Over the last 10-15 years I have tested and implemented hundreds of productivity and time management apps, systems and frameworks including the classic Getting Things Done by David Allen. They’ve all been useful and have contained some of the foundational building blocks of my current system. But they were incomplete and partially effective at best.

Here’s why they didn’t work for me and almost everyone I know:

1. High maintenance

The time and effort required to maintain these systems and keep them updated was overwhelming. Within a couple of weeks after the initial setup, the system would quickly spin out of control.

Just maintaining the productivity system became a project in itself. Unsurprisingly, the entire system would be abandoned within a few weeks.

2. No focus on prioritisation

Not all tasks are the same. Some work moves you forward towards your goals. Other tasks just help you maintain status-quo at best.

Most systems don’t have effective frameworks for prioritisation. They treat all tasks the same. They focus on getting work done, but not necessarily on getting important work done.

You could get really good at using a system and start ticking off a sh!tload of tasks (just like I did with Davis Allen’s GTD system). But if it’s not the type of work that moves the needle then you won’t make any progress towards your goals, despite getting a lot of work done.

3. No focus on ‘quality’ of work

None of these systems get into the ‘how’ of actually getting high-quality work done.

The challenge faced by ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs is how to have high impact in their limited time, yet none of these systems consider this relationship between quality of work and impact.

Authors and researchers such as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Steven Kotler and Cal Newport have researched and spoken about the multiplicative impact of ‘Deep Work’ and ‘Flow’. Yet none of these systems incorporate ‘Deep Work’ or ‘Flow’ into their productivity routine.

4. They focus primarily on managing time

Most systems are focused on ‘time management’. While time is an important element of productivity, there are two additional elements that can multiply the impact of your time. And those are ‘Energy’ and ‘Attention’.

Optimising your ‘Energy’ and ‘Attention’ can multiply your output in the same or even lesser time, but hardly any system I have come across incorporates these two powerful elements into their workflow.

5. They’re not flexible enough

Our lives are highly dynamic and unpredictable. The systems we use to manage our lives need to build in flexibility and dynamism into their design to handle constant day-to-day changes.

None of the systems I have tested in the last 10 years are nearly flexible or agile to enough manage the complexity, volatility and busyness of our day-to-day lives.

We need to frequently review and re-prioritise our tasks to stay on track towards our goals in a constantly changing environment. However, most systems are based on outdated project management principles and are too rigid to have any real impact on goal achievement.

The Nerd Productivity System

I’ve found that pretty much every system out there is hopelessly inadequate for today’s highly engaging but highly distracting digital environment.

However, over the last ten years I’ve stitched together a system that helps me overcome procrastination, get shit done despite distractions and keeps me on track towards achieving my goals.

It is a flexible and comprehensive system that has significantly improved my and my clients’ productivity and results.

A system that:

• makes it easy to organise your most complex and constantly changing commitments.
• lets you handle a high volume of tasks across your personal and professional life.
• won’t let anything slip through the cracks, and at the same time won’t overwhelm you.
• shows you the right tasks at the right time. can make you 2-5X more productive!

Especially for those who have multiple commitments such as a family or building a side business, this system will help you reclaim your time, sanity and focus, unleash your creativity and multiply your output.

The Nerd Productivity System is an online course that will teach you how to achieve your goals faster while living a balanced life and spending guilt-free time with your friends, family, hobbies or side projects.

Whether your goal is to achieve more, or to live a balanced life with less stress, The Nerd Productivity System can be personalised to your unique needs and aspirations.

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