As a business owner you probably have a very long ‘to do‘ list with things you need to get done written in different lists. Let‘s get them organized!

In this episode Franziska shares her two favourite productivity hacks she‘s implemented over the last few months that have helped her manage her never-ending task list.

00:39s How to get more done in half a day than most people do in a week
01:20s The free tool that will change how you manage your ‘to do‘ list
04:42s The ‘pomodoro technique‘ to increase your focus

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Transcription:

Franziska: Hi and welcome back to Basic Bananas TV. Today I’d like to share with you something that I’ve been using over the last few months that has really improved on my productivity. I mean I do get a lot done already but these two systems that I’m using that I have combined have really helped me get even more done than and sometimes I go through my to-do list, and my to-do list is always never ending, but now sometimes I feel like, okay I have so much done already before, say, 12 o’clock that I feel like I’ve probably done more in that half day than most people do in a full day or full week or a full month. Maybe not exactly that much but I get a lot done because of the systems that I’m using now.

I’ve also got my team members onto this. I showed them how I’m using it and they’re now using it too and it’s pretty amazing so I thought I’d share this with you too. I’m going to share with you on my computer a system that I’m using called Trello so let’s have a look on my computer right now.

We are inside Trello and I’ve set up this example template for you so you can see how I’m using Trello to get a lot done, really to have super-high crazy productivity, and get the most important thing done every single day.

Now the different lists that I’ve got I’m going to show you first and then I can show you how I’m using them so I’ve got the Today list. These are things I need to do today. Because it is an example, there is nothing in here. It’s not that I have nothing to do. Then I’m using Tomorrow so I already got stuff that I need to do tomorrow. What I want to achieve this week, which is exactly what I write down at the beginning of the week so usually Sunday night or Monday morning, I will sit down and write down the tasks that I need to do. Then I’ve got things that I want to do this month so February, ideas for Quarter One, so goals that I need to do in Quarter One, Quarter Two, Quarter Three, and Quarter Four, and then I’ve also got a list with Someday, so something, some tasks that I’m not sure when just yet but someday so that could be broadcast recordings with guests, for example. I might say “Yeah look, I’m not sure yet when I’m doing them but some day” and then the last list here is Done and that’s really where I drag things that I’ve done so let’s say I’ve done my recordings for the podcast and I’m going to put it into the Done.

At the beginning of every single day, Echo and I will take the tasks from this week, so let’s say website copy, that’s what I need to do this week. I need to cut around the Clutter Bunch workshops. I need to update brochure. I’ve got a speaking engagement, et cetera, et cetera. Team activities, et cetera. So now I would have my list from this week and I would say, “Okay, today on, let’s say it’s Monday, I’m going to do the website copy,” and, actually, I’ve also got my speaking engagement today so I’ll put those here. Usually I would have anywhere between three and six items that I would put in the Today list.

Now if, what I can also do is I can see “Okay these things I’m going to do today. Tomorrow I’m going to work on this and on this.” Now, of course as soon as I’ve done something, so let’s say I’ve done the website, I’ve got the website copy done, I go to archives- actually I don’t go to archives. Sorry. Actually what I do is I take it, so let’s say I’ve done this, and I put it into the Done list so that I can see, oh I’ve done actually quite a lot.

So that’s how I use my lists. Of course, I would always, as I come up with things that need to be done, I would come in here and I would put them in there as they come up too so I would know, okay I have to do workshop content or Queue One trip to LA for speaking gig. Queue Two maybe I go to Europe and speak tonight so I also actually put my trips in here so I can see what’s coming up. Or book launch. I would put that in here so as things come up I put them in the different quarters and then as I go through the weeks and the days I move them around so I will go, actually not the trip, I will go workshop content, I want that to do in February so you can drag and drop things around and that’s why this is such a cool system and I highly recommend using it.

This is a way of using it that I’ve come up myself. You might come up with different ideas, what works for you but this is how I like working with Trello and it works really well. I use it every single day.

