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I increasingly believe that the only successful approach to productivity is treating yourself like an addict
If you want to stop drinking alcohol, don't keep it in the house
Here's how I keep myself productive:
If you want to stop drinking alcohol, don't keep it in the house
Here's how I keep myself productive:
1. Clean Out The Cupboards 
I use iOS Screen Time to block all social media, news, and yes, EMAIL, from my phone.
I also remove the ability to install new apps.
My wife set the code, so I don't have any easy way to get around it.
I use iOS Screen Time to block all social media, news, and yes, EMAIL, from my phone.
I also remove the ability to install new apps.
My wife set the code, so I don't have any easy way to get around it.
2. Add Guiderails 
On my Mac, I have an automation that quits all apps each morning before I get to work and pulls up OmniFocus on the screen, so it's always the first thing I see when I open my computer and can't go down a rabbit trail.
On my Mac, I have an automation that quits all apps each morning before I get to work and pulls up OmniFocus on the screen, so it's always the first thing I see when I open my computer and can't go down a rabbit trail.
3. Reduce Dopamine Hits 
I use to spend my entire day in my inbox.
As I'd send emails, new ones would stream in constantly, and before I'd know it I'd spent 4-5 hours just responding to emails instead of moving important projects or individual work forward.
I use to spend my entire day in my inbox.
As I'd send emails, new ones would stream in constantly, and before I'd know it I'd spent 4-5 hours just responding to emails instead of moving important projects or individual work forward.
I setup @Mailman_HQ, a Gmail plug-in @mohitmamoria and I built, to only deliver email once in the morning and once in the early afternoon, and to automatically batch any emails from anyone I hadn't emailed with before at 7AM...
It lets in anything with "ASAP", "emergency", and "end of day" immediately. The rest can wait...
4. Use GTD 
David Allan's Getting Things Done productivity system is the only thing that has ever worked for me.
My tool of choice is @OmniFocus, but you can use almost anything.
David Allan's Getting Things Done productivity system is the only thing that has ever worked for me.
My tool of choice is @OmniFocus, but you can use almost anything.
The idea in a nut shell: get *every* task out of your head.
Don't trust your brain.
Turn the raw tasks into projects and give them a context (Computer/Phone/Home/Out and About), then when you are in that context you can rip through your tasks...
Don't trust your brain.
Turn the raw tasks into projects and give them a context (Computer/Phone/Home/Out and About), then when you are in that context you can rip through your tasks...
Here's a quick overview:
My name is Andrew, and I'm a distractaholic 
What has worked for you?
What has worked for you?
