SIGN UP TO OUR NEXT LONDON WORKSHOP FRI 7TH DEC 2012 

How to Get Things Done Workshop, London, UK

 

 

Our ‘How to Get Things Done’ workshop is so called because it shows you how to do just that.

> I mean, I could tell you how we introduce the Think Productive work model so that you can implement a new way of doing things from your very next day back at the office;

> I could tell you how your trainer will help to break down your real life projects, so that the process begins in the session and not a week later;

> I could tell you that you will be so bursting with tips and tricks that you should warn your friends in advance that you’re about to become a productivity bore, but I won’t.

I’ll just say that if you come to a Think Productive public workshop you’ll learn ‘How to Get Things Done’ in less time and with more confidence, just trust me.

Learn to walk at a Think Productive How to Get Things Done workshop

IMAGE BY ACME

I get that it might feel a bit strange at first.

I was once there and was reminded of this recently when I went to visit my niece on her first birthday.

The little lady had just decided it was time to walk and it was such a joy watching the excitement on her face as she took those first delightfully, wobbly steps.

However I couldn’t quite understand her insistence on walking when she is such a champion crawler, she has perfected the art of crawling, other babies bow to her crawling prowess.

And then I got it, no matter how good she is at crawling, she will still be crawling. She instinctively knows that it will never be as good as walking and she will never get as much done without her hands free to smear jam on walls. Those first tentative steps are worth it for what she will achieve when walking at full speed.

A ‘How to Get Things Done’ workshop is like Think Productive holding your hand as you take your first steps into ninja like efficiency. The first time you step away from your work to complete a weekly checklist  it may feel a little weird, but after a couple of weeks you’ll wonder how you did without it.

Sometimes you feel like you’re going as fast as you can, but you’re still crawling when you could be walking. Come to a productivity workshop and learn to walk.

The next London productivity workshop for ‘How to Get Things Done’ is on Friday 7th December at Better Bankside near London Bridge.

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How to Get Things Done Workshop, London, UK

Matthew ninjaSleep like a productivity ninja

A few years ago, I shared a flat with a beautiful French girl called Celine. Her natural Gallic grace was only outweighed by her almost total inability to get up and go to bed on time. At weekends, she would go out, get to bed at 4 or 5AM, and wake at midday. Repeating this Friday and Saturday nights, she would be in what neurologists call a “persistent vegetative state” – low functioning, dopey, in the office but not in the office. She had, in effect, given herself jet lag over the weekend with her self-disrupted sleep patterns, and paid the price over Monday and Tuesday.

This got me thinking about the science of sleep. It turns out that there is an area of study called “Sleep Hygiene”. The idea is that we can adopt a series of habits, tips and tricks that enable us to sleep less – and better. This helps us to be at our most productive and creative during the day – in essence, sleeping Ninja-style!

I adopted the practices of Sleep Hygiene, and recommend the following Top Five Productivity Ninja Tips:

1. Fix a bedtime and an awakening time. Of course, this is not always possible, but if your time of going to bed varies by +/- two hours, and your time of waking varies by the same, you are giving yourself miniature, irregular, unnecessary bouts of jet lag. I aim to be in bed by 11PM and up by 6AM. Social demands may pull this out of shape, of course, but I find that when I stick to this timing my productivity and creativity the following day are tip-top.

2. Exercise regularly, but not right before bed. The demands of our busy working lives often make us relegate daily exercise to the bottom of the list. In my experience, this is a mistake. I try to cycle for 30 minutes first thing in the morning. I find that, if I skip this for whatever reason, my sleep suffers. Even twenty minutes a day can make the difference.

3. Don’t take your worries to bed. Some people like to mull things over – solo or with a partner – in the evening. I find that this generates “repetitive loop” type thinking that blocks sleep. Much as I rarely work after 6PM, I rarely give thought to “worry” matters after that time. Thus my head hits the pillow empty, rather than full of fret.

4. Reserve the bed for sleep and sex. Some people like to eat, watch TV and do a range of strange things in bed. I believe the body like clearer messages. Sleep and sex. Reading, perhaps, before sleep. By the way, television in the bedroom is an absolutely terrible idea.