Now I’d like to share with you another system or technique that I’m using on top of Trello and that is the Pomodoro Technique. Now the Pomodoro Technique got invented by a guy called Francesco Cirillo and he invented it and it’s called Pomodoro. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, it’s this kitchen timer that looks like a tomato and you set the timer to 25 minutes at a time and for 25 minutes you do nothing but work on the one thing. There has been countless studies on how long we can actually focus on the one thing so how long our brain has the capacity to focus without getting distracted and 25 minutes has proven to be quite useful for most people.

So what I do now is I take one of my list items on the Trello lists, the most important thing at the top usually, and I usually start with the most important tasks in the day so things that I might be putting off but are really important so I would take the first item. I would set my timer to 25 minutes. I use my iPhone and I have a timer. Everyone has a timer on their phone. Put it to 25 minutes. For 25 minutes I do nothing but the one task. I’m not checking emails. I don’t go on Facebook. I don’t even pick up the phone. If my phone rings in the 25 minutes, I don’t pick it up, unless it’s Richard Branson or my mother but they don’t call me that often so I don’t pick up in the 25 minutes. I focus on the one thing and you get so much done.

I do a few Pomodoros in a rows so I would do a 25-minute Pomodoro run, get a lot done in the 25 minutes, then I might take a quick break. I might go grab a drink or a snack or sometimes if it’s in the morning I would do a Pomodoro run, I take a break, might go for a quick surf or yoga or something like that and then I come back and I do a few more of those Pomodoro focus time slots and I find that by about lunch time if I do a few of those slots, say four, even just four or five or six, I get so much done because there are no distractions and I’m really focusing on getting things done that I usually, I would procrastinate on that are really, that I should actually get them done, and it’s incredible.

I hope this is useful. Try to combine the two – the Trello and the Pomodoro. I found that this has worked so well for me and I would love to hear from you actually. Are you using any other strategies to help you achieve a lot more and also, once you apply Trello and Pomodoro, I would love to hear from you how you go. I know a lot of our members here at Basic Bananas, a lot of our Clever Bunch members, we’ve shared this with them and a lot of them are loving it. They said this is the best thing ever so give it a go, let me know how you go, and hopefully see you next time.

 


Transcription:

Franziska: Hi and welcome back to Basic Bananas TV. Today I’d like to share with you something that I’ve been using over the last few months that has really improved on my productivity. I mean I do get a lot done already but these two systems that I’m using that I have combined have really helped me get even more done than and sometimes I go through my to-do list, and my to-do list is always never ending, but now sometimes I feel like, okay I have so much done already before, say, 12 o’clock that I feel like I’ve probably done more in that half day than most people do in a full day or full week or a full month. Maybe not exactly that much but I get a lot done because of the systems that I’m using now.

I’ve also got my team members onto this. I showed them how I’m using it and they’re now using it too and it’s pretty amazing so I thought I’d share this with you too. I’m going to share with you on my computer a system that I’m using called Trello so let’s have a look on my computer right now.

We are inside Trello and I’ve set up this example template for you so you can see how I’m using Trello to get a lot done, really to have super-high crazy productivity, and get the most important thing done every single day.

Now the different lists that I’ve got I’m going to show you first and then I can show you how I’m using them so I’ve got the Today list. These are things I need to do today. Because it is an example, there is nothing in here. It’s not that I have nothing to do. Then I’m using Tomorrow so I already got stuff that I need to do tomorrow. What I want to achieve this week, which is exactly what I write down at the beginning of the week so usually Sunday night or Monday morning, I will sit down and write down the tasks that I need to do. Then I’ve got things that I want to do this month so February, ideas for Quarter One, so goals that I need to do in Quarter One, Quarter Two, Quarter Three, and Quarter Four, and then I’ve also got a list with Someday, so something, some tasks that I’m not sure when just yet but someday so that could be broadcast recordings with guests, for example. I might say “Yeah look, I’m not sure yet when I’m doing them but some day” and then the last list here is Done and that’s really where I drag things that I’ve done so let’s say I’ve done my recordings for the podcast and I’m going to put it into the Done.

