Boost your productivity with this simple 3×5 notecard strategy, a tactile approach championed by a bestselling personal development author.
In today’s digital age, there’s an app for everything. Need to water your plants? There’s an app. Want to meditate with monks from the Himalayas? There’s an app for that too.
But when it comes to productivity? Oh boy, we’re inundated.
From Trello boards dancing with colorful labels to Asana tasks flying left and right, our quest for peak productivity often has us diving deep into a digital quagmire.
But guess what?
All of this brings me to…
I believe life’s too short to get bogged down with fancy, over-complicated apps.
This 3×5 notecard strategy is a simple system that I swear by. No notifications, no reminders, no learning curve. Just a tactile, straightforward method I vouch for.
I’m sharing about this 3×5 notecard strategy because I am a bestselling personal development author and an expert on productivity in the workplace – with about 2 million books sold globally.
I love sharing insights and strategies to help people and companies to work at their peak potential. So I put together this article to give you my favorite productivity secret!
Each night, before I tuck myself into bed, I have a little ritual. I scribble down the 3-5 kick-ass tasks that’ll make a real dent in my projects or goals for the next day.
( I use these simple 3 x 5 cards!)
No fluff, no filler – just the meaty, big-impact stuff.
Morning rolls around, and I’m not sitting there scratching my head wondering what the heck I should be doing. I just whip out that notecard and start attacking from the top.
And it sure feels good ticking off those tasks one by one.
And I’m conservative with how I use the cards. Usually, I just list three tasks. Sometimes four. On a wild day, maybe five. The aim? End the day on a high, with everything checked off.
Overachieving is the new norm.
As for the little nitty-gritty tasks that pop up, the ones that scream “urgent” but are about as meaningful as a pet rock? Those buggers get scribbled on the back of the card. Why? Because they’re not important enough for the front. But hey, they still give me that tiny dopamine hit when I cross them out.
Spending 15 minutes at night laying out your battle plan means you wake up ready to conquer, not confused.
Dive into what matters. If the day turns to chaos after that (thanks, unpredictable toddler life), at least you made some real progress.
Starting strong sets the tone. It’s like knocking out the biggest bully in the yard on your first day of prison.
All those shiny productivity tools? Overrated. They’re just mental gymnastics. Remember, we want motion, not just movement.
You make this method rough and sloppy. It doesn’t need to be Instagram-worthy. It’s about what works for you, not for likes or retweets.
There’s research showing the benefits of good ol’ pen and paper. A study from Princeton University and the University of California found that students who take notes by hand, as opposed to typing, show better retention and understanding of concepts.
Translating that to our productivity realm, physically writing down tasks and manually crossing them off can, in theory, amplify our engagement and commitment to those tasks.
It’s not just about getting stuff done—it’s about truly internalizing and prioritizing our goals.
To add to that, there’s an undeniable satisfaction in physically crossing out a task. It’s a tactile reward, signaling our brain that we’ve achieved something. It’s productivity with a pinch of dopamine.
While the 3×5 notecard is a potent weapon in your arsenal, true productivity transcends tools and tactics. It’s about fostering a mindset.
Recognize that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Identify that crucial 20% and give it your all.
Whether it’s allocating specific hours for deep work or having a sacred evening routine, delineate your time. Guard it fiercely.
At the end of each week, take a breather. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and adjust. Iteration is the name of the game.
To kickstart this productivity renaissance, just grab some 3×5 notecards—whether they’re fancy, colorful, or plain Jane—and begin.
If you’ve ever felt swamped by productivity paraphernalia, here’s your beacon of simplicity. Dive in and watch your productivity soar.
>>> Check out these 3 x 5 cards!
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