Productivity Tips from Flipboard Curators
Inside Flipboard / January 7, 2016
Every Monday, we put the spotlight on a wonderful curator in our MagMaker blog. We ask them to share insights about their media diets and habits, both on and off Flipboard. In doing so, we also learn about what makes them tick.
At the end of each post, we ask for a special productivity tip. And we’ve been pleasantly surprised: besides being well-informed and hyperconnected, our readers are an exceptionally efficient bunch.
In case you didn’t make a New Year’s resolution, follow these super simple, practical productivity tips to kick 2016 into gear. Enjoy!
1. Find space
“Doing something that has nothing to do with the task at hand. In some cases, the times I’ve been most productive are the times I’m wandering around a mall or went driving somewhere. The morning is also an inspirational time for me. I’ve realized that I usually don’t physically say a word until I get into work. It creates a space for internal thoughts.”—Nick Sickelton, Art Director
2. Go wander
“Step away. I know that sounds odd, but it works really well for me. Productivity is very similar (in my mind) to creativity. I’ve found that forcing either one becomes counterproductive. So, when I find myself struggling, I’ll stand up and walk away from what I’m working on. Taking a quick walk around SoHo clears my mind and once I return to work, the productivity flows.”—Eric E. Anderson, Web Designer and Photographer
3. Be selfish with your time
“Focus on what’s important for you. Be essential and don’t spare your attention. It is a precious resource.”—Fabio Angeleri, Personal Growth Expert
4. Keep your head in the cloud
“In my quest to document different aspects of my life, I’ve loved finding bespoke top-in-class services to get different kinds of information organized and out of my brain. So my notes live in Google Keep; to-do lists in Wunderlist; recipes in Pepperplate; book collection catalogue in LibraryThing; travel tips and restaurant archive in Google Drive; closet inventory in Stylitics; passwords in 1Password; photos in Carousel; and, of course, reading list in Pocket. Having a suite of specialized cloud-based services at my fingertips makes my online environment cutting-edge, good-looking, easily searched, automatically synced, and always available.”—Simran Thadani, Pocket Marketing Manager
5. Make something for yourself
“Avoid getting caught up living a life of consumption and chasing an inspiring high without ever actually creating for yourself. I own this shirt and wear it whenever I need a reminder.”—Adam Skalecki, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Digital Designer
6. Meditate every day
“Transcendental meditation. Sitting quietly for 20 minutes twice a day has changed my life. I get more done, I’m more focused on stress falls away.”—Clayton Morris, Fox News Anchor
7. Manage expectations
“Create a simple to do list. I like to include all the goals I’d like to accomplish that day. It often helps to keep my mind focused and not drift into the entire week. In addition, for a lot of small projects (social media, emails, research) I’ll give myself time limits of 30 minutes to an hour to complete as much as I can before moving on. I’m a firm believer that if you break up large projects into smaller steps you’ll feel less stressed. You have to remember that every great accomplishment is a culmination of small tasks done with consistency. You can accomplish greatness, you just need to stop waiting for perfection and jump in.”—Tiffy Diamond, Live.Art.Love Co-Founder
8. Don’t sweat the small stuff
“If I have something important I need to focus on, I make a list and do my best to accomplish it. I’ve learned from my patient husband that stressing out just makes things worse. Stay calm, focused and give it your all. I believe the best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”—Rachel Davis, Vintage Clothing Store Owner
9. Write it down
“There is no such thing as too much coffee, always write things down—you’ll always be better off—and Evernote.”—Joe Toohey, Meet the Press Producer
“I use the Eisenhower Matrix when planning my day. I create a 2×2 matrix with each box labeled as: 1) Urgent/Important, 2) Not urgent/Important, 3) Urgent/Not important and 4) Not urgent/Not important. I only work on those items in 1 and 2.”—Phil McKinney, Innovation Author and Talk Show Host
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