From Chaos to Consistency: How I Improved My Productivity

For a while, I was looking for ways to improve my productivity. It's a topic that has always fascinated me because the idea of doing more with less effort is very appealing. However, the ideal vision of "being productive" often led me astray. The process of trying to do more, deliver more, be aware of everything, multitask, be a reference, study everything, and know everything became quite exhausting.

This approach ended up yielding results opposite to what I was aiming for. I wanted to do more with less effort, but I ended up in a cycle of doing much more and using up all my energy to keep up.

When I began to realize this was happening, after bouts of anxiety from feeling like I wasn't delivering enough and having no energy left for anything in my life, I decided to reevaluate my concepts about "what it means to be productive."

In the past, I used about eight different software applications to organize things like notes, calendars, studies, routines, habits. I must admit it was quite chaotic. Another thing I noticed that disrupted my routine was the lack of a strategic schedule.

I knew what I needed to do during the week, but I didn't know which days to do what. Did something have a deadline? I didn't know. Did something have priority? I didn't know. Furthermore, I had a smartphone addiction and didn't stick to my chaotic routine's schedule. All of this led to information overload, workflow congestion, fatigue, lack of maintainability, and an ever-increasing list of tasks because almost nothing got done in line.

What I Decided to Change and Believe Has Improved My Productivity and Energy Levels

First, I sat down and put on paper what I wanted to adjust. For me, the things that became a priority were:

• Learning
• Nutrition
• Physical activity
• Sleep
• Personal projects
• Free time

After defining these priorities, the next step, which was organizing a routine, became much easier. For my routine, I established rules. These rules help me set boundaries for what is feasible and what is not, to maintain a level of consistency in my day, and not overexert myself. Some of these rules include:

• Wake-up time: Allow space for a morning routine that prepares me for the day (e.g., waking up, showering, walking the dog, having breakfast, ...).
• Study time: Allocate one hour of study every workday.
• Planning the workday: Allocate the first 30 minutes of work to define priorities for the day and review what was done the previous day.
• Off-duty time: Allow space for personal projects, physical activity, therapy, or free time (especially on weekends).
• Bedtime: Allow space for a nighttime routine that helps me rest for the next day (e.g., setting the alarm, meditating, reading, ...).

After I started incorporating these rules into my routine, I felt it became much easier to get through the day. However, some other things have also helped me maintain this consistency. Remember when I mentioned using eight apps and being addicted to my smartphone? Well, I decided to be a bit more radical about addressing this issue.

First and foremost, I cleaned up my smartphone. I deleted all the apps I didn't use, removed all non-essential app notifications, deleted social media apps, and set up "Focus" modes. Focus is an Apple feature that allows the phone to behave differently based on specific rules. In my case, I set Focus modes for Study, Work, Exercise, and Sleep. Each one has its specific rules, but the idea is that my phone doesn't remind me of its existence during these times when I need to focus my energy on something else.

Once the Focus modes were set up, I went on to clean up and redefine my entire workflow and establish my routine once and for all, following the rules and focusing on my current goals. I now use only four apps to manage my overall routine:

• Cron: A calendar with a practical and clean interface. I use it to create and check fixed appointments (e.g., study time, regular meetings, time to work on side projects, physical activity time, meal prep for the week, ...).
• NotePlan + Session: A powerful note-taking app aimed at helping with daily organization, creating time blocks, and tracking activity progress, combined with a Pomodoro technique software that allows note-taking at the end of each session and setting focus goals. I use this combination to manage my workdays. These are apps I was able to access through a Setapp subscription, and they have definitely made a difference in this process.
• Notion: A highly versatile note-taking tool that allows documenting various things in various ways. I use it to store all kinds of information and to manage Is It Safe?, a project I've been leading for almost two years.

How Has This Helped Me?

I started this process seven months ago, taking it one step at a time and maintaining the determination to be consistent, even if I can't always follow the routine to the letter. I have been trying to do my best.

However, now I feel more energized during the day, I can see progress in my health and eating habits. I no longer have the constant need to check my phone or social media. I've started to read more, and, more importantly, I don't feel exhausted when the day is over.

What has helped me the most in this process is having a set bedtime and waking time and effectively using my calendar to keep my commitments recorded, preventing me from wasting energy every day wondering "What do I have to do today?"

This post isn't a set of rules or a one-size-fits-all guide. It's simply an account of what went very wrong for me and what has been working so far. I believe that over the long term, more solid changes will be visible as I adjust to these new habits I've created. However, regardless of the process you use, it's essential to keep two things in mind: consistency is key, and take your bedtime seriously.