Many systems of productivity exist today. Thousands of bloggers, experts, consultants, and organizations exist all with their own prescribed system of ultimate productivity.  But often, it is THEIR system and not one that works for you.  So what does work for you? Is it simply an excuse to say that it doesn’t work for me because it wasn’t designed specifically for me? Or are we simply failures for not being able to hold to every written rule within the system that dictates our breathing patterns? Well, to start developing YOUR system, your meMethod to productivity, you need to first understand yourself, and that is often simpler said than done.  Most people think they know themselves but when it comes down to it, they are as clueless as a stranger who just met them.  In fact, the stranger can be more accurate as they come in with no specific biases or desires or preconceived images of you.  Our own image often skews the perceptions we have about ourselves and this then affects our ability to design or operate within a system for personal productivity.  Once we understand where we are, we can move on to the next steps in designing our system or approach.

The following steps describe an approach to this design process:

1. understand yourself, your strengths, passions, and desires, your mode of operation, YOU.
2. Identify your responsibilities, projects, desired habits, etc… all the things you need to, or would like to accomplish
3. Analyze the current system or process you use. What works? What doesn’t?
4. Gather the information, tools, tactics, and possible strategies together that you have come across or thought up
5. Identify what fits within your “you” from step one. How do the current processes that are working fit?
6. Drop what does not fit or has not worked.
7. Identify the remaining areas of responsibility that are not taken care of by the viable tactics and strategies identified.
8. Delegate as many of these as possible. This may be through outsourcing, coworkers or other individuals internally (within your organization or family), or complete automation via technology.
9. Eliminate as many other responsibilities or tasks as possible since you likely will not do them anyhow.
10. Items that are left… well, you might just have to buck up and do them!  Have specific times and approaches to get the things done that need to be done but can only be done by you…even though they are no fun and don’t “flow” with YOU.

So, the question now arises… how can I understand myself more fully? There are many tools and exercises to assist you in doing this.  I will list and briefly describe a few of them.

Kolbe A Index – This index identifies your MO (mode of operation). It essentially identifies how you like to get things done.

StrengthFinder 2.0 – This test identifies 5 areas of talent which may be developed to become strengths. It is accompanied by a book that explains them in more detail.

VALS survey – This survey is short and sweet, designed to identify mindsets distinguished by 8 categories or types.

Myers-Briggs – Identifies personality traits such as habits of communication, patterns of action, and characteristic attitudes and values.

Each of these tests will reveal valuable insights into how you operate, where you derive passion and energy, and where you ought to explore or focus.  Remember this, it will be more valuable if you attempt to shed your ideal vision of yourself while taking these assessments and try to respond to each question as if in a vacuum.  Don’t over-think them.  For example, if the question states, “do you find yourself moving to the center of a big group or staying toward the edges of the group?” Don’t attempt to think where the question is leading and what the result might be one way or another, simply reflect back on past experiences in groups and realize where you gravitated or where you found to be more comfortable and where you gleaned energy.  Was the middle too stressful awkward for you? Did you feel alone when on the edge? Again, don’t over-think it.

With the results from these tests and some time spent contemplating them, you will be much more prepared to design your ideal system of accomplishment.  Take the steps above and discover yourself, then start designing!!