7 life hacking for those who want to perform 100 tasks per day

Lawyers in the United States to issue invoices to customers for every six minutes of their work. This means that they need to understand exactly what good has been done in such a short period of time. Detailed approach to tracking tasks leads to increased productivity, and we can learn from it.

The problem is most do lists is that they encourage you to save tasks that are not completed. But unfinished business becomes a constant source of guilt and procrastination.

Instead, you can use an alternative system, which focuses on tracking what you do and what you have already done. It is not based on a sense of guilt, and pride. So what are the advantages of detailed task list:

• You will not prokrastinirovat, because you know what problem you need to perform the following.
• When you need a break, you can make entries in the task list. So you're distracted, but then it will be easier to return to work.
• Change your attitude to yourself. Performing tasks 100 a day, you will be pleased with his productivity.
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• This list helps to enter state of flux.
• Turns on the excitement: there is a desire to close as much as possible tasks for an hour.
• By the end of the day you will have from 40 to 120 of completed tasks.

This system works best with plain text files and applications Remember The Milk, OmniFocus, Wunderlist or Evernote. It does not work so well with Trello, Todoist, Things or most other services with lists of cases.

1. Work with cloud storage

Using a list of tasks - it's a habit. This means that you should always have access to it. Therefore, it is best to carry and store your list in the cloud.

All applications that I recommend above, do this automatically.

I used to work with plain text file todo.txt, which are stored in Dropbox, so I can work with him anytime, anywhere. Every day, I simply add a new list of old above. My todo.txt include completed tasks for several years.

2. Learn keyboard shortcuts

All programmers know that if you never take your hands off the keyboard, the work goes productive. This is true for people of different professions, but most often it is the programmers are constantly using hotkeys.

Every time you reach for the mouse, you get out of the flow state.

Keyboard shortcuts are useful when working with the list of tasks. The most common option - press Alt + Tab, to switch to the list, mark the task, you have just finished to record one or two new tasks and press Alt + Tab, to return to the work.

But you can do it even faster, and this will help hot keys in applications. Here's what I recommend:

• Remember The Milk: «i», to select, «c», to complete the task.
• OmniFocus: ⌘N, to create a new task, and press the spacebar to end it.
• Evernote: ⌘ + Shift + T to create a new task. No shortcuts to complete.
• Wunderlist: Tab + arrows to select a new task, ⌘D for its completion.

With text files a bit more complicated. I use the sign "_" to select the task, and "×" to mark it as complete, so my task list usually looks like this:

Text files - the best option for experienced users who are comfortable working with macros. Many editors, such as SublimeThere is an opportunity to define macros and customize keyboard shortcuts.

3. Keep track of all tasks, even the smallest

The essence of the alternative approach - to break the problem into smaller, easily manageable items. This is very similar to the principle of the following actions in GTD.

Tasks like "Write a blog post" too big to perform them for their time. Writing a post may take you hours, if not more. Instead, start with the problem of the "Open a text editor." That's it, just open the text editor. This is the first phase of the task that you have to finish.

For example, look like that my task list, when I wrote this text:

And now there are 15 ready tasks. I had to stop, so the list has two goals on the opening of a post in a text editor.

The volume of work performed - it is always an object of pride. Small steps help keep the attention and avoid procrastination: So I always know what to do next, and I'm afraid that it will be difficult.

4. Add tasks on the go

The standard way to use a list of tasks: you add lots and lots of items that are going to do for the day, then look at it and think that so many things you just do not run. And starts to mess around.

When you have too many options, it makes nervous and negative impact on productivity.

According to an alternative system, you simply add a maximum of two tasks, and some specify a time when you plan to get to work.

5. Please flag completed tasks

Always mark the end time of the work on the task.

Remember The Milk and Wunderlist do this automatically. If you are using OmniFocus, go to the settings: View → Show View Options → Custom Columns → Completion Date.

If you know how to work with macros, you can program the unit marks with time. That's why I still use Vim: My macro automatically adds a timestamp to the end of each line.

Another way to do this - to set the time manually. Not necessarily for each task, quite marked every hour.

The sense of time stamps that they will help you to see how intently you worked in the last hour.

At the end of the day you will be able to evaluate how you get to concentrate. On a good day you will perform on 80 Taxco. The great - 120. The most inspirational day I had to make 250.

6. swindle

This system includes the ability to cheat a little. You will be tempted to set themselves very minor problem to the end of the day you can with peace of mind to see a lot of things done.

The easier the task, the greater the likelihood that you will be straightened with it. However, completed tasks are pushing you to continue to work on.

7. Catch the "flow"

Sometimes you can perform several tasks without writing them down in a list. Then add them later, when you open a tab with a list.

A long list of breeds pride. I often add a post hoc tasks. The first task in my today's to-do list was to "walk the dog in the park." This occurred even an hour before I turned on my computer, but I needed a little push to get started.

Conversely, when you feel stuck, switch on your task list and make sure you have a tiny following action.

The purpose of an alternative approach to the task list - enter in a state of flux, and this is easier to achieve when you complete the tasks one after the other.