: Schedule time to do email in your ‘low productivity’ time - after lunch, end of day, on the train

AVOID STRUCTURED PROCRASTINATION

GETTING THINGS DONE

TO DO LISTS ARE EVIL

▸ They’re a record of everything you WILL NOT get done

▸ You intermingle simple things (‘schedule meeting’) and hard things (‘work on project’)

▸ You set yourself up for Structured Procrastination

▸ Tip: Prioritize & say ‘no’ to things on your To Do List - its liberating and helps you focus on whats important

PROTECT YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME

GETTING THINGS DONE

WE HAVE RHYTHMS

▸ Most people are most productive in the morning

▸ People are less productive after lunch and later in the day, but NOT just before the end of the day (special case)

▸ You work better when you have ‘commitments’

▸ Tip: Learn what times you’re most productive, and schedule your tasks into those slots (ON YOUR CALENDAR!)

SCHEDULE YOURSELF FIRST

GETTING THINGS DONE

NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM

▸ If you don’t schedule yourself, someone else will (‘time thieves’)

▸ People fail at large projects because they don’t actually account for the amount of work that will go into it

▸ So we ‘cram’ at the last minute, which produces lower quality results

▸ Tip: Block off key times in your schedule, and be ruthless about keeping them for yourself

BAN MEETINGS - AT LEAST FOR ONE DAY

GETTING THINGS DONE

MEETINGS ARE THE ANTI-THESIS OF PRODUCTIVITY

▸ When you have to get something important done, having clear time on your schedule to do it is critical

▸ Meetings end up breaking up the day, and you avoid getting into ‘flow’

▸ Meetings are often not run properly (we’ll tackle that next)

▸ Tip: Agree with your team on a ‘meeting free’ day

RUN EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

GETTING THINGS DONE

MEETINGS OFTEN DON’T YIELD TANGIBLE RESULTS

▸ We schedule 1hr long meetings because our calendars do that by default

▸ There’s VERY few meetings where you actually need an hour

▸ And every meeting should have clear objectives and outcomes set upfront

▸ Tip: Book 30 min meetings, have a clear agenda, and do them standing up

SCHEDULE OTHERS -BUT BE NICE!

GETTING THINGS DONE

WE’RE ALL VERY BUSY

▸ When dealing with others (investors, partners, customers) make sure you are the ‘leader’ on getting it scheduled

▸ Recognize that everyone is busy, and you have to be flexible on scheduling - so give several options that work for you first

▸ Don’t rush meetings onto the schedule - better to be prepared and have a successful meeting

▸ Tip: ‘I’m happy to get that on our schedule, how’s these days/times …’

CLEARLY ARTICULATE YOUR RULES

GETTING THINGS DONE

RULES ARE A WAY OF MAKING PEOPLE CONFORM TO YOUR PLAN

▸ We are inherently rule-driven creatures

▸ Rules are instilled in us at a very early age

▸ We feel guilty when we break peoples’ rules

▸ Tip: Make rules about days/times for meetings - i.e. - ‘I have to take all my meetings before 4:30pm, because I need to get home for dinner with my kids/spouse.’

TIME IS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS AND SCARCE RESOURCE - YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH, AND YOU CAN’T MAKE MORE

Dan Ariely, Behavioral Economist

GETTING THINGS DONE