Productivity isn’t just about time management. I just wanted to start out by saying that productivity is about so much more, and to me, productivity is mostly about having fun, while focusing on the most important things in life (or at work, as I’m explaining in this post). I am always juggling tasks, and a few years ago, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. It just felt like I was adding new tasks to an enormous to-do list, and the list was only growing. It felt like I didn’t get anything done. Productivity wasn’t even in my vocabulary.

I’m no expert when it comes to productivity, but none the less, this is my experience and I keep improving all the time, and I’m having so much fun while doing it.

Productivity in six simple steps

To me, productivity is related to what I want to accomplish in life and my work, and the niche I’m focusing on. So my take on this, will be from my perspective, and I’m a writer, who are focusing on marketing to make a living.

Let me explain productivity in six steps. And, I’m not saying that six steps is enough, because it might not be. But it’s an example from how I’m currently focusing on productivity.

Remember, I’m not focusing on the software or the servies, but on areas in my life which needs improvement.

Productivity in getting things done

I have really been struggling to get things done. I don’t remember how many books I have been reading on this topic alone, but I have been reading a lot. And, I have been testing so many types of software, and things to get me to focus. But, the one thing that really made me realize what I was doing wrong was The Pomodoro Technique.

I’m not going to use many words to explain it, because Steve Scott did a fantastic job explaining productivity using the pomodoro technique.

The short version is that I’m now working in batches of 25 minutes at a time, focusing on a single task, and I have 5 minute breaks between each session. It works great for productivity, and I get a lot of things done, because I am now on a whole different level when it comes to focusing on the important things on step at a time.

Productivity in writing

I really want to become a better writer, and I’m writing my first novel. I want to keep writing every single day. I don’t need to write for hours. I can settle for a few minutes, but my goal is to write for one pomodoro session, and here’s an example of what I wrote in 20 minutes.

The thing about writing is that I need to use the right software. I have been testing so many different things, and what I’ve discovered is that for productivity, I need to use a plain text writer, like WriteRoom, iA Writer, and Scrivener. And I need to be writing in full-screen mode in order to not get distracted.

Take a closer look at the software I’m currently using:

Productivity in tasks

I did have a problem keeping track of what to do, and to keep track of all the new tasks I was adding to my already enormous to-do list. So, instead of using a traditional to-do list, I started creating projects, and adding every single detail I needed to do in order to finish the projects. Now, when I wake up in the morning, I don’t have a list of what to do, but I have many projects, and I keep working on the projects I feel like doing throughout the day. This is a lot more fun, and when it’s fun, the quality of the work is a lot better.

I use a software called Things, in order to keep track of all my tasks and projects.

Productivity in taking notes

I walk a lot, at least for one hour every single day. And, one of the reasons that I’m able to write every day, and to stay focused, is because I take a lot of notes. I add notes as soon as I come up with an idea, because if I don’t add the notes, I’ll probably forget what to do about the ideas. I use Evernote for all my notes, and when I walk, I use Evernote on my iPhone, and it syncs to my Macs and to my iPad. This way I have my notes with me everywhere.

Productivity in creativity

I decided to write a novel, even though I didn’t have a plot or any idea what genre I wanted to write in. I love all sorts of books, but I had no clue what my first one was going to be about. I started to think, take notes, and ended up testing mind maps. I’m still terrible at using mind maps, but I believe that to stay creative and to focus on productivity, using mind maps is a great resource. I’m still trying to get better at it, because mind maps makes everything visible and it’s easy to see how things are connected.

I don’t have a favorite software for mind maps. I have tested several, but I’m still looking around. I use regular paper for many of the mind maps I create, but I have tested some free and paid software as well.

Productivity in life

I used to only sleep three or four hours a day. I kept working as often as I could, and often both day and night. My level of productivity was high, and I was satisfied. Usually, I got to bed between 1 am and 2 am, and got up between 5 am or 6 am. I didn’t think that I would have any problem with that little sleep, because I felt full of energy and I felt that I was on top of things.

But now, it’s different. I try to get as much sleep as possible. And hopefully as much as 8 hours a day. I never get more than 8 hours, but 8 hours is perfect. And, even though I felt fine with a lot less sleep, I feel a lot better with more sleep. And, my productivity level is a lot higher than it used to be, even though I work less hours.

I’m a vegetarian. I’ll tell you why in a different post. Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean that I’m healthy, and that I’m just eating all the right type of food. I love Coca-Cola Zero, Pizza, potato chips and more. I could probably eat it every single day for years, because I don’t get tired of it. But, productivity is also about having the energy and being healthy. So, I’m doing my best to stay healthy, and I drink a lot of fresh vegetable juice and I have started to drink water instead of Coca-Cola Zero.

