There is a world where productivity experts live. In that world, e-mail boxes get emptied. Tasks on a list get checked off, and projects get finished on time without the last-minute stress of a looming deadline.

And then there’s the real world where the rest of us live. In our world, stuff gets forgotten, projects get moved forward from this week to next week, and we lose track of e-mails because they’re buried under all the other e-mails.

We get it; we should do better. We should organize, categorize, prioritize, and get stuff done. But, here in the real world, we feel like we can do one of two things:

1. We can “organize, categorize, and prioritize,” or
2. We can actually do some work and bill for it.

We feel like we’ve got time for either number 1 or number 2, but not both. We’re sorry, but that’s just the way it looks to us. Yes, we’ve read your book, and we love everything it says. In fact, we love it so much that sometimes we buy your add-on stuff, create the lists you suggest, and put our items in the appropriate slots in your system.

Then, when the shiitake hits the fan, we ditch your system and do the work we’re being pushed to do.

A Productivity Strategy for the Real World

So, here in the real world, what kind of productivity system works?

I’ve got two pieces of advice for you:

1. The productivity experts are right. They make valid points. You should do what they say, because a system—just about any system—is probably better than what you’re doing now. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, out of control, and desperate, then you need their help. Unfortunately, right now, you’re likely in too deep to do what they say. Over the short term, it takes more time to adopt a system than to keep doing what you’re doing. If you’ve got more work than time, the last thing you can afford to do right now is add the work of implementing their good ideas. Do what they say, but do it later. Do it when you’re not freaking out under the crushing pressure.
2. Pick one thing. Here’s the emergency room solution for your crisis of productivity. You need to pick the one thing—the most important thing—and make that the agenda. I understand that you’ve got 10 important/must-do-today things. They will get done eventually, and they’ll be done before the deadline, or you’ll do your little magic dance and get around the deadline. Picking one thing will result in getting that one thing done. Picking 10 things will, in many instances, result in getting none of them done. The day slips away, and you’re still left with a list of 10.

The night before, or first thing in the morning (since you’re a procrastinator), pick the one thing. Do it first. Get it done. Then you can move on to the other nine. By picking the one thing, you’ll dramatically increase the odds of getting something important finished. It’s a shockingly powerful technique for getting things finished. It works.

Three Reasons to Narrow Your Focus

Yes, when you finish number one, you’ll still have those other nine emergencies to address. That’s what you’ll do after you finish number one. By adopting this Pick One Thing system, you’ll…

1. Get energized. It’s intangible, but it’s powerful. Success begets success. Finishing something encourages you to finish something else. It feels good to finish. It motivates you to move on and finish the next thing.
2. Reduce pressure. You’ll feel the pressure ease when you finish the one thing. You’ll free up bandwidth you were using to worry and stress. You’ll feel better, and that elevates your mood and enhances your creative thinking. Now you’ll have more brainpower for the next task.
3. Accomplish something. You’ll finish the one thing. It’ll be done. We both know you’ve had lots of days when it seems that you don’t even check one thing off the list. It’s so depressing to see tasks get carried forward from day to day and week to week without coming off the list. Getting one thing done is huge compared to getting nothing done. Just do the one thing because you know the alternative is potentially doing nothing.

Tonight, before you go to sleep, take a minute and pick one thing. Put it on a sticky note (maybe two?) and post it somewhere you can’t miss it. Then, tomorrow morning, wake up, get going, and start on the one thing. Sure, something will come up, and you’ll get distracted. But resolve the distraction and then look at that sticky note again. Get back to number one. Stay on it, stick with it, and get it done. That’s the system. That’s exactly what you need to do.

The Pick One Thing approach isn’t for everyone. It’s for you, however, if you’re not ready for that “organize, categorize, prioritize” approach. Realistically, that’s most of us. Go ahead: pick one thing.