The Secret to Peak Productive Performance

Physical Organization

Having your physical environment under control allows you to access all your resources when you need them. In theory, having everything you need on hand saves you time and energy, that can be used to achieve your objectives and further your goals. It's nice to have everything in order and it is a lot easier to write a letter, if you aren't busy searching for a pen.

Digital Organization

Thus, the same argument can be applied to the second principle of peak productive performance. In this case, however, it is your access to digital information, that determines the ease at which you can complete your goals. Tasks, such as writing a STEEMIT article, go well, if you have all the necessary resources in the right places. Specifically, when it comes to Digital Organization, everyone has their own solutions. Most productive individuals make use of applications such as Evernote, OneDrive/OneNote or Google Drive to organize their thoughts and to store their digital media. These applications allow individuals to store their digital footprint in an ecosystem conducive to productivity. You may be able to achieve the same results solely using text files and the simple filesystems available on Windows and/or Mac OS, but these systems really begin to shine when combined with a suitable cloud storage solution. At the moment, I'm headed home from work on a fairly crowded bus, yet, due to the OneNote application on my smartphone, I am able to write this productivity article without missing a beat. I'm able to achieve this level of productivity through cloud storage (as well as my smartphone). My digital cloud storage solution saves all my edits and changes. Plus, I can resume working on this article anywhere with an internet connection.

Time Management

Even so, all the organization in the world won't do you much if you don't set aside time to do what you want to do. You need to set aside small sizable chunks to finish tasks that are tearing at your mind. But sometimes, there isn't enough time in the day to get what you want done.

For some tasks, there are always Limbo Moments, available to us while we're in between actions. The wait for and ride on the train is very useful when you need to accomplish tasks. I like to think of the train as a mini-office, except without the distractions of a standard office. Armed with just a smartphone, you would be surprised as to what can be done. Plus, If your commute has enough accommodation, you can fit a laptop into the mix. I, myself, am constricted to train rides, and a smartphone. Though, I really appreciate the opportunity to just hone in and focus on a task without the fear of interruption. It's productivity heaven. These Limbo Moments are best conquered with a good pair of headphones. Go against the instinct for silence, and just grab a pair of cans without noise-cancelling; it's nice to hear what's going on around you in a public place.

Action Management

Now that we've covered Time Management, it's important that we learn how to manage our actions. It's all fine and dandy to be "productive", but what are we really doing and how does it tie into our goals? That's where Action Management comes into play. During your bouts against that neverending to-do list (I promise, everyone, myself included, is fighting a losing battle), there needs to be a clearly defined action. Action Management is the art of losing gracefully. you can't do everything, so why try? Prioritizing your actions is the most effective way to achieve your goals.

Goal Orientation

I may have saved the last principle, Goal Orientation for last, but it is the most important of the 5 principles of peak productive performance. You don't make any progress, if you don't know where you want to go. It might sound cliché, without clear goals, your actions are meaningless. To achieve peak productive performance, your actions need to build on top of each other, you need to check off the to-dos, to achieve a higher purpose. That load of laundry needs to be done, not only because you are running out of clean clothes but to further your goals. And those goals are completely up to you. So, don't do your laundry because they are on your to-do list and you are running out of clean clothes. You should define your goals, and your laundry brings you one step closer to achieving them.

So, what really is the secret to peak productive performance? I believe that it is the combination of these 5 Principles.

1. Physical Organization

2. Digital Organization

3. Time Management

4. Action Management

5. Goal Orientation

Most productivity gurus would agree that these five principles are the core to peak productive performance.