5. Establish a pre-sleep ritual. Again, this is not always possible, but twenty minutes reading before bed, a hot drink, or whatever, signals to the body that sleep is imminent.

We spend a third of our lives asleep. We can use that time or abuse it. Sleep Hygiene is a neat way of minimising the stress and difficulty associated with the nocturnal hours. If we use those hours well, we can ensure that we maximise the impact of our daylight hours.

Forget time management. How to a Productivity Ninja is the book to read if you’re feeling stressed out with too much on your plate and too little time to get it done.Productivity ebookThe book is a culmination of three years of thinking and getting things done from our founder Graham Allcott. The e-book is being sold in aid of READ International. So if you buy the ebook & we’ll send real text books to Tanzanian schools. As a special treat we’ve published a series of posts explaining the nine characteristics of a Productivity Ninja. Follow the links below to read more….

The 9 Characteristics of a Productivity Ninja

1. Zen-like calm

Zen like calm is an ability to remain focused and not be stressed by everything on your task list.

2. Ruthlessness

Say‘no’ to as many distractions as possible. Can you be more ruthless in your focus?

3. Weapon-savvy

Use productivity tools, but being clear that the tools are there to save time, not provide distractions.

4. Stealth and camouflage

There times when working alone, away from the limelight, might be more productive.

5. Unorthodoxy

Think how would Nelson Mandela do this? Take inspiration from unusual (as well as usual) places.

6. Agility

Have good systems to help you react and respond quickly. Are there opportunities to discuss the storm during the calm before it? Plan ahead!

7. Mindfulness and Productivity

Ask yourself good questions and avoid stress. Are you a good listener – to yourselves and to others?

8. Preparedness

Rest, relaxation and good organisation skills are important. If you’re over-stretched, can you see light at the end of the tunnel? If not, change it!

9. Be Human not a Superhero

To be a Productivity Ninja, you don’t have to be a superhero. Superheroes only exist in the movies and you’ve got real work to do. Aiming for perfection is often the quickest way to get stuck. The important thing is to finish, not to be perfect. How many characteristics do you identify with? Please leave your comments below…

“How to be a Productivity Ninja” is available on Amazon buy your copy today.

Forget time management. How to a Productivity Ninja is the book to read if you’re feeling stressed out with too much on your plate and too little time to get it done.Productivity ebookThe book is a culmination of three years of thinking and getting things done from our founder Graham Allcott. The e-book is being sold in aid of READ International. So if you buy the ebook & we’ll send real text books to Tanzanian schools. As a special treat we’ve published a series of posts explaining the nine characteristics of a Productivity Ninja. Follow the links below to read more….

The 9 Characteristics of a Productivity Ninja

1. Zen-like calm

Zen like calm is an ability to remain focused and not be stressed by everything on your task list.

2. Ruthlessness

Say‘no’ to as many distractions as possible. Can you be more ruthless in your focus?

3. Weapon-savvy

Use productivity tools, but being clear that the tools are there to save time, not provide distractions.

4. Stealth and camouflage

There times when working alone, away from the limelight, might be more productive.

5. Unorthodoxy

Think how would Nelson Mandela do this? Take inspiration from unusual (as well as usual) places.

6. Agility

Have good systems to help you react and respond quickly. Are there opportunities to discuss the storm during the calm before it? Plan ahead!

7. Mindfulness and Productivity

Ask yourself good questions and avoid stress. Are you a good listener – to yourselves and to others?

8. Preparedness

Rest, relaxation and good organisation skills are important. If you’re over-stretched, can you see light at the end of the tunnel? If not, change it!

9. Be Human not a Superhero

To be a Productivity Ninja, you don’t have to be a superhero. Superheroes only exist in the movies and you’ve got real work to do. Aiming for perfection is often the quickest way to get stuck. The important thing is to finish, not to be perfect. How many characteristics do you identify with? Please leave your comments below…

“How to be a Productivity Ninja” is available on Amazon buy your copy today.