Want to leave last year behind and start fresh? If you’d like to get NEW results and make better, FASTER progress, we’re going to have to talk about NEW routines for your workday.
To help you go in a new direction, I’ve assembled a list what to LET GO OF in 2025 with regard to your workday productivity.
I’ve put together this list after working with tons of clients for more than 20 years and hearing what they had done to try to stay on top of things.
They were men and women with all kinds of positions and roles in their companies.
They’re in corporate mostly—but many are also business owners—from more than 30 different industries.
Some were using tools and strategies that would NEVER work.
Some were on the right track, but didn’t know how to truly make things work right.
I know what people are doing behind the scenes in their workday and I am telling you to “let it go” with some of this stuff.
Are you ready to start simplifying your workday?
I’ve got you covered on this one.
Let’s do this.
1 – Give up the piecemeal “strategy” you’ve been using. It’s not a real strategy.
You see some guru say you need to do A and you dive in.
Then, another guru says you need to do B, so you add that on.
Then, yet another guru says A and B are dead, so you abandon them for C… which this guru recommended.
You try a new tool or app for a couple of weeks, but you get stuck.
You don’t think it’s working. It’s taking too long. You have questions.
You get frustrated. And then you give up…
…and you go back to your old, comfortable habits from before.
But soon after, you see another guru make a NEW recommendation. So you try it.
And the process starts all over again as you try to fix the problem.
It’s time to break up with this “strategy” that ISN’T a strategy.
Your workday strategy should include, in no particular order:
✅ Your ONE task management system that pulls all tasks from all sources so you have 100% clarity (yes, I said ONE. This is KEY!)
✅ Your Task-Time Connection that aligns what you want to do and WHEN (yes, this is one major missing piece in your daily task plan—but it’s ESSENTIAL)
✅ Your time protection plan that gives you the time you need to stay on top of tasks and email (your to-do list isn’t the only thing you need time for. Email is a time HOG. Are you allowing time during the day to keep up with it?)
✅ Your information management plan: how quickly can you store/save something and trust you’ll find it again? If you can’t find info quickly to finish a task or reply to an email, you’ve just lost.
✅ Your plan for diverting or eliminating interruptions and distractions. What’s breaking your focus these days?
✅ Your email process (from the minute an email hits your Inbox, you’ve got to know what to DO with it—and FAST… because it can’t stay there and be managed effectively.)
Get a REAL strategy that’s comprehensive and takes care of it ALL!
2 – Expecting an app to be the answer
I’m about to get all up in your business a little bit, but I have seen WAY too much of this.
You want to find an app that will handle email.
You want to find an app that will streamline your tasks.
You want an app to literally handle things FOR you.
But guess what?
It’s not happening.
You’ll waste more time trying to find an app… or a tool… or a hack… to fix what’s NOT working and even MORE time trying to figure out what to DO with it.
You’ve probably turned “app hunting” into a hobby (and lost time) and you’re spending an awful lot of effort to try to make it work (more lost time.)
All while NOT keeping track of tasks or keeping up with emails while you were trying to make the “thing” work. (even more lost time trying to clean up what DIDN’T get done.)
Here’s the deal…
An app is not the answer to your workday challenges. It’s how you USE it that matters.
The MAGIC is in the METHOD.
An app can seem like an easy answer.
You want technology to step up. You try one after another, because, after all, those demos make things look so COOL, right? And EASY!
They talk a big game—especially for task management. But they don’t even know how to create a real task. (Their demos say “You can type your task HERE” and I’m like, dude… that’s a project.)
Apps can end up costing you SO… MUCH… TIME. Plus effort and energy and stress.
If you don’t know how to use it or apply it to YOUR work, you’re going to spin your wheels.
All the while, you’re missing tasks, forgetting follow ups, and chasing emails that scroll off the screen.
And that means you’re still being reactive in your workday, missing opportunities, and losing traction.
The WORST part? It’s costing you in PERSONAL time now, too.
Let me save you that time, effort, and energy… and help you get your LIFE back.
Unless you have LOADS of time on your hands, it’s time to let go of the app hunt.
The truth is that a great workday strategy requires a few special things:
➡️ Someone who TRULY gets it. They have the high-level strategy, inside and out, plus the granular how-to-make-it work strategy—and customize it for YOU. It’s got to be a real-deal, proven strategy.
