Todd Talks: Productivity and Prioritization (2020 Edition)

Todd Nief's Show

I’m often asked “how I handle it all,” and — while I think the true answer may have something to do with several deep flaws in my fundamental personality, I do think I have a framework that helps me get a good amount of stuff done.

I tend to manage too many projects at once pretty much all of the time — which is actually probably not very good for my mental health nor my overall effectiveness.

Still, I’ve developed some systems that enable me to keep things moving along.

The biggest update from my previous soliloquy on productivity is the introduction of “daily buckets.”

I organize my projects into three categories:

1. High cognitive load work projects
2. Content creation/Creative work
3. Admin

Every day, I pick one project from each category to move forward. This has been the biggest win for me, and I hope it’s helpful for someone else.

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Show Notes:

• [0:10] An analysis of the flaws in my personality that also result in high productivity
• [04:21] The Jane Jacobs model of productivity — creating systems with optimal opportunities for self-organization
• [08:10] A tangible example of splitting a large priority into discrete projects — and how to organize those projects into different buckets throughout the week
• [13:56] Creating weekly project priorities and then converting those into daily priority projects
• [19:52] Finding the optimal balance of structure and flexibility in any system — and the flaws of being too structured in your planning

Links and Resources Mentioned

• Palu app
• ‎Asana
• Getting Things Done