Use the 'Zen to Done' Method to Form New Productivity Habits

Productivity is an essential skill for getting things done in your life and career, but it’s also important because it can gives you a sense of accomplishment and it enhances your sense of wellbeing. When you don’t get all your tasks done, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disappointed in yourself, which doesn’t help you push through to finish those tasks, let alone feel like you’re thriving.

You should be happy. You need to be productive. Reaching a state of zen can help you accomplish both—or so goes the theory behind the “Zen to Done” method, which aims to help you get more good and feel good about it. Unlike some other productivity approaches, this one has less to do with strict deadlines and weedy details than it does with pushing through and feeling good about a job well done. This makes it well suited to those who don't exactly blossom under pressure.

What is Zen to Done?

Zen to Done is a productivity system conceptualized by Zen Habits’ Leo Babauta. It’s structured around building simple habits that enable you to get your work done and feel good at the same time. Other methods, like the once ubiquitous “Getting Things Done” system, get a bad rap for expecting you to build all your new habits at once, jumping immediately into a whole new lifestyle. That sort of all-or-nothing change can work for some people, but it might not be for you. But ZTD is focused on building them incrementally and more peacefully. There's room to adjust and grow, which can be soothing—especially if you have a lot of habits to change or you're particularly stuck in your ways.

The habit changes come in a series, but one at a time, allowing you to focus on the actual work you need to get done. In the original version of ZTD, there are 10 habits, but you should only try to incorporate two to three of them at one time before moving on to others.

1. Collect by always taking notes about what you need to do, ideas you have, or changes to a task or project.

2. Process by making quick decisions on tasks that are in front of you right now, like emails that could soon pile up.

3. Plan by setting goals for your week every Monday, and tackling larger tasks earlier in the week.

4. Do by selecting a task and focusing on it without thinking about or doing anything else.

5. Create a simple trusted system that works for you, like doing certain tasks at the same time every day or tapping into an email system like the 4Ds with consistenc.

6. Organize by giving everything a place—and putting it there every time. This goes for emails, tools on your desk, and anything else that’s cluttering your mind or space.

7. Review your weekly goals at the end of the week, but also keep tabs on your longer-term quarterly or annual goals to keep them fresh in your mind and see how your daily work plays into them.

8. Simplify by using your review time to slash your goals and tasks into only what’s most essential at any given time.

9. Make a routine that works for you, whether it’s a calmer morning routine, or more structured evenings—and absolutely stick to it.

10. Find your passion and make sure it’s guiding your work. This is where ZTD differs from other productivity methods: You should always strive to keep the things you care about at the center of what you’re doing, as a reminder of why you’re working so hard or a check on whether a project is really worth it all.

Over the past year, I've adopted a few of these changes: collect (and, by extension, plan), plus process and organize. I've been dedicated to growing financially and becoming more organized, but I knew neither of those things would happen overnight, so I started writing down "to-dos" whenever they popped into my head. I stick them in a note in my phone, reorganize the note every Monday, and check it every morning to see what I can do—then jump straight into the things that are attainable in that moment. The other day, I noticed my fan was dirty but I didn't have time to clean it write then, so I wrote a note—clean the fan—in my phone, and was able to follow up on it the next day without stressing. Making changes and getting things done bit by bit in this way has resulted in major financial wins and a significantly cleaner, more organized home. It's a far cry from how things went in the past, when I put too much pressure on myself to change instantly.

Get started with “Minimalist ZTD”

All of that sounds like a lot—and it is, even though you’re only supposed to start rolling in the habits one at a time. So pull back a bit: Babauta considers the first four (collect, process, plan, and do) the core of a “Minimalist ZTD” program, and advises picking one of them and focusing on it for 30 days. After a month, you’ll be in the habit of using that approach to your work and can move on to one of the other three. And once the four big are securely ingrained in your habits, you can move on to the full list.

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