Is it possible to be productive without burning out?
Today, we’ll cover the topic of productivity. More specifically, I’ll introduce you to the concept of balanced productivity. Balanced productivity means balancing efficiency (delivering outcomes) with well-being and fulfillment (delivering outcomes without feeling burnt out).
I spent quite some time during the summer reading books about productivity.
You know why?
After having been on part-time sick leave due to long covid, I’m feeling progressively better, to the point where I’m gradually reintegrating into work.
Great news, right?
Indeed, great news and also a lot of learnings behind me. Going through such a significant life event has encouraged me to redefine the word “productivity.” I don’t want to fall back into old patterns of overwork and stress, and sacrifice my well-being. I need a system to manage my tasks, requests, and overall workload even more effectively, one that balances sustainable productivity with fulfillment and well-being.
That’s why I decided to dive deep into productivity, reading extensively on the topic and experimenting with various strategies I discovered.
Today, I’d like to share with you three methods that I’ve tested and successfully implemented to achieve balanced productivity:
🔸The Eisenhower Matrix,
🔸The Weekly Schedule, and
🔸The Pull System.
Regardless of your career stage (student, PhD student, postdoc, or beyond), I’m confident that some of these strategies will be helpful for you!
Method #1 | The Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix and named after Dwight Eisenhower (ex-President of the US), is a powerful tool for prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively.
I encountered this method on my very first day of studying pharmacy. During the introduction days, they mentioned the Eisenhower Matrix as a tool that could help us managing better our tasks and workload.
More than 20 years later (I know 😅), I’m still using this method almost every day – at work and in my personal life.
This is how the Eisenhower Matrix looks like:
It works like that:
Quadrant I: Do (Urgent and Important)
These are critical tasks that require immediate attention.
Examples: Crises, emergencies, last-minute deadlines, and unforeseen events.
Action: Address these tasks immediately.
Quadrant II: Plan (Not Urgent but Important)
These tasks contribute to long-term goals and personal growth.
Examples: Proactive work, important goals, creative thinking, relationship building, finding new opportunities, personal growth, prevention activities, and recreation.
Action: Schedule and prioritize these tasks to prevent them from becoming urgent.
Quadrant III: Delegate (Urgent but Not Important)
These tasks don’t contribute significantly to your goals but still require attention.
Examples: Interruptions, irrelevant meetings, unimportant emails/calls/tasks/reports.
Action: If possible, delegate these tasks to others or find ways to minimize their impact on your time.
Quadrant IV: Delete (Neither Urgent nor Important)
These are time-wasters that don’t add value to your work or life.
Examples: Time-wasters, some calls and emails, excessive relaxation.
Action: Try to eliminate or significantly reduce time spent on these activities.
This summer, I read again “The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People” of Stephen Covey. In his book, Covey emphasizes the importance of Quadrant II (Important but Not Urgent) activities. He argues that focusing on these tasks leads to personal growth, better preparation, and prevention of future crises. By investing time in Quadrant II, you can reduce the number of urgent tasks and create a more balanced, productive life.
Method #2 | The Weekly Schedule
My Weekly Schedule is also inspired by Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. It’s a powerful tool for organizing your time and tasks on a weekly basis. This method helps you align your daily activities with your various life roles and overall priorities, ensuring a balanced and productive week.
Here’s how my Weekly Schedule looks like – inspired from the Weekly Planner of Stephen Covey:
It works like that:
First, identify your roles: Start by listing your various life roles on the left side of the planner. These might include:
🔸Employer/Employee
🔸Business owner
🔸Partner
🔸Parent
🔸Son/Daughter
🔸Friend
🔸Community member
🔸Self (personal development, health, sport, learning, etc.)
Set weekly goals for each role: Next to each role, write down specific goals you want to achieve in that area for the coming week. This ensures you’re giving attention to all important aspects of your life, not just work (that’s the key to fulfilment!!)
Create a weekly grid: Set up a grid with the days of the week across the top, including Saturday and Sunday. This allows you to plan for both work and personal time. I chose to divide my day into early morning (= workout time), morning, lunch time, afternoon and evening; I also chose not to add any time to make it a bit more flexible for me.