I used to play basketball all the time, but that’s more than 10 years ago. After I stopped playing, I didn’t know what I was going to do in order to get my exercise. Excercise is important for productivity, and I’m so happy that I discovered running. I walk a lot, but I need to run at least three times a week in order to get the energy for the productivity to be on top.

What’s important isn’t what I am doing to increase my productivity. What’s important is that you focus on the areas in life where you want to make changes and feel an urge to increase your productivity. Keep the end in mind, and then find the methods.

Do you focus on productivity in different areas in life?

The hole in the wall was just big enough for my eye. I peeked, but I couldn’t see a thing. Thomas told me to keep looking. Just wait, he said, he’ll show up eventually. The room inside had a bluish color, it reminded me of my grandma’s hair. Did you hear that sound? Thomas whispered into my ear. It’s the sound of the Reaper. Can you hear the footsteps? He’s coming. Thomas kept pushing me towards the wall. Keep looking, he’s coming. I wanted so badly to close my eyes, but it was like I needed to watch what was happening in the room next door. Come on, you’re 12 years old, you can do it. I wanted to tell him to stop pushing me, but I couldn’t, because the sound was so close, and it was coming closer and closer. One, I started counting slowly. Two, I kept my eyes closed. Three, I opened them. Four, and there he was. Joe, the six five, big bearded man, who kidnapped us three hours ago.
Thomas started laughing, it was a chuckling sound. Can you see him? Doesn’t he look scary? What a rush. I can feel the adrenalin pumping. Shh, keep your voice down. Alright, he said, but what do you think our parents are doing right now, do you think they’ve called the cops? Come one, I know you’re having as much fun as I am. Shh. Yes I am, I told him, but keep your voice down. You know that he has killed three boys, and that we’re next. So keep it down. Yeah, but the difference is that this time, we tracked him down, even though we’re on his turf, he won’t have a clue what hit him, and you know that we’re out of his league, right? What’s he doing now? I kept looking, and I knew that Joe had made the hole for us to see, and that the other three boys, and God knows how many others who had been inside this room, had most likely been standing in the same spot as me looking as well. He’s in a chair, and he is holding the biggest knife I’ve ever seen. Wow, this guy is something. How come the cops and the FBI have been looking for him for years? You can tell that he’s a serial killer just by looking at him. I turn and watch Thomas. So, how much time do we have left? He asks me. According to the papers, three more days, unless we want it to end right now. What do you say, are you ready?

What you’ve just read was 20 minutes of writing. I didn’t have a clue what to write about, I didn’t have a plan, I just wanted to write for 20 minutes and that’s all. And I didn’t do any editing at all. I might not be able to use the words for anything, or maybe I will. The thing is, I just love to write, and even though what I’m writing isn’t part of a SEO strategy, or about blogging, or how to earn money online, I believe that the important part is to write every single day. If you keep hustling, something good will eventually happen.

When I walk, I listen to music or podcasts, well, sometimes I listen to nature, but usually it’s music or podcasts. I walk for at least an hour every single day, and to me, walking has become part of how I work. I use my time walking to get ideas, to take notes, and to get creative. Walking helps me with almost everything, it doesn’t matter if I’m having a bad hair day, or if I’m preparing myself for a major presentation.

When I walk, I keep talking to myself. I listen to my voice and how it sounds. Nobody can hear it, but I’m saying every word out loud. Sometimes it’s just like I’m dreaming. I see the cars, the people, and the birds go by so incredible fast, and then I blink, and I see them all go by really slow. I keep saying that it’s the music, or the voices from the podcasts, that are taking me to new places.

When I walk, the sun is always shining, even when it’s completely dark outside, and the rain is pouring down. It’s because I’m never actually there. I’m always somewhere else. I’m where the podcast is taking me, it might be in Costa Rica along with Srinivas Rao and his Blogcast FM or in Floriday with Scott Smith and his The Daily Boost.

When I walk, I listen to the following podcasts:

When I walk, I get the feeling that I can do anything. Listening to podcasts motivates me, and it makes me feel that I belong. Listening to podcasts is one of the best ways to learn.

Now, let me ask you this; do you listen to podcasts?

If you do, I’d love to add some more awesome podcasts to my list.

Since I’ve already received some awesome tips about quality podcasts, I decided to list all the podcasts mentioned in the comments here. This way it will be easier for you to subscribe:

I have one goal for 2012, besides publishing my novel, and that’s to write many guest posts. I haven’t started yet, but mark my words I am going to get started very soon, and before you know it you’ll be seeing me everywhere. That’s mostly because I believe guest posts is an awesome way to connect with people.

