Read time: 4 min

Hey my friend!

To get more done in 7 days than others in 7 weeks doesn’t require you to be productive.

It’s not the “playing video games all day” type of unproductivity.

I will explain to you what I mean, and it will change how you view productivity.

I will also give you 2 methods you can implement to get more done in less time.

The Old Definition of Productivity

People, including me, have been wearing busyness and stress as a badge of honor. We always brag and feel good when we say “Oh I am too busy this week.”

We take falling onto the bed with exhaustion as a sign of a productive day. We have a skewed understanding of productivity or maybe we need to change it.

This is how I think we define productivity today:

So when we do more things in the unit of time, the more “productive” we feel.

But it is a false sense of productivity.

Because we don’t complete anything substantial when we cram a million things into a day to be “productive”

Let’s take me as an example.

Before I took this seriously, I used to schedule 5-6 tasks on top of all classes, work, and other activities including meals.

My schedule looked something like this:

I was all busy, felt “productive”, and was the most hard-working man alive, right?

But why did I feel awful and unaccomplished at the end of almost every day?

The New Definition of Productivity

Because I didn’t get anything substantial done. I fragmented my attention and energy into tiny pieces.

It’s like teasing yourself with a little bit of food and never getting full. It’s awful.

But our brains naturally crave completion to move on and live a life worry-free. That’s why you cannot focus on the next thing and feel dissatisfied at the end of the day.

There is a better way to define productivity.

It will change your view of it forever. You’ll accomplish more, feel less anxious, and be more satisfied.

Here is the better definition I propose:

Looking at it that way, we stop caring about the quantity of work but obsess over the quality.

Compare now this calendar with the previous one:

On which week will you complete more substantial work?

My point is if you plan fewer projects for the day and dedicate longer more focused hours, it will benefit you in 2 ways:

1. You will feel accomplished like never before because you will be in a state of flow

2. By completing 1-2 projects every day, you will get 7-14 more projects done in a week than those who do a little bit every day.

Two Methods to Get More Done in 7 Days Than Others in 7 Weeks

1. Productivity Purge

2. Ivy Lee Method

Productivity Purge

The first method is the Productivity Purge (an idea introduced to me by Cal Newport).

When you are feeling overwhelmed with many projects on your plate, it is useful to clean up your project list and refocus.

Right now might be the time for you to do this.

You do it in 5 steps:

1. Divide the piece of paper or anything digital into 3 sections: Professional, Extracurricular, and Personal.

   • Under professional list all the projects you are currently working on in your professional life (business, school, or job).

   • Under extracurricular, list all the side projects that you are working on (your brand, writing a book, your YouTube channel, etc.)

   • Under personal, list all projects relating to your personal development (from fitness to reading books).

2. Identify ONLY 1-2 the most important projects currently in your life in each section, the ones that will bring the biggest returns. Put a star next to each project

3. Identify projects that you can eliminate right away without serious consequences. Cross them out.

4. Now with the rest of the projects, come up with a 1-3 weeks tackle plan for finishing and shutting these down as quickly as possible.

5. After completing the projects according to your plan in step 4, you will be left with only the most important ones. Try not to add any major projects to your list for AT LEAST A MONTH. Just focus ruthlessly on the most important ones.

Try it out.

When I purged everything from my plate, I started breathing again.

You might have to do this every month or every two months, whenever you feel overwhelmed.

The Ivy Lee Method

The second method is the Ivy Lee Method.

You can use it for daily tasks and projects.

It is simple to use, and it comes with the story.

During his meeting with executives, he told them the following:

1. List the top six tasks you need to complete the next day when you finish your workday. Put no more than six items on your list. (also, the number of tasks doesn’t matter, pick whatever number you want)

2. Sort those six things according to their actual importance.

3. Focus exclusively on the first task when you get there tomorrow. Don't go on to the second task until the first is completed.

4. Use the same strategy for the remaining items on your list. Transfer any incomplete tasks to a fresh list of six tasks for the next day at the end of the day.

5. Repeat this procedure each weekday.

It was a simple technique and Schwab decided to give it a shot.

After three months, Charles Schwab was so satisfied with the performance of his team that he wrote a check for $25,000 to Lee.

A check for $25,000 in 1918 is equivalent to a check for $400,000 in 2015.

But here are my 50 cents:

• Keep it flexible because the importance of items in your list can change depending on the day. At the end of each day when you add new things, revise the importance of the older tasks.

• I know that some projects seem continuous - with no end. I suggest determining what “the end” looks like for each project. For example, if I need to work out, I can write “work out for 1 hour” or “Do push-ups, pull-ups, and bench press.” That way you know whether you are ready to move to the next project or not.

• I know that some activities need to be performed every day. Just schedule them at the same time every day and schedule your other projects around them.

That’s how you get more done, and feel more accomplished in 7 days than others in 7 weeks by obsessing over quality and focusing on fewer projects a day.

That’s how you embrace the philosophy of 4-Hour Millionaire and move faster to your goals.

Thank you for reading,

Until next time, my friend!

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