One of my top productivity secrets…

Yesterday, I talked about the power of the deadline when it comes to making an offer. It is sorta marketing 101, really.

But, this concept of the deadline goes much further than just sales. I think it is something each and every one of us can apply in our daily lives.

Here’s something else I noticed about our recent trip to Paris. More specifically, right before it…

We flew out on Wednesday. Which means, I had Monday and Tuesday to get some stuff done for that week. Tuesday, I really crushed it. 🙂 Before even mid-afternoon, I had…

• Written out an entire email sequence
• Created 2 landing pages
• Set up a bunch of little mechanical things to make it all work on automatic while I was gone
• Emptied my inbox
• Finished packing
• A few other random little things.

I was literally sitting there around 2PM and I was pretty much done with what I had set out to do.

Now, when it comes to writing email sequences or making a landing page, you might think that since I’ve been at this for so long that I can just whip those things out without much thought. But, you’d be wrong. 🙂 Sometimes I still sit there and spin the wheels on the best way to approach an email sequence, or go back and forth on landing page copy. In other words, I sit there and think.

But, on that Tuesday, I just got jiggly with it and jammed it out.

What changed?

The deadline.

I knew I was leaving the next day. The amount of time I had to get the work done was limited and compressed.

So, I didn’t sit there and think. I knew what “DONE!” looked like and I just went and did it.

As I said in the last email, the deadline forces a yes or no decision. Indecision and “someday maybe” breeds apathy. Indecision leads to inaction, nothing happening. And you don’t magically “figure it out” and the indecision just disappears. It is actually much more mechanical than that.

I just forced a decision because I had that deadline.

I’m being serious when I say that one of my best productivity strategies is simply to schedule a vacation! 🙂 Seems like a joke, but I’ve seen it time and time again.

But, what it really comes down to is…

When you really want to get something done, reduce the amount of time you have to get it done.

And if you’re not very good at crafting your own deadlines and sticking to it merely out of self-discipline, then you can “hack” it by literally scheduling things that FORCE you to get it done beforehand.

I’ve got some other thoughts on all this… which is actually coming to mind as I write this email to you. 🙂

But, I’ll share that tomorra. 😉

– David