Productivity is a habit. If you have not yet developed it as a habit, there are productive resources to help get you started. The list below contains my personal favorites. These items changed my life in one way or another. Some of the items in the list below are books, some are apps, and others are small things you can do. All the productive resources have one goal and that to improve your productivity. There can be secondary benefits though like boosting your self confidence.
Productivity is a habit. If you have not yet developed it as a habit, there are productive resources to help get you started.
If there is one book you want to start with, it should be the productivity project. Author Chris Bailey dedicates his life to running productivity tests. The reason I would put this book as number 1 is not because its better than some of the books below. Its because when it comes to productive resources, this books covers the most scenarios. He has tried it all.
The one big thing I took away from this book is that you can get more work done by restricting your hours. Working 100 hour weeks is not better than working a 35-hour workweek. He throws a lot of productivity ideas at you that are pretty counter-cultural. If you can follow through on the teachings of this book you will be boosting your self confidence for sure.
Hal Elrod has changed the lives of many with this book. The Miracle Morning is the reason I started getting up at 3 in the morning. When I was an athlete, I would always get up and do what I needed to do to start my day with a bang. When I started working though I let go of this habit and got up with just enough time to get to work.
It was a disaster, and my happiness drained. My life became work, and I hated it. The Miracle Morning introduced me to the idea of getting up an hour or two before you need to start getting ready. This book is what got me to start Habit Stacking. I started getting up at 5, then 4, and finally 3:10 AM because it felt so good.
You don't need to get up at 3:10 AM, but you do need to understand how to get the most out of the mornings. It's hard to have a productive day when you don't set it up with excellent habits in the morning. This book is a gem for your productive resources.
Habit Stacker is One of The Best Apps to Add to Your Productive Resources
Habit Stacker has been a game-changer for me, or I would not have created it. It is not the first Habit Tracker I have used, though. I started off using Way of Life. I used it for two years, and I realized I needed more. To do my morning routine, I was using Way of Life, Elevate, Evernote, and Day One Journal. I hated having to use so many apps. Now I use Habit Stacker and Elevate.
I did not like that I had to go to another app to review my goals, journal, and check my habits. Then my daily check-in questions I would put into a journal. I solved this by putting it all under one app. When your journal habit comes up in Habit Stacker, you don't leave the app at all.
Habit Stacker makes a list because it makes sure that you are getting your habits done. Nothing will make you more productive than building productive habits. The reason your brain loves habits is that they allow your brain not to devote as much energy to a given task. When you drive, you don't have to think as much because most of the activities are habits.
In the age of always having your phone with you Forest is a game-changer. Every time you switch tasks, you can lose up to 15 minutes of productivity. If you are trying to get in the zone and you look at your phone four times in an hour, then the whole is pretty much a waste. You will not be able to get into a state of flow doing this.
Forest allows you to set how much time you want to work. During that time, a tree grows, and the tree will finish growing at the end of your time. If you leave the app and go to another app, the tree dies, and the blood is on your hands.
Forst keeps you focused. You can also add friends, so during social gatherings, you can all stay off your phone. The app is wanting you to dedicate your time and attention to what is in front of you and get off of your phone.
Screen Time Restriction is a Productive Resource Right On Your Phone
Once Apple added screen time to iPhones, it became my best friend. I block Instagram in my Safari browser, and I do not have the app on my phone. I decided to stop fighting that battle. It's not worth it. Instead of depending on my willpower, I block any sites from my phone that tend to burn up productivity.
You can do the same. Use your phone as a productive resource and not a distraction. The phone can be so powerful when it's used right. The fact that phones come with safety guards to help you manage your uses should not be taken lightly.
The book Essentialism helps you to figure out what in your life is necessary. If it's not required then you need to remove it from your life. The one thing focuses you on doing something that is the most important each day. The books are similar but not the same. If you read one read the other right after because they support each other.
There are no better books to help you focus on what is essential. When it comes to productive resources, these are some of the best. The books are not trying to get you to work more at all. They want you to figure out what matters and then work on that thing.
Both of the books give you permission and the courage to start saying no. By saying yes, you make promises to things that are not at all your focus. Saying yes puts you in a position where you build up regrets. Yes is powerful! Use it sparingly because every yes puts your productivity in trouble.
The Best Productive Resources for New Habits
Habit Stacker provides resources to help you improve your habits. The first way we do this is through our online course Habit Mastery. The second way is with the Habit Stacker mobile app.
Olympian and founder of Habit Stacker Ian Warner, teaches the Habit Mastery course. He walks you through practical techniques that you can use to improve your habits. No fluff or non-sense! You get instant access to over 45 different videos. They all break down how to build good habits and break bad ones.
The Habit Stacker app is what you use to live out your habits from day today. It's a habit tracker that lets you know what you need to do each day. The app sets your daily routine board for you each day, so you all you have to do is get the task done at the top of the list. You can look back and see your streaks for each habit and keep boosting your self confidence.