A piece of paper can bring a lot of value to your life.
As is the case with all tools, it is how we use them that determines their usefulness. There are hundreds of productivity applications online. None of them have seemed to actually help me, so I recently decided to try using a simpler solution.
That simple solution was using a Post-it Note. These sticky squares have been around long before I was born. Yet, because I used to associate them as something that only teachers needed, I had written them off. After listening to the audiobook version of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss, I discovered how he uses a simple piece of paper to accomplish his critical tasks for each day.
This practice can be done with any piece of paper, I choose to use a Post-It Note. Each morning you write down one to three tasks that need to get done for the day, in order of descending importance. Then you put the piece of paper in your pants pocket. I have been putting my note in my wallet so that it doesn’t get wrinkled.
The paper workers as a reminder you cannot swipe away. You are forced to look at it and feel guilt at the end of the day when you don’t finish what you promised to yourself. This simple piece of paper gives you a sense of accomplishment when you actually do complete a task and cross it out with a pen or pencil. I personally like crumbling up the paper at the end of the day once everything is done because it makes me feel like I literally crushed my day.
It is often the simplest habits we adopt that are the most useful. If the productivity hacks we are experimenting with are too convoluted, we will most likely not fully adopt them. There are so many tools already available that can help us increase our productivity. Just keep things as simple as possible and don’t even use a phone or computer. Try using a piece of paper instead of an app. It will work wonders.
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