Productivity Problems? Make It Easy- For You!
Will a new method solve your productivity problems?
Have you ever read a book, watched a YouTube video, or taken an online course and been inspired to try a new productivity method? This new method promises to make your life run more smoothly, set effective goals, and be the solution you are looking for.
You are convinced this is what your life needs. So, you dig into this new process. It could be a new planner, project management system, or way to schedule your days. You take in all the learning and plug it into your life.
Productivity problem solved. Or is it?
It looks like it is working, and then it begins to unravel. What looked easy for someone else is actually complicating your life.
Now, you feel even worse because you are struggling with your productivity and feel terrible because this new method isn’t working.
What is wrong?
The Excitement of Learning New Tools
I experimented with many different productivity tools and systems this past year. I learned all about Notion for the first time and also experimented with Asana and ClickUp. I had no idea there were so many different products available to help us keep track of projects.
Seeing how other professionals used these tools to manage their lives, teams, and projects was exciting. Each of them had methods for keeping track of their goals and deliverables. I loved learning from them and was sure my problems would be solved using their template or method.
After being inspired by their journey into enhanced productivity, I would usually dabble and experiment with the new tool. I would trial the software and see what it was like to implement their methods.
The novelty gave me enough good feelings to keep going, and putting my to-dos into a new system felt like getting them done. Researching the capabilities of each method caused me to dream bigger.
Surely, this latest method would help me leap into a new realm of success.
The Failure of the New Tools
This feeling of novelty usually lasted a few weeks. I would wake up inspired to see my routines in this new tool. I’d feel more productive and professional when I opened up the app of the month.
As I expanded my sense of productivity, I began wanting to do more with the new tool. But, it was a new tool that required researching and experimenting. I would quickly lose several hours trying to figure out how to put this idea into the new tool perfectly.
This led to frustration. Now, I was spending more time trying to learn how to use the tool than actually getting things done.
Something that would have taken 5 minutes to write down in my bullet journal in GoodNotes was taking an hour.
As I was struggling to learn the tool, the hours in the day passed. I wasn’t writing, creating inspiring content, or progressing on my home projects. All I was doing was fighting with a new digital tool that promised solutions and didn’t do the tasks for me.
I didn’t need a project management tool; I needed to manage myself.
Productivity Begins With Self-Awareness
I love to write things down. I know that is shocking!
But it is more than that. I love to use a pen and write things by hand. For decades, this has been how I keep track of what is important to me. Writing things down by hand connects me with the words and helps me remember.
If I don’t write something down, I will forget it. In fact, for many years, my family has known that the best way to ensure I don’t forget something is to either put a note on my desk or text it to me. If they tell me in conversations, I’ll forget.
Many of these new software tools lacked the ability to accept handwriting input. I use my iPad all the time. I love writing with the Apple Pencil. And yet, these fancy tools, like Asana, Click Up, and Notion, aren’t designed with that input in mind. I’m sure there are workarounds. But it certainly wasn’t easy for me.
Why was I continuing to try out these tools that didn’t work the way I did?
Make it Easy- For You
As I talked to Dave about my frustrations with learning these new tools, he asked me why I was spending so much time learning them.
Oof, that was a good question. Why was I over-complicating things?
So, I returned to what has worked for me and been easy for years. I made my 2024 Bullet Journal in my GoodNotes app and wrote things down. It was simple, beautiful, and straightforward.
I began thinking about what I wanted to accomplish this year and wrote some ideas down. I didn’t need to watch a YouTube video or take an online course.
It was so easy. With the friction removed, I was able to get back to what I loved. I’m writing more. I am making progress on projects that are important to me.
And while I don’t have the novelty of learning something new, I do have the satisfaction of getting things done.
When we are frustrated with our productivity, it can be so tempting to look for a new tool to solve the problem. And often, for a while, they can. But if this new tool is complex and doesn’t work how we need it to, it can create roadblocks for genuine productivity.
Because if we aren’t getting the right things done, are we really productive?
Jennifer Douglas
Jennifer is the author of "A Breast Cancer Journey: Living it One Step at a Time," breast cancer survivor, and patient advocate. Her book, published in 2023 by Bold Story Press, is an encouraging guide for breast cancer patients. It contains first-hand information, organized by topics, to help readers navigate the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from breast cancer. Her writing emphasizes emotional, mental, and physical well-being along with empowered decision-making.
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