Identify priorities of the week: At the bottom of the roles section, there’s a space for “Priorities of the Week”. Here, answer the question: “What are the most important tasks I want to achieve this week?” This helps you focus on your key objectives.
Schedule your time: Start filling in your grid with specific activities and tasks. Be sure to:
🔸Allocate time for your priority tasks first
🔸Balance activities across your various roles
🔸Include both work and personal activities
🔸Leave some unscheduled time for flexibility and unexpected task
Make it yours: Use colors to highlight each role (I love that – I have my Weekly Schedule on paper), dedicate some time during the weekend or on Fridays to prepare the schedule of the upcoming week, and evaluate regularly what works and what needs to be improved.
The power of this method lies in its holistic approach. By considering all your life roles and consciously allocating time to each, you ensure that you’re not neglecting important areas of your life while pursuing productivity. This leads to a more balanced, fulfilling, healthy, and truly productive life.
Remember, the goal isn’t to schedule every minute of your week, but to ensure that your most important priorities – across all areas of your life – are given the time and attention they deserve. This approach helps prevent burnout by ensuring you’re not overly focused on one area (like work) at the expense of others (like family or personal health).
By using this Weekly Schedule method, you’re not just managing your time – you’re managing your life in alignment with your values and long-term goals. This is the essence of what Covey calls “putting first things first,” and it’s a crucial step towards achieving balanced productivity.
Method #3 | The Pull System
The Pull System is a productivity method inspired by lean manufacturing principles. I discovered it for the first time in the book “Slow Productivity” recently published by Cal Newport. It’s designed to help you manage your workload more effectively by limiting work in progress and focusing on completing tasks before starting new ones.
I have my Pull System on a whiteboard on the wall, above my head, so that I can directly look at it when a new request for a new task/project comes in. Each project/task is written on a magnet, which also allows me to quickly move projects/tasks when needed.
My Pull System looks like that:
This is how you can make your own Pull System:
Organize by occupation: Divide your work into different occupations or areas of focus. The image shows two occupations, but you can have more depending on your needs (e.g., main job, side business, volunteering, social life).
Create task columns: For each occupation, set up two main columns:
🔸NEXT: For projects/tasks in the “holding tank,” planned and waiting to be pulled when it’s their turn.
🔸ACTIVE: For projects/tasks you’re currently focusing on.
List your tasks: In each column, list your projects and tasks with their names and deadlines. Use different colors for different project types (e.g., research, education, writing, admin) to provide a visual overview of your work distribution.
Prioritize within columns: In the ACTIVE columns, list more urgent tasks on the left and less urgent ones on the right.
Limit work in progress: Keep your ACTIVE columns manageable. Only pull new tasks from the NEXT column when you have capacity to work on them (this really helps me to say no to new tasks!).
Focus on completion: Concentrate on finishing tasks in your ACTIVE columns before pulling new ones from the NEXT columns.
Regular review: Periodically review and update your board, moving completed tasks out and pulling new ones in as appropriate. This can be done every day, every couple of days, or every week.
The Pull System helps prevent overwhelm by limiting multitasking and encouraging a steady, manageable flow of work. It also promotes a sense of accomplishment as you see tasks moving through your system. By visualizing all your commitments across different areas of your life, you can ensure a more balanced approach to productivity.
Remember, the key to making this system work is to be disciplined about not overloading your ACTIVE columns and to regularly review and update your board. This will help you maintain a sustainable pace of work while still making progress across all your important areas of focus.
📢 The Take-Home Message
Aiming to achieve balanced productivity?
💡 Effective methods exist to help manage workload, stress, and tasks. The Eisenhower Matrix, Weekly Schedule, and Pull System are just a few examples of tools that can significantly improve your productivity while maintaining your well-being.
💡 Finding the right productivity system is a personal journey. What works for one person may not work for another. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods and adapt them to your unique needs and preferences. It might take some time, but the payoff in increased productivity and reduced stress is well worth the effort (and it’s actually quite fun).
💡 Remember that life is dynamic, and so are our priorities. As we grow and evolve, our productivity systems should evolve with us. Make it a habit to regularly re-evaluate your methods and adjust them accordingly. This ongoing refinement ensures that your productivity strategy remains aligned with your current goals and life circumstances.
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