Productivity Hacks: Learn the Secrets of Highly Productive People

@infoactivist #mlawebinar @mnlibraries
Please enjoy this musical
prelude:
you should hear music
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Friday, April 3, 15

Productivity Hacks:
Learn the Secrets of
Highly Productive
People
Anthony Molaro, Ph.D.
Friday, April 3, 15

Who Am I?
• Previously
• Associate Dean of Library & Instructional
Technology
• Public Library Director
• Head of Technical Services & Technology
• Various other roles
Friday, April 3, 15

MLIS%Program%
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@infoactivist | @scottlib_mn | #sclstaffday
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•
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Pop Quiz
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Worry
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Hurry is Worry in Motion
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Effects
• Decreased capacity to love those around us
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Effects
• Destroys passion, innovation & creativity
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Effects
• Leads to shallower lives
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Big Ideas
• Approaches & Methodologies
• Time Management
• Task Management
• Information Management
• Email Management
• Habit Formation
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Approaches &
Methodologies
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Friday, April 3, 15

GTD - Contexts
• A key component of GTD is the use of
contexts
• Contexts are tags you apply to something
• @store @errand @work @desk are all
contexts
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Eisenhower Method
http://jamesclear.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/eisenhower-box.jpg
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Kanban
• Kanban is a visual system.
• It uses three main boards (to do, doing,
done).
• Works well for project managers.
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Photo Credit: https://ﬂic.kr/p/7h6YCc
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Essentialism
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Techniques
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3 D’s
• Distractions
• Disruptions
• Diversions
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Pomodoro
Photo Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Il_pomodoro.jpg
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Standing Desk
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Time Management
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You schedule is the most powerful tool you have to shape
the life you want
Photo Credit: https://ﬂic.kr/p/bnZKrV
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My schedule should be far less about what I
have to get done than who I want to
become
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The thoughtful and intentional re-crafting of
my personal schedule can be one of the
most creative, innovative and courageous
endeavors I can put my hands to doing
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What Should Go on
Your Calendar?
• Only time-bounded items should go on
your calendar
• This can include self-imposed time-
bounded items
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Task Management
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Task Management
• Task management is the system that you
use to tackle the tasks of life (and work).
• Whether you use a GTD or Eisenhower
system or something all your own.
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Task Management
• It is a to-do list that is well organized,
time-bound and prioritized.
• Anything that takes more than a few
minutes should be placed in your task
manager.
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My Organization
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Todoist
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Todoist
• Freemium ($29 a year).
• Great for people who have solitary tasks.
• Great for list builders.
• Can email tasks.
• Lots of tagging and foldering abilities.
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Todoist
Photo Credit: https://purplezengoat.ﬁles.wordpress.com/2012/09/todoist-7-day-view.jpg
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Trello
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Trello
• Freemium ($45 a year).
• Great for visual people.
• Great for project managers.
• Follows the Kanban approach.
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Nirvana HQ
Photo Credit: https://larrinski.ﬁles.wordpress.com/2010/09/nirvana_screenshot.png
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Information
Management
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Information
Management
• Information management is the
management of all of those little pieces of
information that come into your life.
• Can be either digital or analog but please
pick one.
• A good information management systems
serves as an extension of your brain.
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Information
Management
• Where do your store stuff like:
• Notes from this session (and other
notes)
• Bookmarks and websites
• Articles
• Minutes and agenda
• New ideas
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Information
Management
• If you need to remember it or access it at
some future point, it should go into an
information management system.
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Evernote
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Evernote
• Freemium ($60 per year)
• Most widely used Information Management
tool.
• Has analog features.
• Can email in information.
• Video, photos, recordings are all OK.
• Sharable.
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Photo Credit: http://productivityist.com/how-i-use-evernote-for-beer-cellaring/
Friday, April 3, 15

Evernote
Photo Credits: © 2013, Michael S. Hyatt.All rights reserved. Originally published at www.michaelhyatt.com.
Friday, April 3, 15

Email Management
Friday, April 3, 15

Email Management
• You can use whatever email client/provider
you like.
• Rethink your email habits.
Friday, April 3, 15

Email Habits
• Imagine if you mail person rang your phone
every time the post ofﬁce received
something for you.
• Imagine walking out to the mail box several
times a day.
• Why do we treat email differently than
traditional mail?
Friday, April 3, 15

Email Management
• Email is supposed to be long-form
communications.
• It should be used for things that are not
urgent.
• The phone, texting, and instant messaging
are all tools that could be should be used
for emergencies.
Friday, April 3, 15

Email Management
• Email has proven to be one of the biggest
time sucks, productivity killers, and
distractors of many of us.
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Email Management
• We treat email like its our job. Worse, we
treat email like its a core function of our
job.
• Email is a aspect of your work life, but its a
very small one.
• For us, our job is to collect books, put on
AMAZING programs, provide RA and
reference, teach, engage our community. It
is not live in email.
Friday, April 3, 15

Email Management
• Your goal should be to get in and out of
email as fast as possible.
• Respond to emails that will only take a few
minutes to respond to.
• Move more complex emails to your task
management tool.
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Habit Building
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Habit Forming
• Many people want to form better habits so
they use productivity tools to do so, but it
often leads to failure.
• You need to use the right tool for the right
thing.
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Don’t Break the Chain
Photo Credits: https://minneapolisviolinlessons.ﬁles.wordpress.com/2014/05/dont-break-the-chain.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1
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Habit RPG
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Coach.ME (formerly
Lift)
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Coach.me
• Is a goal-setting app.
• Follows the “don’t break the chain”
technique.
• Also has a strong social element.
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Quick Tips
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Morning Routine
• Morning people tend to:
• Make more money
• Be more productive
• Be healthier and live longer
• Be happier
Friday, April 3, 15

My Morning Routine
• Theme song
• Breathing exercise
• Meditation
• Journaling (5-minute journal)
• Day planning
• 7-minute workout
• Positive readings
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Passwords
• Stolen from my friend Anne Slaughter:
• Set passwords to positive and encouraging
phrases
• Change your passwords when you change
your clock
• Use a tool like Lastpass
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Avoid Distractions
• Shut email and social media notiﬁcations off
on your phone
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Creative Habit
Have a theme song(s)
Photo Credit: http://www.becktench.com/blog/
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Quit Something
Thursdays
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Use a Timer onYour
Internet
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Take Better Meeting
Notes
Photo Credit: http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z386/marlacummins/Business/Blog%20Images/notes4.png
Friday, April 3, 15

@infoactivist #mlawebinar @mnlibrariesPhoto Credits: https://ﬂic.kr/p/7rZi9Q
Friday, April 3, 15

Further Resources
• David Allen, GettingThings Done, (Book)
• Greg McKeown, Essentialism, (Book)
• Michael Hyatt, http://michaelhyatt.com/
(Christian perspective)
• Joshua Becker, http://
www.becomingminimalist.com/
• MikeVardy, http://productivityist.com/
• Leo Babauta, http://zenhabits.net/
Friday, April 3, 15

ThankYou
• Questions?
• You can follow up with me on Twitter too.
Friday, April 3, 15

Productivity Hacks: Learn the Secrets of Highly Productive People

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