Being productive is about the long haul. It does no good to be really productive one day and not the next. I realize we all fall off the wagon at some point and time. Sometimes you have very good reasons why. But it’s the systems you build now that will let you jump right back into being productive.

Hone and refine  your systems now so you can be productive while the stuff is hitting the fan.  

I strive to be productive everyday. For some that means staying busy reading, re-reading email and responding to requests from other people. For me that’s not being productive, that’s being busy. You may look productive but are you moving your high priority projects forward?

I’m confident that I can focus on what has my attention now because of my systems. I have my systems in place so I can jump back in and get things done. I know if my inbox fills up I can process it because I have a proven system that works for me.

At the end of the day obsessing over having an inbox with zero email in it, won’t do you any good if you haven’t actually moved any of your projects forward. This is important to understand, don’t busy be productive.

I work hard on my systems. For me this is where productivity happens. I want to replicate the way I do things so I can continue to be productive even when I get behind.

A good system does the following: 

• It’s easy to use. This is very important. You won’t use a complicated system. If you have to click to many things or write things down in to many places you won’t do it.
• It has as few steps as possible but it still covers all the bases. You need this to be a simple as possible but yet you don’t want to make any sacrifices.
• It’s flexible. It allows you to jump in at any time. You also want to be able to use it when and where you need to.
• It’s continually improving. Re-evaluate you system often so it doesn’t stagnate.

You want your systems to work for you. Also don’t be reluctant to adapt your system as time goes on. The key is to keep the system working for you and your needs.

Let’s talk more about this on Twitter.