How to Catch Your Productivity, Part 2

In part one of this series, I explored the concept of "catching systems" and addressed two of the four most important areas for implementing effective systems: paperwork and emails. As a review, a "catching system" means that you have given thought to everything that is coming at you on a daily basis and you have created a place to "hold" things until they are needed. In part two of this series, I'm focusing on two more important areas. Items in these two categories are particularly elusive and can quickly get away if not captured in a reliable and safe place.

1. Thoughts

By far, the most important "catching system" you can incorporate into your day is a system to catch thoughts. We have thousands of pieces of information coming at us in today's world. Never before has there been such information overload and never before have our brains been so maxed out. With all of this information coming at us, it's absurd to think that we can remember it all, especially given our hectic schedules and demands.

The solution?

Buy a small notebook. Keep it with you always. Have it near you at all times while working and use it as a running thought-catcher. Use it to capture those random thoughts that often get lost or missed during a busy day. Set time aside each week to review, process, and execute tasks collected in your notebook; and spend a few minutes cleaning it up as well.

2. To Do's

Your to-do catching system is the landing place for all of the others areas to be filtered. When there are things to do, the best practice is to extract them from the meeting, email, conversation, memo or voicemail and capture them onto your to-do list. Many people that tell me that they "used" to keep a to-do list and it worked very well at the time, but then they moved away from it. A-Ha moment! If you used to do it, I encourage you to get back to it and let your brain be freed up. If you haven't ever done it, I highly encourage you to just start somewhere. Start using a to-do list and gain a taste of freedom unlike any you've ever known! As with the other systems, the key here is to set time aside during your week to review, process, execute and clean up your to-do list system.

Building your "catching systems" is a proactive way of thinking and managing your energy. It's also the fastest way to build and maintain peace of mind and work-life balance. Start with one system and move forward from there. This will help you be more productive but not just for the sake of getting things done. It will help you get the "right" things done. Good luck and please let us know what kind of "catching systems" you already have in your life and how they work for you.

Sara Caputo, MA is OfficeArrow's resident productivity and organizational coach. With an MA in Organizational Psychology and a diverse background in group process facilitation, project management, and healthcare, she is passionate and dedicated to helping people create more space in their lives for the things they love. Sara earned her master's degree from Antioch University and is an active member of NAPO, The National Association of Professional Organizers as well as an adjunct faculty member of Santa Barbara City College. Sara Caputo is the owner of Radiant Organizing, a professional organizing and consulting company based in Santa Barbara, California.