Between interviewing amazing people about how they GSD (get shit done) I’ll be sharing some tips and tactics with you about how I GSD. Today I’ve got four tips that have made a huge difference for me:
1. Filter your inbox.
Thanks to the Taming Your Inbox post Jess did, I’m working on whittling down my inbox. Her filters tip saved me. I used to get 200+ emails a day and I constantly unsubscribe to things that I just “happened” to get signed up for (i.e. I didn’t sign up for them). Now, all the emails I get that I don’t necessarily want to unsubscribe to (newsletters, marketing emails from my favorite sites, Refinery29, etc.), but just want to read when I actually have time — not in the middle of my work day (you start clicking & getting off track and then an hour later, you still haven’t finished that project you started). So by filtering all of my fun emails into one folder that I can check at the end of the day if I want it saves me all of that time during they day that I spend glancing at those emails. I’ve set them up to go straight into my folder (which I called Art.Fashion.Shop because that is pretty much what is in there) so they don’t stare at me all day in my inbox. Not being able to see them makes a huge difference for me. I also created a To Read folder for any regular emails I get that are heavier reading types of emails and I filter them into that folder. (Click here to get detailed instructions from Jess on how to do this for gmail).
2. Don’t check your email in the morning until you finish an important task or project.
This is so key in getting things done. Take your hardest longest task and tackle it first thing without checking your email (if at all possible). Obviously you may have to retrieve information via your email, maybe prep it the day before and get it out so there isn’t the chance of you getting lost in your email. By NOT checking your email, you won’t get distracted in responding to things that take you away from your main tasks and projects for the day. Once you finish a project, then set a specific amount of time to check and deal with emails. Stop again, and work on another project without checking email. You see the cycle I’m suggesting here? Lesson is — limit your email checking so you can focus on actual work.
3. Make your to-do list for the next day at the end of each work day.
I don’t know about you but if I don’t to this, (or keep a running list on TeuxDeux or put tasks on my Google Calendar) then I just think about my to-do’s all night. By having your list already made you won’t be thinking about it for the rest of the evening and you won’t be fiddling around in the morning trying to figure what to tackle first that day.
4. Make a project list and do one per week.
This project list is for all of those things around your place you want to get done. My list sounds something like this: go through magazines, prep my taxes, make clothing donation bag (i.e. go through closet), you catch my drift. Instead of looking at this list like ahhhh that is so much and letting it overwhelm you — look at it one by one and just do one thing per week. Just by making the list and setting a block of time to finish just one things and crossing off that one thing per week, you’ll get four of those projects done in a month. I tend to have a moment (usually on the weekend) where I just want to do everything all at once and I pull everything out of my closet, my bathroom, my desk, and I just end up creating a giant mess that is way too much for me to tackle in one afternoon. So by setting a limited goal and having not only the satisfaction of crossing if off, but also of having whatever that is done, is so fulfilling.
What strategies do you do to #GSD?
Comment here & maybe I’ll add it to an upcoming post!
GSD = Get Shit Done // Tweet Meg on twitter with #GSD to join the GSD conversation.
Notepad above is kate spade — available here.
Great advice, thank you. I’m working on filtering out my e-mail, so much junk.
Post its! I put all my lists on post its so its easy to discard at the end of the day!
Oooh I like this too! I actually use this to-do list that is also a post it! http://www.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?id=15096381&pid=anonymous&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=Product+Widget
Such great advice. I HAVE to make a to-do list each other day because if I don’t I’d go crazy and just be a stressed out mess and not GSD! =P
these are all so smart and helpful girly – they are all constant issues I deal with as well! i think my first task this week will be conquering the email issues and working on filtering
I totally do the to do list at the end of the day for the next morning. It helps me get on track first thing and reminds me of where I left off. Very helpful.
As for the other tips, I’ll have to start incorporating them!
Such a great tip to make a to-do list for the next day. I’ve been doing that for awhile at work and it always helps me get closure to my current day and arrive the next day with a clear picture of what I need to do. Great advice!
I love your project list idea and making yourself accountable to get one done a week. It is easy to put it all on a list, but then DOING it is the actual challenge and it quickly becomes so overwhelming. The weekly task of doing one of the projects is like a deadline.
i am already breathing easier with your/Jess’s filtering trick. SO. MUCH. LESS. EMAIL. oxox
I have a notepad with all the days of the week on one page with a few lines underneath each day. At the beginning of the week I assign my tasks according to the day I think I can or need to complete them on. If I do, great! I draw a line through it, if not it just gets moved to a later day. But this way I’m not shuffling through a lot of individual papers looking for what I need to do for the week.
Yes, I hate the paper problem! I try to do as much digital as possible so I don’t have the clutter and I know where to look. I only use 1 notebook at a time so I know that any vital info I wrote down is in there.
LOVE this thank you! Signed up for TeuxDeux and put it on my favorites bar!
When I make my “to-do” list I purposely put one task on there that I know I can get done quickly. It gives me motivation for the rest of my list, and nothing feels better than crossing it off.
I don’t know how people don’t filter their email. It’s insane to have to constantly hunt for something. I try to keep the actual inbox as clear as possible. To do lists at the end of the day are invaluable to me — it also helps to “leave it at work” as part of the transition to home life. Clutter — digital and paper — gets me distracted, so I try to eliminate it as much as possible. I keep it in a folder (computer) or pile (desktop) out of my basic line of sight and before I make my to do list at the end of the day, I go through and quickly decide what to do. It takes no more than 10 minutes but it’s a nice way to defer quick decisions all at once and keeps me from going down the good intentioned rabbit hole of cleaning and organizing.
this post comes at a perfect time! just in time for spring (hopefully soon in the district!)
Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t know what GSD was… {sheepish grin}
I’m all about tip #2. If I check my email first thing, I get behind on other things so easily. Thanks for the advice!
–Angelica
http://www.savvygirllife.com
This is genius ! Love the idea of doing a to do list after the work day, I totally think of it everynight ! For the email, at work I used to see a little window appear at the bottom of the screen everytime I recieved an email, and always ended up checking it right away, so I was always interrupted. Since I disabled that fonction, I’m way more productive !
This is all very true, and infinitely helpful for both personal and work life!
Especially the email advice on #2. I work with a European company but based in US so I check my emails in the morning due to the time difference and then work on a project, not stopping until a designated time later in the morning even as things pop-up in my inbox.
It is super helpful to follow #2, and breaks up your day into chunks of working time and keeps your mind engaged since you do different things.
Thank you so much for the post – it is so simple yet SO helpful! Definitely adopting the last tip (project list) in particular (I’m forever fretting about not getting these things done then trying to tackle them all at once and getting overwhelmed).
Briony xx
Love your blog Meg!
Thanks for this GSD post, I am the list queen at work and catch hell for it all the time. I’ve printed this out and given it to my coworkers so they know that lists are ligit! I am definitely going to try #2 and put off checking my email. (I may have to hide my iPhone in my desk drawer!)
Thanks for this! I am constantly overwhelmed by the amount of email I receive. I have my work email forwarded to my gmail, and I have to be subscribed to about 90 billion press releases for work, not to mention all the shopping/blog/food emails I get in my personal email. It’s particularly bad when I’m traveling and don’t have the time or connectivity to read every. single. thing. So this is super helpful and will definitely help me GSD!