Productivity Advice Ranked From Best to Worst
What's worth trying and what isn't.
Productivity advice boils down to a simple distinction. Execution-based versus planning-based techniques.
Planning techniques are often novel, exciting, and complicated. Meanwhile, execution-based techniques are simple, obvious, and kind of boring.
But the simple fact is ideas and plans are 5%…execution is 95% of what leads to results. Keep this in mind as you read through my tiered list.
S Tier - The GOAT
Do the most important thing first.
The Technique: Do your hardest, most important ambitious task the first thing you do before anything else.
Why it works: Most people have their best thinking brain right when they wake up or shortly after coffee. Willpower and energy are also in ample supply. The first hours of the day can often be disruption-free too. If you wait, more opportunities for the unexpected occur.
What holds people back: They start their days with a reactive mindset. Dopamine-driven impulses and a lack of a clear purpose push us towards email, the news, or social media. Others start their day doing the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th most important thing and never get to the most important.
My Take: When I follow this advice consistently, I make incredible progress on my goals. It makes every other piece of advice unnecessary and/or irrelevant.
I also feel at peace knowing I've completed my most important task, rather than carrying the mental burden of knowing the most important thing hasn’t been started yet.
This technique also complements two other protocols I’ve written about — 60 Minutes is the Sweet Spot for Focus and managing energy levels.
A Tier - Game Changers
Stop Context Switching (and do focused work)
The Technique: Do one task at a time without switching to something else for at least an hour.
Why it works: Toggling between tasks hampers our concentration and flow. Finding periods where you block everything out and do one thing makes work get done faster and is of higher quality.
What holds people back: Distractions are abundant and tempting. And we like distractions and hate concentrating deeply.
My Experience: Anytime I can spend an hour single-tasking it usually results in feelings of satisfaction.
All of us naturally do “deep work” when it matters. Deadlines are a great catalyst to shut off everything. But to be more effective, you must get into this mode before deadlines jolt us to work this way.
Use an Accountability Partner
The Technique: Work alongside others. This could be working with a stranger using a coworking service like Focusmate or working/studying with a coworker/friend in the same place.
Why it works: The presence of others gives us an artificial motivational boost to get started, and starting is the hardest part. When you declare your intentions and then work silently in the presence of others, it’s the Hawthorne effect in action. People act differently when around others.
What holds people back: We underestimate the power others have on us and overestimate our motivation. There is also a chance you’ve never heard of a virtual coworking space or find it weird to need others to do what matters the most to you.
My Take: When I schedule a focus session with a random stranger on the internet, it kicks my butt into high gear to get started. If you’ve read my previous work, you know I like to say “If doing something difficult, surround yourself with friends”. This practice embodies this mantra.
B Tier - Nice to Have
Batch Small Tasks
The Technique: Collect all the small tasks and batch them together in a single session of work.
Why it works: We get bogged down by the small things in life. I’ve called these upkeep tasks. They are never-ending. Paying bills, admin work, laundry, etc.
Knocking them out in one swoop will make you more effective than doing them in fragments over a week. This allows you to keep focusing on the impactful stuff.
What holds people back: We like trivial tasks as a distraction or excuse for why we couldn’t get to the high-impact items that move the needle.
There are two counterarguments. First, some people need things in order before they can start. Decluttering a desk is a prerequisite before working deeply. Second, small tasks build momentum to start something difficult.
My Experience: Knowing there will be a dedicated time in my week for small stuff smoothes my mind. There is also satisfaction in crossing 9 items off a list in an hour.
I try to have one session every week where I batch the small stuff. I usually pair this with focusmates and limit myself to 1 to 2 hours a week since small stuff can be infinite.
Use an App/Website Blocker to Eliminate Distractions
The Technique: Use apps like Freedom, ScreenZen, or Apple’s Screentime to block apps/websites so you don’t go down rabbit holes on the internet.
Why it works: We have no self-control when it comes to scrolling our phones. Time with your phone is time on your phone.
Instead, use proactive intentions to block stuff before you get tempted. It’s the equivalent of not buying junk food at the store because you can’t resist cookies once in the kitchen.
What holds people back: Setting them up and not turning them off. There isn’t any friction to get back to scrolling. Moreover, you need a replacement activity — a better way to spend your time.
My experience: I’ve doubled down on this using the Freedom app I bought during black Friday. It syncs across all my devices and has a recurring schedule. I don’t check any news/social media/YouTube before 2 pm.
C Tier - Overrated
Create a Weekly Plan
The Technique: On Sunday night or Monday morning you write a weekly plan of everything you will accomplish.
Why it works: By planning, it will help you stay on track during the week to get things done.
What holds people back from doing it: Most people aren’t hyperplanners. It’s another thing to do. Planning but not executing is common.
My Take: I try to spend 10 minutes on Sunday running through a checklist. Mostly look at my calendars, plug workouts into the week, and just jot down my biggest tasks for work and personal.
There are two central issues why this is overrated. First, organizing and planning feels good but is pretend work. Planning isn’t executing. Writing a plan can also backfire. We tend to set unrealistic expectations.
Second, life is a series of interruptions. Adaptability is more important than planning. You have to be able to shift things, eliminate things, and work only on the essentials. Life will never give you enough time.
Create a Time Blocked Schedule
The Technique: Use your calendar to block off tasks then adhere to your task blocks.
Why it works: Your task list is infinite but your calendar is not. When you add tasks to your calendar you have to consider time along with other obligations like meetings.
What holds people back: They don’t have the personality for time-blocking. It’s rigid and restrictive.
My Take: I am the anti-time-blocking guy. It’s by far my most popular article on Medium. For task-focused people, I advise sketching the day out rather than hyper-scheduling.
Another flaw is sticking to your work blocks. If we had perfect discipline we could do it. In my mind, there are better techniques that increase compliance and hack your motivation.
D Tier - Pointless
The Pomodoro Technique
The Technique: Work for a focused 25-minute interval, followed by a 5-minute break, with a longer 15-30-minute break after completing four 25-minute sessions.
Why it works: We have short attention spans and this makes focusing less intimidating.
What holds people back: This isn’t a natural way to work. Our focus muscle isn’t a switch, it’s a ramp. It takes at least 10 minutes to get into the flow. Training wheels on concentration is overrated. The problem isn’t focusing, it’s starting.
My Take: Why destroy momentum by stopping every 25 minutes? 50 minutes sounds better but I never understood arbitrary time limits. Stop when you naturally slow down and your brain needs a break.
Set Due Dates
The Technique: Create due dates in your task/reminders/calendar app.
Why it works: A well-placed reminder can prompt action.
What holds people back: Our brains are smart. They know the difference between real and fake deadlines. Unless someone is counting on you or it’s an actual deadline, we will procrastinate.
My Take: I mostly don’t set reminders in Todoist anymore. It’s wasted time rescheduling things again and again. Better to think of your to-do list as a place to remember things but not schedule them.
What do you think? Which technique am I missing? Which technique works best for you? Hit reply to this email and tell me.
Thanks for reading!
Irfan
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