The Productivity Guru: Dangerous Phrases That Will Inhibit Your Productivity

There are two phrases that can get people into trouble when it comes to organization:

• "Just for right now..." (As in: "I'll put this down just for right now.")
• "I'll do it later."

A Postponed Problem

Do you find yourself deferring your projects/e-mail/filing? If so, you're ultimately just deferring decisions because you don't know what to do in the moment. We've all used these phrases to justify why we're not doing what we should be doing. Just remember that all of our piles, clutter and accumulation usually start with one of these phrases. So, in essence, when you use one of them, you aren't doing anything except delaying when you'll actually have to do something.

I encourage you to work toward creating a new habit. When you want to put something down "just for right now" or you aren't sure what to do with something, so "you'll do it later," ask yourself what you can do in this moment. That way, you won't end up using one of these dangerous phrases. The reality is that when you don't make a decision in that exact moment, your piles only get bigger and your stuff gets more cluttered. And, ultimately, you'll have to make a decision. So, why not just make the decision right now?

The FAT System

Check in with yourself about your individual decision-making process. Are you able to quickly make decisions and feel okay about them? Or, do you labor and lament the decision-making process for yourself? If you do the latter, try using the FAT system: file, act or toss. Everything that comes at you can fall into one of these categories. Also, having this acronym at the forefront of your mind can help you move quickly through sticky decisions.

The other set of questions you can ask yourself is:

• "Do I need it?"
• "Is it outdated?"
• "What's the worst-possible thing that would happen if I got rid of it?"

The Heart of Organization

The heart of organization is making better, faster and smarter decisions. Notice how I didn't say the "right" decisions; I just said decisions. Remember: There are no right or wrong decisions when it comes to organization and productivity. There are just decisions, which are the vehicle to move you forward.