Want to know my number one productivity hack?
If you want to be more productive, you should start connecting the things you want to get done to other things you’re already doing.
Why? Because…
Productivity is the result of habit.
I was reading a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. One point that stood out to me relates to what I’m sharing with you right now. In essence it says, “Focus not on goals, but processes because processes are what will create results.”
Or…
Focus on systems not on goals, as systems create a result automatically.
What does this have to do with my #1 productivity hack?
Here it is: When I’m making all those videos in which I share my insights on sales, copywriting, marketing, and so on, I’m using a system. My objective is to create content.
For example, with my video series ‘Letting the Chickens Out With Jim,’ I have to let the chickens out every day. It’s a real daily routine. I also need to create a video every day.
So, I put them together.
Content creation connected to real action.
If you want to start a new habit, you need to tie it to something you’re already doing every day, like connecting it to the moment you first check your email.
For example, let’s say that you want to create a video every morning. If you check your email in the morning, tie making a video to checking your email. Now you won’t need to remember to make that video.
Just include the video making into your existing routine of checking your email.
To tie it even closer together, you can send yourself an email the night before with the topic you’re going to discuss in the morning video! You’ll wake up, check your email, read your own instructions for recording your video, and get it done.
This creates a habit… and habits lead to systems.
Systems get stuff done. This is my secret!
So my #1 productivity hack is to tie what you want to do to something you’re already doing. This will automatically plug you into an existing system in your brain, and you won’t have to force yourself to remember it.
I use this a lot when I’m in a “procrastination gap” where I’m stuck between thinking about doing something and actually doing it.
You can eliminate that gap using this tip!
The Big Lesson
If you want to be more productive…
- Tie what you want to do to something you’re already doing;
- Create a system around it;
- Overcome the gap by simply following your system.
That’s it!