This blog is all about productivity. I am trying to optimize every aspect of my performance – from how quickly I can learn a new skill to how much time I have to spend running, everything needs to be improved.
I believe in the power of a thousand small changes.
A 1% increase in one area will obviously not have a big impact on your end results. If there are 100 factors that determine your success, then a 1% boost to one factor turns into 0.01% improvement across the board.
A 10% increase in a single area is better, but it is still not the way to go. For one thing, getting 10% better at a single success factor is very hard to do. It also doesn’t amount to very much when you look at the bigger picture. With 100 hypothetical factors controlling your success, we have a .1% total improvement.
But making a 1% improvement in 100 different areas will have an unbelievable impact on your overall performance.
By making a tiny, almost imperceptible enhancement of just 1% in every success factor, you will have achieved a 1% improvement to your overall output.
When people do this, the end result is usually much more powerful than the sum of the individual improvements.
This isn’t just theory; this method is often employed in the real world. It is most common in the world of super-elite athletes. This makes sense, because these people haven’t realistically got 10% of improvement left in them in any one area. But they do have room for a 1% improvement in lots of different areas, and the result can be incredible.
I believe in the power of a thousand small changes.
A 1% increase in one area will obviously not have a big impact on your end results. If there are 100 factors that determine your success, then a 1% boost to one factor turns into 0.01% improvement across the board.
A 10% increase in a single area is better, but it is still not the way to go. For one thing, getting 10% better at a single success factor is very hard to do. It also doesn’t amount to very much when you look at the bigger picture. With 100 hypothetical factors controlling your success, we have a .1% total improvement.
But making a 1% improvement in 100 different areas will have an unbelievable impact on your overall performance.
By making a tiny, almost imperceptible enhancement of just 1% in every success factor, you will have achieved a 1% improvement to your overall output.
When people do this, the end result is usually much more powerful than the sum of the individual improvements.
This isn’t just theory; this method is often employed in the real world. It is most common in the world of super-elite athletes. This makes sense, because these people haven’t realistically got 10% of improvement left in them in any one area. But they do have room for a 1% improvement in lots of different areas, and the result can be incredible.
Perhaps the most famous example is Dave Brailsford. He was coached both Team Sky when Bradley Wiggins became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France, and the British cycling team during the 2012 olympics – where they won over two-thirds of the gold medals available.
Dave did this by utilizing this method, which he calls the “aggregation of marginal gains”. He said that there is always room for a 1% improvement in everything you do. He also believed that adding up tiny gains in lots of different areas will bring about an enormous improvement in performance.
Clearly, he was right.
So how can you use this method?
Optimize The Mundane
You aren’t a professional cyclist.
You aren’t an elite athlete.
So how does this method apply to you?
No matter what your goal is, whether it’s winning the Tour de France or closing more deals this month than any of your colleagues, then this method, this philosophy, can work for you.
The approach is the same regardless of the specifics. You just look at what your day consists of and look for a way to make every single component a little bit better.
You focus in on the seriously mundane minutia of what your day actually consists of – think nuts and bolts, not abstract concepts.
Dave did this by utilizing this method, which he calls the “aggregation of marginal gains”. He said that there is always room for a 1% improvement in everything you do. He also believed that adding up tiny gains in lots of different areas will bring about an enormous improvement in performance.
Clearly, he was right.
So how can you use this method?
Optimize The Mundane
You aren’t a professional cyclist.
You aren’t an elite athlete.
So how does this method apply to you?
No matter what your goal is, whether it’s winning the Tour de France or closing more deals this month than any of your colleagues, then this method, this philosophy, can work for you.
The approach is the same regardless of the specifics. You just look at what your day consists of and look for a way to make every single component a little bit better.
You focus in on the seriously mundane minutia of what your day actually consists of – think nuts and bolts, not abstract concepts.
Because when you really look at it, your day doesn’t consist of “sales” or “logistics” – it consists of “making phone calls”, “responding to emails”, and “stock checking”. Then when you think about it a little bit more, you realize that your day doesn’t consist of “making phone calls”; a significant portion of your day consists of “looking for phone numbers on a company website”, trying to convince a secretary to put you through to the purchasing manager”, “convincing them to take a look at your proposals”, etc.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll see that there is an almost infinite number of things in your day that could be improved by 1%.