At the beginning of every single day, Echo and I will take the tasks from this week, so let’s say website copy, that’s what I need to do this week. I need to cut around the Clutter Bunch workshops. I need to update brochure. I’ve got a speaking engagement, et cetera, et cetera. Team activities, et cetera. So now I would have my list from this week and I would say, “Okay, today on, let’s say it’s Monday, I’m going to do the website copy,” and, actually, I’ve also got my speaking engagement today so I’ll put those here. Usually I would have anywhere between three and six items that I would put in the Today list.

Now if, what I can also do is I can see “Okay these things I’m going to do today. Tomorrow I’m going to work on this and on this.” Now, of course as soon as I’ve done something, so let’s say I’ve done the website, I’ve got the website copy done, I go to archives- actually I don’t go to archives. Sorry. Actually what I do is I take it, so let’s say I’ve done this, and I put it into the Done list so that I can see, oh I’ve done actually quite a lot.

So that’s how I use my lists. Of course, I would always, as I come up with things that need to be done, I would come in here and I would put them in there as they come up too so I would know, okay I have to do workshop content or Queue One trip to LA for speaking gig. Queue Two maybe I go to Europe and speak tonight so I also actually put my trips in here so I can see what’s coming up. Or book launch. I would put that in here so as things come up I put them in the different quarters and then as I go through the weeks and the days I move them around so I will go, actually not the trip, I will go workshop content, I want that to do in February so you can drag and drop things around and that’s why this is such a cool system and I highly recommend using it.

This is a way of using it that I’ve come up myself. You might come up with different ideas, what works for you but this is how I like working with Trello and it works really well. I use it every single day.

Now I’d like to share with you another system or technique that I’m using on top of Trello and that is the Pomodoro Technique. Now the Pomodoro Technique got invented by a guy called Francesco Cirillo and he invented it and it’s called Pomodoro. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, it’s this kitchen timer that looks like a tomato and you set the timer to 25 minutes at a time and for 25 minutes you do nothing but work on the one thing. There has been countless studies on how long we can actually focus on the one thing so how long our brain has the capacity to focus without getting distracted and 25 minutes has proven to be quite useful for most people.

So what I do now is I take one of my list items on the Trello lists, the most important thing at the top usually, and I usually start with the most important tasks in the day so things that I might be putting off but are really important so I would take the first item. I would set my timer to 25 minutes. I use my iPhone and I have a timer. Everyone has a timer on their phone. Put it to 25 minutes. For 25 minutes I do nothing but the one task. I’m not checking emails. I don’t go on Facebook. I don’t even pick up the phone. If my phone rings in the 25 minutes, I don’t pick it up, unless it’s Richard Branson or my mother but they don’t call me that often so I don’t pick up in the 25 minutes. I focus on the one thing and you get so much done.

I do a few Pomodoros in a rows so I would do a 25-minute Pomodoro run, get a lot done in the 25 minutes, then I might take a quick break. I might go grab a drink or a snack or sometimes if it’s in the morning I would do a Pomodoro run, I take a break, might go for a quick surf or yoga or something like that and then I come back and I do a few more of those Pomodoro focus time slots and I find that by about lunch time if I do a few of those slots, say four, even just four or five or six, I get so much done because there are no distractions and I’m really focusing on getting things done that I usually, I would procrastinate on that are really, that I should actually get them done, and it’s incredible.

I hope this is useful. Try to combine the two – the Trello and the Pomodoro. I found that this has worked so well for me and I would love to hear from you actually. Are you using any other strategies to help you achieve a lot more and also, once you apply Trello and Pomodoro, I would love to hear from you how you go. I know a lot of our members here at Basic Bananas, a lot of our Clever Bunch members, we’ve shared this with them and a lot of them are loving it. They said this is the best thing ever so give it a go, let me know how you go, and hopefully see you next time.