A productivity tip, plus a note about notebooks

I have 2 proven ideas to share with you today, to help you achieve more in 2024.



Ponder these 2 points for a moment.




Isaac Asimov produced around 470 published books, and hundreds more short works . He did this using a typewriter.



Productive people don’t buy productivity apps.




Why did I share them unrelated observations with you? It’s because they stood out, on reading last week’s entries in my current notebook.




The first was a nugget of information I originally gleaned from Boston University.



The second was something I jotted down, while speaking with the developer of a popular productivity app. He told me that productivity apps are not marketed to productive people. That makes sense. After all, driving apps are not marketed to people who don’t drive.




Tip 1: Momentum ignition



This reminded me of how we managed, before we had access to productivity apps. It also reminded me of a technique I used back in the day, which works just as effectively today. And many others have found it equally as powerful.



Here it is.




The moment I feel ‘stuck’ on a task, I take a short walk, and on my return focus ONLY on doing the very first step.



I then do that one, small thing.



The task is instantly transformed from something I need to start, to a task in progress.



Momentum is created.



Momentum is the opposite of being stuck.



This momentum ignition idea overcomes all productivity challenges for me.




Back to apps. And my second tip.



I chewed over that Isaac Asimov fact in my notebook. I mean, would Isaac Asimov have written more books, if he had a phone offering him productivity notifications and tips?



And what about Leonardo da Vinci? Would entering various data into productivity apps, then monitoring that data, have given him greater focus with which to create? I do know, that da Vinci kept copious notes. Maybe they were his productivity tool? Notebooks are certainly my best tool when creating.



This leads on to the inspiration for today’s post.



Tip 2: Note taking as a productivity monster



One of the least mentioned benefits of using a notebook every day, is what happens when you read a few seemingly unrelated notes. They very often create a spark that becomes a new idea. Like the idea for writing what you’re reading right now.




Only by reading those notes, taken 3 days apart, did I make a connection. Seeing them together helped me join the dots. The vast majority of my articles, blog posts and newsletter ideas come from my notebooks.




Without exception, every productive person I know is a note taker. Some, like me, use a mix of paper notes and digital. Others choose just one.



If you don’t regularly take notes, I recommend you give it a try. And the next time you’re in a productive slump, take my productivity tip for a spin.
A productivity tip, plus a note about notebooks was written by Jim Connolly and originally published on Jim's Marketing Blog