To Optimize Creative Productivity, You Need Lists, an Agenda, and a Calendar. (Here's How All 3 Work Together)

If you're a creator, you need to get paid!

The more efficient you are at brain-dumping and organizing your ideas, the more easily and quickly you will complete your most important projects — the ones people want from you.

A few thoughts about 3 fundamental productivity tools (that everyone has).

Efficient productivity is the skillful completion of what you plan to accomplish.

Unfortunately, many people are not effectively using the most efficient and readily available productivity tools — that you probably already have!

And what’s the result?

Not knowing what to prioritize, showing up late, and feeling overwhelmed.

I can relate to two of the three above. For some reason, I am always punctual. Maybe because I’m a pleaser. I know for sure how easy it is to get confused or distracted about what’s most important and how that leads to me feeling overwhelmed. That still happens, and when it does, in part it’s because I’m not using my tools effectively.

To be an efficient, productive, and successful creator you need to master managing tasks, projects, and appointments.

The truth is that you have the tools, you're probably just not using them effectively.

You're probably already using one of 3 basic productivity management tools:

1. Lists 🗓
2. An Agenda or To-Do App ☑️
3. A Calendar 📆

Each tool involves a different thought process to skillfully manage and allocate your energy to optimize for,

• Clarity
• Daily Productivity
• Weekly overview

Here's how to use these 3 productivity tools as a whole to go from planning to completion:

#1. Use Lists to Clear Your Mind

When you record your ideas as lists and organize them into projects and tasks, you remove a cognitive load from your brain.

This frees up energy to focus on the task at hand, knowing important items have been recorded, managed, and allocated.

#2. Setting Your Agenda Is Like Making a Daily Recipe

Your agenda is a forcing function to do a granular deep dive & create your daily recipe.

The ingredients for your recipe are your tasks, notes, resources, reminders, meetings, etc.

The method for your recipe requires clarity about what steps to complete first, in what way, and for how long.

These comprise the quantitative and qualitative aspects of your day.

#3. Your Calendar Is Your Bird's Eye View

To make it easier to see the landscape of your plan, use coloured blocks for different kinds of work (meetings, personal, production, creativity, etc.) to immediately tell your brain the kind of energy or focus required for a specific task on your calendar.

For your greatest creative output and efficiency, book your tasks and meetings at the time of day that best maximizes your creative versus analytical focus.

The power of the 3 productivity tools working as one.

Each tool allows for a specific kind of thought process, planning, and organizing.

Together, they function like a completed recipe — the outcome is greater than the sum of each ingredient.

The Benefits?

When your ideas are out of your head...

When you have a clear, prioritized plan for what you need to accomplish today...

When you have an overview of the bigger picture...

You will then have optimized your productivity allowing you to enjoy more peace of mind and freedom.

If you were more efficient in your daily work routine, what would that look like?

Let me know in the comments below.