Imagine every single component that makes up “responding to emails”, and then imagine it being 1% faster, 1% more efficient, and 1% more compelling.
If you don’t see how much of a difference this could make to your day by now, you probably aren’t going to utilize this method. But for the 10% of you that now see the obvious potential in this method, this checklist is for you.
My Productivity Checklist
This list is a total brain dump.
It is a compilation of tools, books, apps, methods, and physical things which I have found to be extremely useful in making small improvements in various aspects of my daily performance.
It is under constant construction.
I do not still use all of these things in my day-to-day life, but I have either used them in the past or I have known somebody who found them incredibly useful.
Everything here is designed to make things slightly better, faster, more efficient, and more effective.
There’s nothing revolutionary here – that’s not the point of this method!
If you think there’s an obvious one that I’ve missed, let me know what it is and how it has helped you in the comments.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll see that there is an almost infinite number of things in your day that could be improved by 1%.
Imagine every single component that makes up “responding to emails”, and then imagine it being 1% faster, 1% more efficient, and 1% more compelling.
If you don’t see how much of a difference this could make to your day by now, you probably aren’t going to utilize this method. But for the 10% of you that now see the obvious potential in this method, this checklist is for you.
My Productivity Checklist
This list is a total brain dump.
It is a compilation of tools, books, apps, methods, and physical things which I have found to be extremely useful in making small improvements in various aspects of my daily performance.
It is under constant construction.
I do not still use all of these things in my day-to-day life, but I have either used them in the past or I have known somebody who found them incredibly useful.
Everything here is designed to make things slightly better, faster, more efficient, and more effective.
There’s nothing revolutionary here – that’s not the point of this method!
If you think there’s an obvious one that I’ve missed, let me know what it is and how it has helped you in the comments.
THE PRODUCTIVITY CHECKLIST
Apps & Subscriptions
Scannable - Allows you to scan documents with your smartphone
Expensify - Catalogs images of your business expense receipts
DeskTime - Tracks how you spend your time on your desktop
LastPass - Browser extension; controls all of your passwords and allows you to access them all with one master password
Unroll.Me - Bundles all of your subscription emails into a single, manageable document; really speeds up email clearing
Cold Turkey - Locks you out of your computer until you hit a set time or word count; unbelievably powerful tool for easily distracted copywriters and bloggers
Vora - This app tracks your intermittent fasting efforts. I think that intermittent fasting is good for both health and your productivity; not having to make breakfast and overcoming hunger does wonders for how much work you get done in the mornings. That's to say nothing of the energy boost most people get from fasting. This app makes your fasts into a game.
Supplements
DHA/EPA - A good quality DHA/EPA supplement is an absolute must-have if you care about long-term brain health and functionality; go for an algae oil rather than a fish oil (because of the pollutants)
Vitamin D - Most of us are now deficient in Vitamin D because we don't spend anywhere near enough time outside; low Vitamin D means low energy, a weak immune system, and low mood!
CDP-Choline - This is an analogue of choline; supplementation leads to higher cognitive functioning in several different respects
Super Greens Powder - If you are a busy person, you probably aren't eating anywhere near enough greens; these super green powders rectify this problem
Vitamin B Complex - If you want to maximize your energy levels, then a Vitamin B Complex is an absolute must. This is especially important if your diet is limited, or if you regularly practice prolonged intermittent fasting.
Kit
Small notebook - You need a small notebook that you carry with you everywhere
Large notebook - A master notebook you keep at your desk
Wall calendar - Most people use their smartphones for this, but it really helps us remember our appointments when we physically write them down; typing just doesn't cut it!
Noise-cancelling headphones - If you work for yourself, then you probably try to snatch any opportunity to get some extra work done. But working on the train, in a coffee shop, or in your hotel lobby can be hard with all the noise. Noise-cancelling headphones can be an absolute saviour in these situations. Today you can get some brilliant noise-cancelling headphones for a reasonable price. They're not always the big clunky things they used to be either - you can get some small earbuds that double as noise amplifiers (great for listening in on the interesting conversation going on at the other end the carriage)
Portable charger - Never let your phone die on your again! Portable chargers are small, they hold a lot of spare battery power, and they're cheap! There's no excuse for your phone to die anymore!