Productivity

Productivity Tool Overview: Autofocus

Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.


Photo by toolstop

I have long believed that true productivity requires a variety of methods. Some days you need to may need to focus on a specific task and power through. Some days you may need to sprint through a bunch of tasks. Some days you may need to focus on your energy. All of these strategies will help you get things done, but work best under the right circumstances.

This June I will be looking at my go-to tools – the ones in my productivity toolbox. I will look at how to use them, what they are best at, and when I use them. Today we begin with Mark Forster’s AutoFocus.

Intro to Autofocus

Mark Forster has invented many task management systems over the years, but my favorite for really getting through a lot of tasks without feeling overwhelmed is Autofocus.

Instructions for Autofocus can be found here.

Autofocus has you make a task list and break it into pages. You work through the first page with undone tasks, and select one to do. Then you repeat until there is nothing more on page 1 that grabs you. Then you move onto page 2 and do the same thing. If you don’t want to do anything on the page during the first pass, you must discard everything on that page and move on.

What It Is Really Good At

Autofocus is good at four things: breaking the task list into manageable chunks, eliminating the stress of what you need to do next, and getting stalled projects going. It also allows your subconscious to decide if something really needs to get done.

Manageable Lists

By breaking the list into manageable chunks, I find that I am not overwhelmed with everything I have that needs attention. The big list is always overwhelming and usually results in my deciding not to do anything. The smaller lists of Autofocus seem possible, and that gives me a reason to do them.

Eliminates Stress

Autofocus eliminates the stress of deciding what to do, while still allowing you to finish large amounts of tasks. I only have to decide what to do on the current page. I can do the task, and when I have done as much as I want, I move on.

There is no pressure to finish the task…if it isn’t done, I just write it again at the bottom of the list.

Getting To Stalled Projects

I find that Autofocus also allows me to get to the tasks that have been on the list the longest. Often these tasks get shoved to the background by other things that have come up in the meantime. So I find the big projects – like working on the novel – are more likely to be done because they aren’t overshadowed by more recent tasks.

Subconscious Decision Making

When you scan over a page and nothing jumps out at you, it is because you know deep down that the task really doesn’t need to be done. You are aware as you go through the list that if you don’t do something on the page, it will all get deleted. Sometimes that will spur you to take action on something you have been putting off. And sometimes it is fine, because you know those things really don’t have to be done.

When I Use It

I use Autofocus after I have completed the “big three” for the day (each morning I set three tasks that I want to do before all others). I then pull out the Autofocus list.

So my after-paid tme ends, I work on the three tasks.These tasks are the ones, that if I complete, I will feel that the day was productive. They may include things that are part of my daily maintenance list, or they might be things that relate to projects that I want to do.

After that I kick into Autofocus. I divide my task list up into pages based on the date they were entered, and start working through them. I find that taking this approach makes me much more likely to get these things done. I generally complete 50 to 60% more tasks on the nights when I am applying Autofocus, because I know I can re-enter tasks, and yet the tasks seem to complete!

Conclusion

Autofocus is a great system if you want to have manageable lists, reduce your stress over what you are doing, and restart stalled projects.

Over to the Readers

Can you think of times you could apply Autofocus?


Photo by toolstop. Licensed under Creative Commons.