➡️ A way to integrate the processes in your workday (there are 4 main ones) because focusing only on ONE process will leave you lost in the other 3.
➡️ A way of THINKING so you know how to manage everything you need to do. Right thinking will give you clarity, confidence, and control in your workday.
➡️ A method for DECISION MAKING (no decisions = no progress)
➡️ A process of EXECUTION that is predictable, reliable, and easy. And this one has to be all-encompassing. It’s NOT just about your to-do list.
Think an app can do all of this? You’ll be disappointed if you do. And you’ll still be unproductive.
And if you think you don’t have the TIME or the MONEY to fix this problem, what you need FIRST is even more important.
The FIRST step is to get support on the strategy FIRST.
Make sure you have a legitimate plan that is do-able first. Always.
And a question for you, real quick…
Is this an area where you could use some support?
I’ve got the place to start…
I’ve got 90-minute strategy sessions available to you—always—for $1200. But since you’re here, reading this blog post, you can get your strategy for only $597.
I’ll map out your strategy A to Z, step by step to show you how to get a handle on tasks, time, email, and information. Plus, you get access to our recorded Zoom call for 30 days.
Email me now to let me know you want one of these: leslie@productiveday.com.
Now, back to the list of what to let go of this year…
3 – It’s time to stop expecting paper to be your task management system.
The paper to-do list has been around FOREVER.
You used to be able to run your day from a legal pad or a fancy-pants planner, but that won’t work anymore.
Paper is a TOOL, not a system.
And you need to understand the importance of a SYSTEM.
You need to get clear on WHY a system is essential—how it operates, what it can do, and the RESULTS it will give you.
You need to stop thinking that your to-do list of 25 tasks(!) will get done today. Not happening.
The list must be shorter. The tasks must be real tasks—more specific… small… and achievable.
If you really want more progress in your workday, let go of the paper and go digital.
Pick ONE place. A favorite digital task list you can see on the big monitor in your office. (If you keep trying to run your day from your PHONE, that’s ANOTHER thing to let go of in 2025.)
And even when you synch your laptop with your phone, try to work mainly from your computer when you can.
A single, digital task plan you can see on the big screen is valuable. (You need more details than you think.)
And yes, there IS a place for paper in your workday, but it’s not as a task management plan or a to-do list.
Paper is great for quick jots while you’re on the phone. Maybe for meeting notes if you’re not into “Remarkable” yet or you don’t have another online platform for note-taking.
But the thing about paper is that if you use it, you need to DO something with it after you finish the meeting or hang up the phone.
Don’t let paper accumulate, no matter what’s ON the paper.
But no matter what… let go of paper for managing things to do. It’s letting you down in so many ways…
🟥 It’s a mix of items: tasks, ideas, follow ups, projects, and more
🟥 Tasks lack details you need to make decisions
🟥 The list isn’t in order of priority or importance
🟥 There’s no plan for when you’ll take action
🟥 You can’t easily reprioritize when your day changes
And I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
Paper is a TOOL, not a SYSTEM. So let… it… go.
Instead, choose a digital approach you can use on your computer and THEN synch it with your phone.
OK, that’s my list for you. I’m giving it to you straight, because I want you to WIN in 2025.
Your workday strategy is SERIOUS business. Don’t run it by CHANCE. Run it by CHOICE.
It has a hundred elements that are all connected and there’s no magic wand (or app) that will fix it in an instant.
If you want to use a SOLID strategy in 2025, I would LOVE to support you. It’s my specialty. My reason for being.
In 90 minutes, I will give you crystal-clear plan.
Here’s what you can do to get your personalized strategy:
- Hit REPLY on this email and let me know you want to book a strategy session.
- I’ll send you an invoice and a booking link.
- Once the invoice is paid and the call is booked, you’ll complete a quick form for me.
- We’ll do our 90-minute session, where you get clear on your entire workday strategy and the steps you can take.
- After our call, you get to work on the strategy with access to our recorded video for 30 days.
Don’t start this year without a real strategy! Let’s map this out for you so you have clarity about how to move forward.
Email me today and let’s get your strategy on track: leslie@productiveday.com.
