This regular feature shares the secrets of the most highly efficient Productivity Ninjas. In this post, Founder and Editor-in-chief of DocumentSnap, Brooks Duncan, shares the secrets behind his productivity.
Occupation: Founder and Editor-in-chief
Company: DocumentSnap
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
What’s important about your workspace?
It can be wherever I need to be
Which five apps could you not live without?
I’d like to believe there aren’t any I couldn’t live without, but I would say:
- Dispatch (iOS mail app)
- TextExpander (Mac & iOS)
- OmniFocus (Mac)
- Hazel (Mac)
- Evernote
What’s your favourite piece of stationery?
Most of what I do is digital, but a push-style staple remover is very underrated
When in the day do you have the most proactive attention?
Morning: 6am-11am
What’s your trick for when you’re tired or struggling with attention in the day?
Go for a walk, drink some green tea, or both
What’s your best advice for reducing stress?
Everything has a next action. When feeling overwhelmed, break down what needs to be done into next actions and take one action (no matter how small) towards resolving the situation.
What’s your email regime?
I try (not very successfully) to only process email two times a day: 10am and 2pm. As I go through each email, if there is a task associated with it I capture it to OmniFocus, my task management application. I then Archive everything. I try (again, not always successfully) to not work out of my Inbox.
What’s your favourite way to take a break in the middle of the day?
I live near a forest, so going for a walk through there can be a real rejuvenator. That and the threat of a coyote eating me.
What’s the secret to your productivity?
Having a morning ritual, living by my task management application, automating as much as I can