This document provides productivity hacks and strategies for technical communicators. It begins with an introduction from the author, Kit Brown-Hoekstra, who is a consultant, author and trainer. The document then discusses defining busyness versus productivity and challenges the "cult of busy". It provides exercises for groups to discuss strategies in areas like time management, strategic planning and communication. The groups then report hacks they've found useful, such as setting goals and priorities, limiting distractions, scheduling breaks and self-care activities. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of choosing strategies that fit individual strengths and circadian rhythms and building habits over time through practice.

1. Productivity Hacks for
Technical Communicators
Katherine (Kit) Brown-Hoekstra

2. @kitcomgenesis
About Me
• Fellow, past president,
CPTC trainer
• Consultant, author,
trainer
• Mentor
• Sometimes
procrastinator
• Night owl
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3. @kitcomgenesis
About You
• What’s your best time of day?
• What would you like to work on that would help you
be more productive?
• When you hear about super successful and
productive people, what resonates with you about
their life?
• What are you doing when you are feeling most
productive?
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The Cult of Busy

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Puritan Work Ethic

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Monkey Mind

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Definitions
Busyness
• Lots of activity, not being idle
• Characterized by or sustaining much
activity
• Having a great deal to do
• Unable to think about anything
beyond the to-do list
• Occupied, industrious, active,
working hard
Productivity
• The quality, state, or fact of being
able to generate, create, enhance, or
bring forth goods and services
• Rate at which goods are produced
or work is completed
• Focus on the right thing at the right
time to produce the right results
• Efficiency, yield, effectiveness,
working smart
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Savor Success

11. @kitcomgenesis
Exercise
1. Gather into groups.
2. Pick a topic:
3. Discuss what works for you in the selected area.
(1-2 min/pp)
• What works for you? Why?
• How do you keep yourself on track?
• What’s one thing you want to learn how to do better?
4. Select spokesperson and report back to group. (2 min/group)
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• Time management
• Strategic planning
• Morning rituals
• Evening rituals
• Tools
• Efficiency
• Communication
• Other idea?

12. @kitcomgenesis
Hacks Crowd-Sourced
from the Exercise
Strategic Planning:
• Take time quarterly for stepping back and looking at the big picture
• Make sure your goals are SMART:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Actionable
• Realistic
• Time based
• Set goals, then break down into smallest task that will move you forward. Keep doing this until you
get to the goal.
• Identify and celebrate milestones
• Checklists, deadlines, etc. help you make sure you are staying on track
• Make sure your goals resonate with your authentic self
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Hacks Crowd-Sourced
from the Exercise
Morning Rituals:
• Prep the night before (lay out your clothes, ID most
important priorities)
• Start at the same time
• Meditate
• Exercise
• Review your priorities
• Limit your to-do list
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Hacks Crowd-Sourced
from the Exercise
Time Management:
• Turn off the distractions
• Set a timer
• To-do lists:
• Know which fires you should put out and which ones you can let burn
• Pick the top 3 things that you must accomplish
• Pick one easy thing that you can get done
• Make sure items on your list actually help you reach your goals
• Make buffer times between meetings
• Schedule a 10-15 min break every 50 minutes
• Work in sprints
• Create office hours (schedule the chats with coworkers during those times)
• Identify and schedule around your productive times (don’t fight biology; use your circadian rhythm to support your work habits)
• Take a break from digital world and just breathe
• Make a game of it
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Hacks Crowd-Sourced
from the Exercise
Communication:
• Say “No” to things that don’t help you get to your goals (or “Yes
and…” for things you want to do but need to do later)
• Post your goals where you can see them
• Use your auto-response
• Identify your time zone and availability in your email tag line
• Let it ring to voice mail and then schedule times to respond
• Join Toastmasters or take an improve class to build your confidence
• Be proactive in communicating with your team
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16. @kitcomgenesis
Hacks Crowd-Sourced
from the Exercise
Self-care:
• Schedule your “me” time and your thinking time (and don’t over-
ride it with someone else’s priorities)
• Meditate
• Exercise
• Get outside
• Find a hobby
• Share a laugh with friends
• Make the time to explore and discover what gives you joy and
makes you passionate
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17. @kitcomgenesis
Hacks Crowd-Sourced
from the Exercise
Tools:
• Bullet Journals
• Notebook (pen and paper)
• OneNote or Evernote
• Jeera
• Apps for time management
• OKRs: objectives and key results (see Radical Focus)
• Focus planner (Michael Hyatt’s new thing)
• Buddhify (meditation app)
• Mind movies
• Books on self-discovery
• Pomodoro apps (here’s a list: https://zapier.com/blog/best-pomodoro-apps/)
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18. Productivity Tools
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OKRs

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Focus Planner
www.michaelhyatt.com

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Productivity Planner

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Lots of Approaches:
Picking What Works for You
• Know your strengths
• Know your circadian rhythms
• Look at the conditions that exist when you are in Flow
• Get clear about your dreams and goals
• Play with different tools and techniques until you find what resonates
• It takes time to build a habit
• Look at it as practice and don’t expect to be perfect at it
• Each day starts the clock over w/ opportunities to work more productively
• Know that down/play/recharge time is critical to long-term productivity
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Resources
• Allen, David. Getting Things Done.
• Bennett, Sam. Get it Done.
• Dickinson, Elizabeth E. “The Cult of Busy”, Johns Hopkins Health Review blog,
http://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/spring-summer-2016/articles/the-cult-of-busy
• Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.
• Gandia, Ed. http://b2blauncher.com/ (He has a couple of master mind groups focused on starting and growing your business)
• Hensel, Anna. “Eight Entrepreneurs, 24 Hours: A Day in the Life”, Fast Company, April 2017
• Popova, Maria. “Hermann Hesse on Little Joyes, Breaking the Trance of Busyness, and the Most Important Habit for Living
with Presence”, Brainpickings blog, https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/03/06/hermann-hesse-little-joys-my-belief/
• Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
• Slim, Pam. Body of Work.
• Sossenheimer, Anna. “The Competition of Misery”, Odyssey Online blog, https://www.theodysseyonline.com/competition-misery
• Vozza, Stephanie. “15 Habits that will Totally Transform Your Productivity”, FastCompany
https://www.fastcompany.com/3051540/15-habits-that-will-totally-transform-your-productivit
• Wodtke, Christina. Radical Focus.
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