I have a confession about a productivity guru shift of allegiance. I used to worship Getting Things Done (GTD) author David Allen. His system covered everything under the sun that needed tracking and systematizing in your life and business.

He had you look at the big picture, and then narrow down your vision to impeccably track the multitude of details. You could use paper, you could use digital tools – but you’d have a file or tickler for every thing under the sun you need to keep on top of.

In theory, this is an awesome system. But one of the complaints was – it was too detailed and took too long to set up. David would suggest you just take a weekend and put his system in place. Most found the weekend or several days didn’t cut it.

Possibly this was because you’d have to convert your whole system of files and information to his system, and then keep the work flowing and organized in that way. A big hurdle. You’d also have to keep working with the GTD system daily and weekly – another weak point for many.

Karen – if you’re listening – you were right. I hope you were able to recycle the GTD books I gave you. (She never was convinced of GTD – even if I insisted the author was one of the buddhas of business).

THE NEW RELIGION OF PRODUCTIVITY AND PRIORITIZING

At any rate friends, I have a new productivity religion to run by you. I read the book in a day or two, and that next week, I felt I increased productivity by a 33-50%. This is always a conglomeration of factors, granted. (I learned a neat mindset trick too that week via another book – I’m psyched to share that with you soon.)

But here’s the deal – this system is very very simple. I was going to say, there is no system, but that’s not true. It’s so darn simple, there is maybe an hour to set it up. And then it takes 18 minutes a day to stay on track with it – less for some.

If there is any criticism of Peter Bregman’s book and productivity guide, 18 Minutes, it’s that some may find it isn’t detailed enough – it’s too open-ended. But in this day and age, when distraction is threatening a full-scale takeover, this book may give you the boost you need, without the hours and total revamping of your current tracking and filing systems.

TIME TO ADMIT WE CAN’T DO IT ALL?

The book is called 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done. Ah, that subtitle gives the heart hope, doesn’t it? Here we are in January, looking over that vision list from last year, and … well, it’s not uncommon to have some of the same areas to put right back on that vision list.

Progress is made, but maybe not as much as hoped, eh?

The book is divided into four parts: Overview, Find your focus, Get the right things done, and Mastering distraction. The format is simple, and kind of cool. Those four sections each have short, bite-size chapters, with solid suggestions. And like any good book, there are stories to help illustrate the teaching – personal and business stories that really work.

The book has 46 chapters, and it’s my guess that each of us will resonate to the gems that are most relevant. In this way, the book will be one you’ll likely benefit from re-reading, as you master some of the skills. I’ll share my 5 big take-aways to give you an idea of some of Bregman’s wisdom.

1) You can juggle 5 things – manage 5 “projects”. Peter suggests you choose 3 business areas, and 2 personal areas to focus on for the year. Only 5 (first name fix). Then you only take on work and activities that relate to these areas. While not a new concept, he restates this with clarity and conviction. He makes the case that:

2) You can’t do it all. This is a mistake of the productivity gurus (sorry David). Maybe that was prior to 2012’s acceleration maze – when the current thinking was you could do it all, have it all – you just had to have a great system. No. Pick 5 things, and learn to say no.

3) Avoid switch-tasking. Wow, here’s a mind blower. Peter disagrees with the term multi-tasking. You can’t do two things at once, it’s true. And research shows not only is it more stressful, it’s just NOT effective. This will be a hard one to implement, but it resonates with me.

4) Saying when and where. Okay – you know the tasks for the week. And if you’re like me, you know you’re SUPPOSED to actually write those things in your calendar – but they don’t actually get there. Or, didn’t used to. That’s how the 33-50% more got done.

5) The value of getting things half right. Peter advises not that you “settle” for imperfection, but aim for it. Perfectionism stops more progress – it must be a first cousin of fear, don’tcha think? Uh-oh, I see a new comedy show. This concept prevented a lot more stalls (and was half of that mindset trick I mentioned), as I prepared for last week’s talk.

GET THE RIGHT THINGS DONE

So if you can’t get it all done, Bregman’s book just might help you get the right things done. And, it will certainly give you lots of little gems and food for thought to apply to your needs, and strengthen your ability to master distraction.

How might next January look, if you stay on task with that vision list?

Yours in making dreams reach reality,

Denise Barnes