I must have read hundreds of articles on productivity, getting things done, todo lists and of course I've used my fair share of apps that are supposed to help you work better and more productively. None of the apps really stuck with me and the techniques I tried to follow were frequently more complicated than I needed. About a year ago I decided to give up the ghost on trying different techniques and just do what makes me happy.

So what is productivity? Various books and systems would have you believe that by cutting corners you can get more done. Cutting corners makes you go faster, but is that true productivity?

Here's my definition of productivity:

Productivity: The practice and understanding of completing projects and tasks for yourself in the way that works best for you.

I think many people misunderstand productivity. Typically productivity has the definition of working efficiently. I imagine this as someone completing as many actions as possible in a single day. However, completing as many actions as possible in a single day doesn't mean you understand what you have just done. And that for me is the real trick in moving a project forward. Understanding clearly what has been done in the past so that we can move a project forward in the right direction in the future.

This week I am going to run a series of posts on the grass roots of productivity. The absolute basics, nothing more. There's no complicated workflow or specific apps needed to using my method. In fact it's not really a method, or even mine, it's just the simplest thing that works for me and may work for you too.

It simply requires a list management tool of your own choice and the will to work. Yes, you need to tell yourself you want to work. How many times have you heard that mentioned in productivity articles? I haven't seen it mentioned too many times.

The series starts tomorrow and runs until Friday.

1. Keep a Master List
2. Prioritise Your Master List
3. Work Through Your List

I hope you enjoy it.