I mentioned in a recent blog post that life… would rather run its own course if you allow it… Well, that was the summary of last month. It was all shades of ‘busy’ and overwhelming.

I wish I could say I was busy with something meaningful—something that brought real value or financial gain. But on the contrary, my month was consumed by seemingly harmless (but ultimately pointless) energy-sapping distractions that stole my productive hours.

Think supervising artisans who couldn’t care less about timing, dragging out household repairs for days. And other similar disruptions. By the end of it, I was completely drained.

Nevertheless, I must salute myself for having mastered how to remain focused and productive amid distractions; otherwise, I would have been asking where the month went.

But thankfully, I can account for my month despite all odds. I achieved most of my goals and checked off many items on my to-do list; and even though the trivial stuff robbed me of some of my ‘vital few’ things (please ref. Pareto Principles), I am amazed at my performance in certain key areas.

For instance, I still prayed and fasted as scheduled, studied, worked out, met deadlines, read, took some courses, and participated in some webinars and online events; and I did stay in touch with friends, colleagues, and family (thanks to technology).

A general overview of my performance would earn me a pass mark on my scorecard. I caught a glimpse of this while preparing my monthly reports —and in retrospect, all I can say is, “Thank God.”

So, how did I manage to stay productive amid distractions—without even thinking about it or making a conscious effort?
(Did you notice I didn’t even realise I was hitting my targets until I checked at the end of the month?)

Let me share some of my productivity hacks with you.

I’ll just summarise the points for now, but I’ll break them down one by one in subsequent posts. So, here goes:

1) I create processes and templates (systems) for my ‘Vital Few Things‘.

From my experience as a certified Process Professional (a certification I earned during my time in IT), I’ve learned that life responds to principles. In fact, both success and failure can be predictable—and even replicable—when those principles are applied.

I have confirmed this through recent learning, research, and observations of certain life outcomes.

The aim of this act is to strive to build certain habits into my routine (personal operating system) so that I don’t need to think or consult my emotions before making vital decisions or taking action. The habit of creating proper routines and templates ensures that I often find myself doing—or later discover that I’ve already done—my vital few things unknowingly, i.e., without any conscious effort. I’ll dwell more on this in subsequent posts.

2) I always document and index my work, drafts, ideas, and other important details.

By indexing, I mean categorizing my data, information, and input records using recognizable and searchable codes—tags, labels, colour codes, hashtags, etc.—and arranging them as much as possible under headings, sections, and folders. The goal is to ensure that the final outcome of seemingly haphazard, spontaneous, on-the-fly notes and jottings forms a neat, recognizable and searchable pattern. Developing your own personal indexing codes helps you build a system that automatically organises your notes and jottings—without any conscious effort—as you input them on the go.

Here’s a typical example from my Google Keep Note. Click here to read my Tech Post about features and benefits of Google Keep on MakeADreamNG.com

3) I use scalable and syncablenote-taking tools.

If you’re a content writer like me, you’ll find this handy. Tools like Microsoft OneNote, Slack, Trello, Google Keep, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, and similar platforms help ensure that my jottings, designs, team updates, meeting minutes, action points, reminders, etc., stay synchronised and updated across devices and platforms. This saves me a lot of time and also helps keep my designs, manuscripts, and other files intact in case of device loss or damage.

Just last week, a team member was struggling to recall some content ideas she had lost when her laptop got damaged. Thankfully, she had taken a snapshot of the document with her phone and shared it with me via WhatsApp while preparing it. Even though my phone had also crashed at some point, she was beyond grateful when I was able to retrieve and send her the screenshot from my Google Photos.

My spontaneous note taking hacks include sending thought units, tasks and reminders to myself via WhatsApp chats.

4) I use calendar apps that sync with Google Calendar to schedule events, meetings, and recurring tasks—and set reminders for them.

I also use the various desktop and screen widgets judiciously.

5) I don’t wait for the perfect moment to think, plan, write, or execute—I make progress on the go

Remember, I have templates that make storing and finding my work easy. It works like an automated system.

6) I quickly recover from being grounded or making mistakes.

In line with IT Service Management principles and the ITIL framework (which, interestingly, applies just as well to life and business), I approach disruptions as ‘incidents’—working to restore the affected ‘service’ or area of my life or work to normal as quickly as possible, even if that means applying ‘stopgaps’ in the interim.

To put it simply: I prioritise resolving disruptions to my life and workflow swiftly, even if it involves taking detours or using temporary solutions along the way.

I lost touch with this particular point somehow in the past five years I must confess, but got back to it earlier this year; and it has been a life saver.

7) I always have some music playing at the background while working.

Good music often wards off negativity, helping you stay relaxed and productive while working. And whenever your mind begins to wander, meaningful lyrics have a way of pulling you back on track.

Stay tuned for more productivity hacks and lessons I’ve picked up along the way. Hit the button below to follow my blog – you won’t want to miss a thing!

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