A few months ago, I used to build hundreds of systems to keep track of my productivity.I still find Notion templates from 2020, where I took notes on the tasks I had to do and never checked.I prefer a more <a href="https://cosmopolitanmindset.substack.com/p/minimalism-for-the-modern-mind">minimalist approach </a>nowadays because I want simple things in my life. I discovered life’s already complicated as it is. I don’t want to overcomplicate it further.So, here are my three simple productivity lessons that can change your life forever.

3 Simple Productivity Lessons

I always believed in the power of tracking repetitions to stay motivated. But that’s only a side effect you get.You will become more productive every day if you keep the streak. But the contrary is also true. The more time you spend away from being productive, the harder it will be to start over.So, here are three rules you should follow.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Keep your streak as long as you can. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Restart as soon as possible when you break it. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">And track your progress and longest streak. It will motivate you to show up daily.</li></ul>

How to Keep the Streak

After a few missteps in my productivity, these are the three simple productivity lessons I’ve been using to approach my side hustle. And they helped me recover most of the work I stopped doing.This week, I want you to think about a task you want to become more productive at.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">How can you automate it?</li><li class="ql-align-justify">How will you track it? (the infographic below might help)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">And how will you remove the friction that has been stopping you?</li></ul>Could you answer these three questions? They might help you boost your productivity.[<a href="https://cosmopolitanmindset.substack.com/p/3-simple-productivity-lessons">DOWNLOAD THE FREE TRACKING INFOGRAPHIC]</a>

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Before You Go

Each of us has an idea about what productivity is. But not everyone thought about its significance for more than a second.So, what is productivity?Productivity is the ability to get from zero to one. It is the ability to do something that completes 1% of your goal. It is the hard work you will do to build something out of raw material and passion.And when you think about it like that, productivity is simple. So, to become more productive, start doing something with a purpose in mind. That’s everything you need.

What is productivity?

Automation marked every step of human evolution. And it’s thanks to automation that we can do most of the things we do today.The Internet is the biggest example of how automation brought us so far. Luckily, no exploited humans upload your photo on the server when you publish it on Instagram. So, why wouldn’t you use this principle also in your life?Automate most of your day if you want to become more productive.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">First, pick a task you want to improve. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Then, choose the hour of the day in which you will do it. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">And repeat it every day until it becomes an automatic activity (<a href="https://cosmopolitanmindset.substack.com/p/the-habit-hacking-formula">a habit</a>).</li></ul>

Lesson #1 – Automate your life.

Do you want to build a side hustle? Study the market, find something you can sell, and pitch it to people. Do it every day, and you will be able to achieve productivity. That would be enough for a typical topic. But this is not the case.

How to Become More Productive (2)

Repetition makes your work better. And you become faster.When you repeat the same task every day:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">you become better at it</li><li class="ql-align-justify">and you can achieve it faster.</li></ul>And even if you can’t improve your speed forever, quality compounds over time.

Lesson #2 – Keep the streak.

Lately, I’ve been using this system to fix my writing routine. And it has been doing wonders.I scheduled one hour of writing at the end of every workday. I told everybody I wouldn’t answer my phone between 6 and 7.30 p.m. (so I can write for more time when I’m not tired.) And I only need to show up every day.

How to Automate Your Life

The last thing that will increase your productivity is the elimination of friction.I gave up writing or working on my side hustle often because there was too much friction in my environment.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">I forgot to charge my laptop and couldn’t write where I wanted.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">I didn’t have anything prepared and had to start from scratch.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Or I didn’t have a quiet place to do the work.</li></ul>But these issues are easily solvable. And they can improve your productivity quite a lot.

Lesson #3 – Eliminate the friction.

Still, many people don’t know how to become productive. They over-procrastinate. And they search for ways to become more productive.If you are one of those people, this post is for you. I will share a few practical tips that helped me boost my productivity. And these three simple lessons are perfect for long-time productive enthusiasts and newbies.

Productivity and Procrastination

I read thousands of articles about productivity. And did they help me?Maybe 10% of them did. Everything else was trash.We have overused productivity nowadays. We said anything we could have said about it. There’s nothing left to say.Do you want to write a book? Pick a pen and a thousand sheets, and start writing.

How to Become More Productive (1)

So, remove any friction that might stop you from doing your work daily.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Put everything in the right place to start.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Prepare your work for the next day at the end of each session.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">And find the right place where to work. </li></ul>

How to Eliminate Friction

We gave up productivity a long time ago and focused on hyper-productivity. And becoming hyper-productive is a hell of a challenge.But you don’t have to become hyper-productive to achieve good results. On the contrary, we should return to rudimental methods of simplicity.A piece of paper. An ordered to-do list. Maybe a few priorities – that’s all you need. Let’s focus on the basics. You have time to become hyper-productive in future issues. But let’s focus on the basics because we all forget about them.

The Hyper-Productivity Hype

Become more productive with the <a href="https://cosmopolitanmindset.substack.com/p/the-challenge-of-the-month-march">Productivity Mastery Notion Templates</a>. Every month, a new template is available. Unlock it with the <a href="https://cosmopolitanmindset.substack.com/subscribe">premium subscription</a>.Or use the free subscription to get:<ul><li>a challenge to pursue to improve your life</li><li>and an infographic to track it</li></ul>every week.

Productivity Mastery - Notion Template

We overuse productivity nowadays. We said anything we could have said about it. Let's get back to the basics.

Don’t waste your time – fix your productivity basics before it’s too late. Use these 3 simple productivity lessons and change your life forever.

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