015. The One Thing Episode

We asked /r/productivity on Reddit what one thing has had the most benefit to productivity. Lots of great answers and explanations, some answers came up multiple times (we'll explore those another time), and very few folks could pick just one thing.

Also discussed in this episode:

Leo’s One Thing: Writing things down...

• for record keeping (sleep, exercise, health, etc.)
• to collect thoughts (reviewing, reflecting, and venting)
• to avoid interruptions (finish what you start, save the rest for later)
• as reminders for later (todo lists, idea bucket)

Erik’s One Thing: Focus

• Treat social media as a write-only medium
• Remove badges and notifications on phone
• Remove noisy or distracting apps
• Use Do Not Disturb, A LOT
• Use apps that block distractions
• Set aside blocks of time for email, code reviews, and "necessary" distractions

Products mentioned

• Todoist
• Bear
• News Feed Eradicator for Facebook
• Screen Time
• Instagram (post to FB, IG, Twitter all at once)
• Alarmy