Spiral Up Your Productivity

This emphasis on producing mini-products yields several benefits:

1. We are hard-wired for immediate gratification. A closer-up goal is more motivating. Completing one part after another feels both doable and rewarding.

2. We are more likely to procrastinate or abandon a far off goal. (Sound familiar?)

3. Achieving small successes builds self-confidence to take on more.

4. Starting with the end, we can look back and see all of the obstacles we have overcome - and how. No mystery. Now we can act!

5. Productivity experts say to take on our most important task during the first 60-90 minutes of the day, before we get distracted by e-mail and other pulls. You can knock off a product first thing, if it's broken down in advance, or fit it in during a busy day.

Just imagine checking off all those items! Doesn't that feel good?