I presented these tips at a seminar hosted by the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) Toronto chapter.

1. Productivity Tips for Busy
Professionals
Organize your business,
Organize your life

2.  Write the following:
 A project you’re working on
 The next step you need to take to advance that project
 Anybody feel:
 a little more certainty?
 a little calmer?
Next steps

3.  a process
 made up of habits
 NOT:
 specific tools (e.g. day timer)
 applications (e.g. Microsoft Outlook)
 gadgets (e.g. smartphone)
Productivity is…

4.  …by checking email
 If it’s really important, you’ll get a phone call
 Turn off email alerts
 Check emails 2x or 3x during the day
 Instead, “eat the frog”
Do not start your day…

5.  Basic routine
 25 minutes working
 Five minute break
 Repeat
 I now shoot for 50 minutes working, 15-20 minute break
 PomodoroTechnique.com
Single-tasking

6.  Use only one trusted:
 contact list
 calendar
 task list
 email tool/inbox/set of folders
 Multiple tools?
 Easier to let things slip through the cracks
One tool

7.  Be able to work wherever you are
 In transit to a seminar
 Waiting for friends at a café
 Anywhere a few moments appear
 Internet-based synchronization systems
 Microsoft OneDrive
 DropBox
 iCloud
 etc.
Productivity on the move

8.  My THREE Internet time sucks:
 Facebook
 News websites
 Youtube
 My solution: RescueTime
 FocusTime feature
Web surfing

9.  Zero
 1-10
 10-50
 50-100
 Dating from the Paleolithic era
How many emails are in your inbox?

10.  At the end of each day, your email inbox should have
ZERO messages in it
 The first day you do this might be a long day
Inbox Zero

11.  Delete (and unsubscribe from) newsletters you never read
 Calendar appointments in the calendar
 Contact information in your contact list
 Tasks in your task lists
 Filing emails – sample categories
 Projects
 Clients
 Personal
 Newsletters
 Rules – automate filing, and much more
Inbox Zero: Tips

12.  You are NOT paid to:
 Repair your computer
 Wait while it processes something
Good-quality computer

13.  Research reliability
 E.g. Consumer Reports
 Try the computer
 Keyboard
 Pointing device
 Display
 Options
 Maximize RAM (or upgrade)
 Solid state drive (SSD) (or upgrade)
Buying a computer

14.  What are the two types of hard disks?
 Those that have failed
 Those that will fail
 Common types of backups
 Hard disk
 Online services
Backup

15.  Some activity raises metabolism
 Standing desk
 Standing breaks
 Healthy snacks
 My favorite: an apple and parmesan or asiago cheese
 “Coffee nap”
 Have coffee
 20-minute nap right after
Health habits

16.  Mind maps
 Can write ideas in any order they occur to you
 My ideas rarely appear in publishable order
Avoiding writers block

17.  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free
Productivity
 David Allen
 “clearing the runway”
 Source of many ideas in this presentation e.g. next step
My favorite productivity book

18.  Try a productivity habit for a week
 As long as it takes to get past initial discomfort
 If it doesn’t work, move on
Practice healthy skepticism

19.  Luigi Benetton
 www.LuigiBenetton.com
 http://www.linkedin.com/in/luigibenetton
Thanks for listening!