Anyway.

This is a very interesting guest post from Jane Sheeba about guest blogging. Let’s discuss it in the comments.

Guest blogging is the best way to bring traffic to your site for free. The only investment for guest blogging is your writing skills. In order to get best results from all your efforts, you should also ensure that your posts land on useful locations. You should spend time to figure out those prominent sites. To achieve this, you can apply various criteria. Let us check the possibilities.

Searching for guest post offers

You can search for sites that welcome guest bloggers. The easiest way to find about those sites is by typing the topic of your choice along-with blog and guest post keywords. You can use ‘+’ delimiter to club two or more words. Google search will give ample number of sites that reflect your search criteria. You can start posting comments on popular blogs of your niche. This will help you get familiar with blog sites and there is a possibility to start dialogue with the sponsors of sites to offer guest postings.

If your contribution through active participation is noticed, there are chances that your offer will be reciprocated for paid or free guest posting. You will get good results by contacting those sites that you are following rather than contacting unknown sites for the very first time.

Parameters of concern

While selecting the list of sites that you can target for your guest blogging venture, you should take into account various parameter of those sites. They are relevancy, page rank, traffic to the site, reputation of the site, ethics followed by the site, frequency of blog postings, SEO part of the potential site, etc. The site you choose to deliver guest post should be relevant to your niche. If not, all your efforts will be futile.

For example, if your niche belongs to stock markets and you are posting guest articles on baby care related websites, you will not be benefited. You should try to narrow down the search to not only the category level but also to sub-category level. As you narrow down the search and target sites closer to your niche, you will get optimum benefit.

Page rank and traffic of the site is also very important. The higher the page rank numbers the better the site for your promotion. Alexa ranking will give you an insight of number of visitors and how long they stay on the site. If you are targeting a site that is performing well and if you get an opportunity to post on such privileged sites, it will be a great opportunity for you to prove your skills. It is an opportunity to attract knowledgeable customers who will not hesitate to visit the link provided by you at the end of the article if they are really motivated by your article.

You can also provide relevant useful information in the author column. There are some sites which perform very well and in fact they are trend setters in your niche. It is really great to get an opportunity to guest post on such premium sites. You will be immensely benefited from the quality audience and your site gets good exposure that is more valuable than paid promotion of any scale.

Social responsibility

You should also select sites that follow ethics. You should choose law-abiding and non-controversial sites. If you want to stay in blogging for a long-term then you are advised to maintain a clean image by promoting sites that add value to the society. It is your turn to associate with useful sites that follow good trade related practices as well.

A little research to this end by sparing few minutes will save your reputation and will not lose the audience that you have built over the years. You will not burn your fingers by wrong association. You can know more about the site by visiting ‘about’ links placed on the site. You can easily find the popularity of a site by connecting yourself with various social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. There is no dearth of information on various web pages to know about a particular site. Hence, you can choose sites that are doing well in your niche.

The sites you chose for guest blogging should post articles at regular interval of times and they should post most up-to-date information. They should also engage with readers on regular basis. The comments posted on sites should be responded. The site should be connected through various social networking sites and should update profile and go for promotions. You should also target sites that have right setup to implement SEO.

By engaging with sites that will acknowledge your efforts by offering back-links and forward links will help boost your own site’s performance in the overall SEO domain. In the end, it is not only finding the source for writing but also finding the right destination to land pages in the form of guest postings is very important.

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I have just been to my first business meeting. It was no ordinary business meeting. It made me smile.

Right now, I have the biggest smile known to mankind. You can spot it miles away. Inbound marketing makes me so excited. It’s hard to sit still, even when I’m writing this. It’s like I don’t have any control of my writing. The words just keep coming at me, and it’s not because I’m 39 years old and starting a business, but it’s all because of my passion for inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing makes me feel like the butterflies in my stomach keeps growing and at the same time, it’s like they’re having babies (caterpillars), yes, small butterfly babies. It feels like I’m 14 years old all over again, and I’m in High School and all my teachers are telling me to sit still and shut up.

But, I just can’t.

Inbound marketing has turned my world upside down

The first time I heard about inbound marketing was via an article I read on the brilliant blog of Marcus “The Saleslion” Sheridan. The story was how Marcus had turned his swimming pool business into a very profitable business with the use of pure content. To me, that story was the turning point, and then, what seems like hundreds of blog posts later, I am finally part of what seems to be a marketers dream. I’ll be spreading the word about inbound marketing. It feels like I’m working for a charity, and doing the world a huge favor.

