Okay, let’s talk about this whole “productivity plus” thing. For ages, I was just stuck, you know? Drowning in tasks. Had my lists, used all the standard tricks, timers, apps, whatever. But I still felt like I was running on a hamster wheel. Busy all day, but what did I really finish? Not much, usually.
It felt like chasing my own tail. So, I decided I had to switch things up. It wasn’t about finding another app or a fancier to-do list. It felt deeper than that. I needed something more, that ‘plus’ factor, I guess.
Figuring Out What Was Wrong
First thing I did? I stopped just listing tasks. Sounds simple, but it was a change. Instead, I started blocking out actual time on my calendar. Like, really blocking it. 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Work on that big project report. 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Answer important emails. Stuff like that. I forced myself to assign time slots to everything important.
Did it work? Kinda. It helped structure the day. But here’s the kicker: sometimes 9:00 AM rolled around, and my brain just wasn’t there. Staring at the screen, couldn’t focus on the report. Then I’d feel bad because I wasn’t sticking to the plan. The time block was there, but the energy wasn’t.
The ‘Plus’ Part: Adding Energy into the Mix
That’s when I realized the ‘plus’ I needed wasn’t about time; it was about energy. My energy levels go up and down all day. Trying to force a high-energy task into a low-energy moment? Pointless. Recipe for frustration.
So, I started doing this extra step:
- Morning Check-in: When planning my day and blocking time, I’d quickly guess my likely energy level for each block. High, Medium, Low. Super basic.
- Task Matching: I started putting the tough stuff, the brain-busters, into those predicted ‘High’ energy slots. Easy stuff, like routine admin or reading, went into ‘Low’ energy slots. ‘Medium’ was for everything in between.
- Real-time Adjustment: This was key. If I hit a time block and felt totally drained, even if I’d planned a hard task? I’d swap it. Grabbed an easier task from a ‘Low’ energy slot planned for later. No guilt. Just adjusted based on reality.
Why I Got Serious About This
Honestly? I hit a wall. There was this period where I tried launching a little side thing while holding down my regular job. Classic mistake, maybe. I thought I could just ‘manage my time’ better. Ended up completely burned out. Messed up deadlines at work, the side project stalled. My manager even pulled me aside, talked about my performance dipping. That was rough. It made me realize just pushing harder wasn’t the answer. I wasn’t managing my energy, just my clock, and it clearly wasn’t working.
What Happened Next
I started this time + energy blocking thing using just a plain notebook. Nothing fancy. Scribbled it down each morning. Made notes during the day if I swapped tasks. It wasn’t about suddenly having 10 extra hours. It was about using the hours I did have more effectively, matching the task to my actual state.
The result? Less frantic scrambling. Fewer days ending with that awful feeling of being busy but achieving nothing. I started hitting deadlines more consistently, especially on the important stuff. Yeah, I still have off days where focus is hard. This isn’t some magic fix. But it feels more realistic, more sustainable. It’s about working with my natural rhythms instead of fighting them all the time. That, for me, was the real ‘productivity plus’. Just being smarter about how I used my energy, not just my time.