Joel Orr: The Basics: How to Get More Done

There is so much advice online for every imaginable need! If you’re feeling that your productivity is lagging, or you are a bit out of control, and want to get more done, I suggest getting back to basics.

Here’s what I do:

Start with someone else

My day always goes better when I start with someone else. Whether it’s a co-worker, a client, a parent, a child, a spouse, when I begin by focusing on what I might do for one other person, I always get a jolt of energy. I feel “ahead of the game.” Even if it is something the other person doesn’t learn about right away, you know it–and you feel the glow of love and satisfaction.

Plan

Of course you know this; you probably know all these suggestions. My goal is to help you refocus on them. And the very best way to plan that I have discovered is in a book–Getting Things Done, by David Allen. It’s inexpensive, and there is no end of free information about the GTD (getting things done) methodology online. The big deal about it is that it is not a big deal. It “covers all the bases” in terms of input, output, tracking, and doing the right things at the right time. Its simplicity is elegant, and it is a process that doesn’t “guilt” you into doing the right things.

I do my planning of tomorrow at the end of today. That helps me to know what I’m supposed to be doing, and to hit the ground running. My GTD system helps me not to lose anything that comes up. Go read about it.

Gratitude

When I open my eyes in the morning, or even before, I begin with gratitude–for waking up; for having had a good night’s sleep; for my wonderful life; for my wonderful wife. I allow myself to brainstorm: What am I thankful for? (To whom am I grateful? I think gratitude is beneficial–period. Personally, I am grateful to God, in my own peculiar way. But whether that is a fit for you or not, gratitude is powerful.)

Forgive

Every day comes with its demands. This moment is full. My mind is full of things demanding my attention, my action. I need all my resources to focus on it. If I allow the past to occupy any part of my mind, I feel I am wasting my energy. The past is immutable; it cannot be altered. It is only in the present that I can do anything, that I have any power at all.

Has someone hurt me? Have I been treated unfairly? Could be; that kind of thing happens. I don’t like it, and I don’t like how I feel when it happens.

What can I do to minimize the impact of the hurt? For me, the answer is: Forgive. I make up excuses for the other party. I take responsibility for what happened. I take a deep breath and forgive.

Forgiving doesn’t mean seeking them out. Maybe my lesson from the situation is that I shouldn’t have anything to do with that person. In any event, it’s beneficial to me or them if I carry them around, resenting them. I picture the person getting very small. Then I picture a large hand coming down from above. I put the person in that hand, and which it go up, out of sight. And breathe a sigh of relief.

Be present

When I’ve got a plan, I’ve done something for someone else, I’ve been thankful, and I’ve done some forgiveness, I’m free to focus on what is in font of me. Now my plan has teeth! All my internal resources are available for doing what needs to be done. Pow! Here I come!