In my house, no crime is more likely to end up in instant dismemberment than scuffing my Precious Portfolio.

I have a beautiful, classic black leather portfolio from Levenger that I use for all of my business “stuff.”  I carried it to meetings at my last job, I carried it to interviews when I was in job search, and now I carry it to meetings with clients.  (Although my netbook may soon displace it).

My last portfolio met an untimely death, caused by someone very dear to me stacking a pile of books on top of it, irreparably creasing the cover.  It was never really the same.

By now, you should be able to tell that I’m serious about my productivity tools.

I’m also a GTD devotee — well, most of the time.  I go through phases of being totally on the bandwagon, then things start to slide, usually followed by me deciding to rework my system and starting semi-fresh.

And at some point, I wonder how much time I spend saving myself time.

I think on the whole I end out ahead — more focused, with a better perspective on my projects and priorities.  But not everyone is so lucky.

The key with productivity systems is that you have to do something that works for you.  If you’re feeling out of focus but know that label makers and categorized to-do lists are too much for you, try this:

15 minutes a day to more productive work

1. Set aside 15 minutes a day. At the end of the work day, set aside 15 minutes to wrap up today’s activities and get clear on tomorrow.  Take two minutes and clear off your desk and put a few things away.
2. Do a mental dump. Write down everything that’s on your mind right now.  Keep writing until you run out.  You’ll want to store this somewhere that it will be easily accessible, but first do the next step…
3. Choose the next day’s priorities. Review the results of the mental dump and any mental dumps from previous days, and choose 4-5 things that you WILL accomplish the next day.  Make it reasonable, but also make it meaningful towards helping you achieve your long-term goals.  You may have a task or two that’s more urgent than important, but mostly you want to focus on those things that will move you closer to where you want to go.
4. Put them where you can see them. Write your list for the day in big letters and keep it in front of you while you work.  Every so often, ask yourself: “Am I working towards these priorities?”  If not, figure out if you’re doing it by choice or by default.

These are the basics of working according to your priorities, rather than according to how things strike you in the moment.  Have you tried something like this?  Have additional tips?  Let us know in the comments!

photo credit: adotjdotsmith

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4. 5 ways to bring focus into your day
5. 5 things you can do right now to get out of your productivity hole

Tagged as: attention, Career, effectiveness, goals, productivity, time management