The webcast “Why We Are Overwhelmed and Unproductive: The Social Science Behind Getting Things Done” begins with productivity memes to make you laugh and nod along knowingly:
“I was super busy today … I got nothing done.”
“Just wrote a sticky note … to read my other sticky notes.”
Being busy is tiring. It’s even more exhausting to be busy but unproductive.
In the webcast presented by the professional development firm Crucial Learning, learning design and research consultant Justin Hale notes a common human hope: Almost everyone wants to feel more in control and focused, or at least not overwhelmed.
This hope is made more difficult by the many communication channels you face, including emails, phone calls, text messages, social media notifications and internal messaging platforms. Like many people, you may have tried various organizational systems that leave you feeling even more swamped and further behind.
Hale says the common ways we use our brains may exacerbate these problems. He recommends five steps to improve your presence and productivity while reducing stress.
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Use your brain to generate ideas, not store them.
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Perform mind sweeps.
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Minimize your capture tools.
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Take small steps.
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Schedule a weekly review.
Use your brain to generate, not store, ideas
Research shows the human brain works best at having ideas, not holding them. Like most people, you’re likely using your mind in ways it’s not built for. Your brain wants to generate and consider different concepts. Using it as a storage device to keep track of your tasks is beyond its capabilities and adds to your stress.
According to research at the University of Missouri-Columbia, your working memory can only hold about four things simultaneously. It’s as little as two for some individuals. Even the outlier participants could only remember up to six tasks at one time. These results hold true regardless of age or occupation.
It’s not just that the brain isn’t reliable as a storage device. Trying to remember everything that needs to get done is stressful. The second and third steps can help you generate ideas and find better ways to store them.
Perform mind sweeps
An overtaxed brain will interrupt thoughts with reminders of unfinished items. This mechanism creates anxiety and can disturb sleep. If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night thinking about a project you need to complete, it’s a symptom of trying to remember too much.
Here’s why this concept is so crucial: According to Hale, the average person has between 75 and 125 unfinished commitments to themselves and others.
It’s not realistic to expect to complete them all. Ongoing tasks can be on your mind for months and years. Each one pulls at your attention, making it difficult to feel present and focused.
Freeing your mind from these action items can reduce your stress. One strategy is to perform a mind sweep. A “mind sweep” is when you take a set amount of time, say two to five minutes, to write down as many of your unfinished tasks as you can recall. Include home responsibilities, job duties, financial plans, pet projects, short-term wishes and long-term goals.
Writing down these items should provide a sense of relief. This step will free your mind from remembering and allow it to get back to generating ideas. Perform mind sweeps consistently to enhance calm and focus.
Daniel Levitin, author of “The Organized Mind,” notes that the brain’s ability to remind us of unfinished business can turn into endless chatter in today’s always-on world. Clearing your mind through writing frees your brain from constantly needing to remind you.
You don’t have to complete a task to reduce your stress. You need a trusted plan and a commitment to move forward in a reasonable amount of time. Learning how and where to store your ideas leads to step three.
Minimize your capture tools
Offload your tasks to a trusted location or two. Hale calls these “capture tools” to record your ideas. Capture tools often include computer desktops, email inboxes, text and messaging apps, team collaboration tools, notebooks, sticky notes, whiteboards, kitchen counters and laptop bags.
Using too many capture tools is problematic and forces the brain back into memory mode. Instead, minimize your capture tools to one or two trusted sources. They should be:
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Accessible: Make sure one capture tool is always with you to capture spur-of-the-moment ideas.
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Easy to use: It shouldn’t require complicated or time-consuming steps. If it takes 45 seconds to write down “pick up milk at the grocery store on the way home from work,” you will not likely use the tool.
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Reliable: A capture tool needs to be viewed regularly to be effective. You should view it at least once a day to reduce your brain’s need to recall items.
Record tasks in your chosen tools. You might use one email inbox and one digital calendar to capture work and home responsibilities. Or you might opt for a note-taking app with written and voice-command options to quickly record your to-do list.
Automate processes so your ideas go to the tools you use. For example, forward relevant emails to one tool so you’re not checking three or four different inboxes. If you don’t regularly check your work voicemail, use your recorded message to direct people to text, email or call the capture tool of your choice. Consolidate from multiple notepads and sticky notes to one notebook or an app on your smartphone.
Minimizing capture tools to a trusted few makes them more effective and increases the odds of maintaining this habit.
Take small steps
Small steps count. Simply clarifying your next step can reduce stress because your brain feels good about making progress.
Many people fall into the trap of listing a project or goal. It’s more effective to list the small actions that build to a larger outcome. Hale recommends shrinking your tasks until they’re small enough that you want to do them. This strategy can reduce feelings of overwhelm.
Shrinking your action could mean the next step is an email, call, text or download. It could mean reading the fine print, drafting a message, talking to a colleague, reviewing several quotes, filling out a form, or picking up or dropping off a package.
These examples highlight the process of shrinking a larger goal into a smaller task:
Example #1
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Larger Goal: Prepare for your team meeting next week.
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Smaller Task: Reserve a conference room for Monday at 2:00 PM
Example #2
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Larger Goal: Implement new work processes.
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Smaller Task: Send a meeting invite to brainstorm change management strategies.
Example #3
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Larger Goal: Get your car fixed.
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Smaller Task: Call two mechanics for price estimates.
Humans like being in motion. According to productivity expert David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done,” identifying your next step reduces angst and motivates you to continue making progress.
Schedule a weekly review
Periodically reviewing your goals makes you more likely to stay aligned with your priorities. Hale recommends a weekly review.
Schedule a meeting with yourself to go over your current and future goals. Putting it in your calendar prioritizes this time.
Use the review to ensure your day-to-day work and life align with your aspirations. This strategy reduces the burden on your brain and increases the likelihood of accomplishing your goals.
Put it all together
These steps should result in immediate stress relief and tangible movement toward your goals. They also help you to define what you want and change course as needed.
Remember: Getting things done isn’t just about finishing tasks. It’s about being appropriately engaged with your work and life.