I don’t have any competition and it’s all because of inbound marketing

I don’t look at anybody as my competition. Not anymore. No matter who they are, they are now part of my inbound marketing team. I share everything I know with everybody. The more I share, the better friends I get. That’s how I look at it. I remember talking to a client and he said that he couldn’t tell me how he did it, that’s a business secret, that’s what he told me, and then he smiled at me. I remember I was waiting, actually, I’m still waiting, for him to call me and tell me he was joking. There are no secrets left. We’re on the same team.

Inbound marketing makes it so much easier to help people trust you. And when we come to realize that we don’t have any competition, and we’re on the same team, and we’re just saying how awesome all the other companies are, people can’t do anything other than to like you. They want to be around you. They want to do what you are doing, and they can’t get enough of you. In the end, they want a sip of what you’re drinking, even when you’re drinking Coca-Cola Zero like me.

When you open the door and invite your enemies inside, you start building long lasting relationships. To me, inbound marketing makes me look at the world with the biggest smile known to mankind, you can spot it miles away. And I still haven’t made a dime.

How big is your smile, and is it all because of inbound marketing?

One more minute and I’ll be leaving. I’ve been waiting for this to end for the past thirty six minutes. I’m not kidding. I’ve been counting each minute, watching the huge white clock, with the black numbers, while I’ve been listening to all the successful people talk among themselves.

I’m terrible at small talk and networking. They can all see that I’m nervous now, but I wasn’t thirty seven minutes ago. I’m closing my eyes just for a few seconds, and I’m thinking that I’m a lot more comfortable all by myself and I don’t know why, but at the same time, I’m thinking of the famous quote “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”

I’m the one-eyed man in the room, so I should be the king. But in order to be the king, I have to take action. I have to show some guts. I have to do something.

I finished my presentation thirty six minutes ago. They listened. They asked questions. I answered, just as expected. I was the centre of attention. And then, all of a sudden, it was the last slide, and I was finished. Perfect timing, but I hadn’t planned the ending. I felt like a curtain was lowered, slowly, from the ceiling, to the floor, just a few inches in front of me. It’s like I’m not in the same room as my audience anymore. It’s like I am invisible.

I can here them talking about me. They are asking questions about me, and what I have just said, but they aren’t talking to me. I am just standing here without anything to say. I am looking at them, but they aren’t looking back at me.

I am raising my glass, and while it was touching my lips, I was thinking that it would have been fun to poor the black liquid on to the table, just to see if I could get a reaction. My guess was that nothing I could have done at that very moment would have made a difference.

The men in suits are still sitting by the table, sharing their stories, and building strong relationships, and me, I’m standing in the corner, all alone, drinking Coca-Cola Zero, and thinking of why I’m standing in the corner all alone and drinking Coca-Cola Zero.

It’s 0530 am. I’m in the living room. I’m sitting in a comfortable chair, looking at the wood burning in the fireplace. The fire is the only light. I’m surrounded by darkness. I’m all alone, and not a single sound is available.

I have absolutely no energy left.

I’ve been working all day and all night for more than a week. It seems that I have had a reaction. It didn’t use to be like this. When I was younger, I played video games for days without sleeping or eating. It wasn’t work, but I could keep it going for a very long time, as long as I was in the zone. The same happened when I was a student, and I was reading for my exams or had some papers due, or for whatever reason I needed to get a lot done in a short time.

I still get in the zone, but it’s a different zone, and age makes it different.

The reason I have been working a lot is all because of the expo at the college. We invited our “enemies” inside. It was a huge success. We haven’t evaluated it just yet, but from the feedback I’ve received, and from my gut feeling, it was a huge success.

… and now it’s all over.

A few minutes after it was all finished, I felt that my body had no more energy left. I woke up the next day and I was feeling ill. I had a cold, it was almost like I had the flu. I’m still coughing, more than a week later.

It got me thinking.

About age.

About how different I am.

Age makes me different, and it makes me think in a different way. I’m looking at the world, and I realize that the world didn’t use to look straight back at me, but that’s exactly what’s happening now. It seems that every time I open my eyes and look around me, I get an immediate reaction.

It makes me a little worried.

Age is doing something to me. Age is doing something with the surroundings. Age is doing something with the people around me. And it’s been happening to me for a while.

And then thoughts of my dad entering the room appears.

I’m watching his tattoes. A red arrow on his left arm. A red heart on his right arm. I’m not sure if that’s even his tattoes. I can’t remember. I’ve never asked him why he got them. But I like to make up my own stories, and the stories are different every time.

