Here's a dirty little secret about success -- I actually think that being brilliant is the easy part. It sounds shocking, or arrogant, but consider this: There are so many sharp, smart, talented people who are not effective in business and organizations. Success is about applying that spark, about grinding, about discipline and motivation. The good news, is that being effective is something you can develop competence at, like any learned skill. This is what people mean when they say someone is 'green.'
I find the discipline of applying your brilliance is most easily deployed through basic daily habits. In other words, ask yourself, how can we systematize effectiveness? Recently, here at S! we hosted a team-building day, and several managers in the agency gave talks. For my own, I tasked myself with this question and came out with three core principles that I've built my own daily habits on. The exact application of these principles, the tools you use, that's all style and vocab -- but I encourage you to try to really consider how these principles might make you a more senior executive or competent entrepreneur.
Principle 1: Offense and Defense
In my career, I’ve noticed varying levels of competency at organizational effectiveness. The lowest level is someone who needs to be told what to do and doesn't deliver. The middle level is someone who does what they're asked, correctly. But the real senior level is playing offense – being proactive, creating value without being asked.
Every morning, I ask myself, "What is the best way that I can add value to this organization?" And I do that before I check any of my inboxes. This helps me stay focused on high-impact tasks and avoid getting bogged down by less important requests.
I use Asana's My Tasks View to organize my day. I divide my tasks into "focus" and "outreach" categories. Focus tasks are high-value, deep work activities that I tackle first thing in the morning. Outreach tasks, which involve communication and follow-ups, come later. This system ensures that I score a few goals before I start playing defense.
Principle 2: Efficient Task Organization
It’s easy to look at a long list of tasks and feel paralyzed or overwhelmed. The key is to have an organized system that makes it clear what you need to work on at any given time. Chop it up, and it's more manageable.
An organized to-do list helps you quickly identify your priorities and stay on track. I break my tasks into sections: focus, outreach, upcoming, blocked, and priority. This makes my workload more manageable and helps me stay proactive.
In Asana, I use rules to automate the sorting of tasks into the appropriate sections. Tasks due today go into the focus category, tasks due tomorrow go into upcoming, and blocked tasks are moved out of my immediate view. This systematizes my approach and keeps my to-do list from becoming overwhelming.
Principle 3: Deep Work and Focus
Deep, focused work requires eliminating distractions and dedicating uninterrupted time to it. Multitasking or constant context switching is the enemy of productivity.
I don’t get notifications for anything – no emails, no Asana updates, nothing. This allows me to fully immerse myself in the task at hand and produce higher quality work.
- Focus Modes: I use Apple’s Focus Modes to control which apps and people can notify me during different times of the day. For example, during work hours, I only allow myself to see apps like Asana and Slack. And to not see them after hours!
- Reclaim: This tool helps me automatically time-block my schedule. I have specific blocks for checking emails and messages, ensuring that I dedicate large chunks of my day to deep work without interruptions. Reclaim also helps me manage my personal tasks and habits, like scheduling short walks to stay refreshed.
Bonus Tools
Other Tools I’m Fond Of
Here are a few additional tools that I find incredibly helpful in maintaining productivity:
- Raycast: A super-powered spotlight search that integrates with various apps and helps me navigate my tasks quickly.
- Arc Browser: A keyboard-friendly web browser that helps manage tabs and organize web activity efficiently.
- Notion Calendar: Formerly known as Cron, it allows me to manage meetings and integrate seamlessly with Reclaim.
- Superhuman: An email client that enhances efficiency and productivity.
- Apple Notes: Simple and effective for quick note-taking and organizing thoughts.
- Copilot: A finance management tool that keeps my financial tasks in order.
These tools, combined with the principles and practical tips I’ve shared, form a robust system for staying productive and effective.
Conclusion
If you take anything away, it's that being an effective executive is something you can build a skill set for with active practice. And that maybe, maybe, some of the habits within that are to prioritize creating value over being directed, and using organization tools to make space for that. My vocabulary for this is task lists and sections in Asana, but that doesn't really matter. If you really aspire to be effective, you'll crack it. Good luck, tiger.
