Back in February this year, I wrote a 15-part series about the simplest productivity system I discovered after three years of reading and experimenting with productivity.
It is so simple that high-performers use it without knowing it. Yet it is because of its simplicity that it works.
With this article (and probably some more after that), I want to give a fresh update, adding 7 months of insights.
The Barbell System consists of three tools:
Calendar to view your must-do tasks, meetings, appointments, and other planned time
Can-do list to view all the things you can do at any given moment
Note-taking and storing system for keeping ideas, notes, links, and other relevant information.
With all three combined, you have a very trusted digital assistant. Whenever you are unsure of what to do next or need some information, they are at your fingertips.
Quick installation guide
Set up your preferred calendar app on your phone, syncing between all devices. I also recommend you use the calendar widget on your home screen to view your day at a quick glance.
Set up a task manager on your phone. Personally, I use Google Tasks but Todoist, Remember the Milk, Things, Teux-Deux and even note-taking apps are good options. This is where your can-do list (and other checkboxes) resides.
Set up a note-taking app on your phone. Don't overthink it, just start and upgrade as you go.
Then you are done.
One rule to maintain the system at all times
No weekly reviews are necessary as long as you stick to this habit:
Whenever you have an involuntary thought that cannot get out of your head, write it in your calendar if you must do it, your can-do list if you might want to do it, and your note-taking tool if everything else.
In other words, it is a living system. Like water, it always reflects your current reality. It self-organizes.
And you are left free to do what you desire, with the utmost attention.
The next three articles will go through each of the parts. In the meantime, you can read the original series here and get the full ebook here.