When I look into his eyes, I can see what he is thinking of. I’m still the same little boy that I’ve always been. I’m wondering if he’s altered his thinking at all, or if it’s just me? Age makes us do different things. But, what is it like to grow older, how does it make us think of our children? I’m 39 years old, but I’m still his little kid.

I’m a lot more creative now. And I’m a lot more adventerous when it comes to my thoughts. But, only when it comes to my thoughts. I have a fear of flying, and I almost never do anything without being in complete control. Age has made me a different person.

My dentist has a huge painting of Jesus in the ceiling, and the guy that cuts my hair is a smooth talker. I wouldn’t have noticed years ago.

I’m drinking tea. It’s 0600 am, and it’s still completely dark outside, and not a single sound available. The only light available is from my computer screen, and a small lamp in the corner of the room. The wood in the fireplace has stopped burning. I forgot to do something about it. I’m writing on my novel. And, I’m thinking, what am I really doing out of bed? Age makes me ask different questions.

The Expo attracted students from all over the county, and the college was packed with people. Colleges and Universities from around the country was present, and so was my dad. My dad walked in, along with the kids, looking for me. I said hi to him, and made a two minute presentation of the expo, and that was it. I had to run off to help some guy. That was the only time I saw my dad. But I got to look into his eyes, and I discovered that the only reason he showed up was to tell me that he’s proud of what I am doing.

He never uses words to express it, but he doesn’t have to. To me, parents never get older.

They still treat me as I am a little irresponsible kid. And at the same time they’re so proud of everything I’m doing, and every little accomplishment I am making. But, they are always worrying, so I don’t ask them questions like how to name a business, because if I did, they’ll start asking questions, and they’ll lose sleep, and they’ll keep asking questions, and they’ll end up calling, and they’ll eventually show up, maybe not at 0530 am, but they’ll be occupying my thoughts, and they’ll keep me worrying. And I’ll keep them worrying.

Again, it’s about age. It didn’t use to be like that.

I used to get annoyed when my parents showed up, especially when they showed up out of nowhere, just to look at what I was doing. It was like they wanted to check up on me. And control what I was doing, and tell me what I really should be doing.

Now, at least when I’m thinking about it at 0610 am, I’m cherishing every moment I have left with my parents. I have realized that it’s more to life than what meets the eye, and that we all have different reasons why we are doing things. And that being a dad has changed my behavior, and it’s only because of that, that I understand why my parents are doing what they keep doing, and if you add age to the equation, everything makes sense.

I need to take action. The fireplace doesn’t have any fire left. The wood stopped burning a while ago, and I just keep looking at it, like it’s going to light itself. It takes me a long time to realize that I’m in control of my own destiny. If I want light, I need to take action. If I want anything, I need to take action.

It’s all about age.

A few months ago, I was speaking about the benefits of social media to people who are older than my parents. As soon as I entered the room I discovered a man who could hardly hear a word that anyone was saying, a lady who was very short-sighted, and tall, thin man, with a bad back. I believe the oldest one in the room was a 94-year old woman. She smiled at me all through the presentation. While speaking, I looked closely at some of them, and I focused on their eyes. I zoomed in, and I felt like I could see their youth through their eyes. I could see how they used to look at the world, how they used to behave, and it was like I transfered energy from me to them. It was like, in that room, at that specific time, we were all the same age, we were all doing the same things, and we had the feeling that we were living in the same world at the same time. But, as soon as the last slide was showing on my presentation, it all stopped. The man with the hearing aid, could hardly hear a word anyone was saying, the short-sighted lady couldn’t see what was going on, and the man with the bad back, it all came back to me. The world is different to different people.

As I walked out of the room, I couldn’t stop thinking about age. Age will have a major impact on who I am, and what I’ll be doing the next years of my life.

It’s 0625, and I know that 2012 is going to be a fantastic year, I can feel it, and I believe that age is the reason. I have a lot more confidence now, and I have a lot more experience, and I’m a lot more creative, and I’m in a lot more control then ever before, and it’s all because of age, and the mindset. My thoughts are strong and powerful, and they are helping me.

… the only thing that worries me, is that the older I get, the more time I spend being worried. That’s what age is doing to me. But that’s not necessary a bad thing. It just means that I care a lot more.

This is what it feels like starting my first business when I’m 39 years old. I worry about every small detail; about my dad, and my kids, and things that people younger than me wouldn’t think about when starting out. But I’m open minded, and more creative than ever. And I have realized that I need to take action to cause a reaction. And that every small detail counts.