Do you find yourself too distracted to get important things done? Have you tried every method to stay productive but haven’t found the right one? We talk with two expert consultants on how you can finally tackle that to-do list.

David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The art of stress-free productivity, emphasizes committing ourselves to the outcome of the task itself, and then asking what physical activity needs to happen in order to get to our desired outcome. Allen’s three steps for reaching productivity are “capture , clarify and organize.” We must capture what has our attention in a to-do list or a reminder. Next, we should clarify if what we captured is actionable. Then, we should delegate certain lists for certain activities.

Productivity consultant Steve McClatchy  notes that both a to-do list and a calendar serve as the most efficient productivity methods. Before we can commit to an activity, we must look on our calendars to see if we are free. Once we write an activity down on the calendar, the to-do is the action after the decision is made. McClatchy says that although people look at procrastination negatively, it often forces us to complete an activity or task. He explains that putting something off long enough may cause our bodies to panic, which then leads to focusing all our energy on the activity that we once dreaded.

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