Screengrab from Lifehacker

The List to Beat All Lists: Top 20 Productivity Lists to Rock Your Tasks

The productivity list is a common animal these days (goodness knows I’ve done my share), but how do you sort among them all?

You’d need a list of the best lists, that’s how.

Never fear — I’ve done all the homework for you, and compiled the best of the best productivity lists, in my humble opinion. Some of them are a bit old, but that’s because they’re good stuff, and many of you might have missed them anyway.

Don’t read these all at once. It would ruin your productivity. But I’m hoping this will be a resource you come back to every now and then when you feel you need it. Bookmark it for later!

Lifehacker: Top 10 Email Productivity Boosters. A must-read from the best productivity blog in the biz about the tech tool we all use, all day long — email.
Lifehack.org: Top 10 Firefox Extensions to Improve Your Productivity. If you use Firefox exclusively, as I do, you’ll want to take a look at these extensions.
43 Folders: Merlin’s top 5 super-obvious, “no-duh” ways to immediately improve your life. These might be super-obvious, but they work.
Dumb Little Man: Productivity Ninja: 101 Ways to Rock the Keyboard. Get super quick with the keyboard and fly through your tasks.
LifeDev.net: 10 Ways History’s Finest Kept Their Focus at Work. How some of the smartest people solved a problem we all face daily.
FreelanceSwitch: 46 Must-Read Productivity Tips for Freelancers. Freelancers are notorious procrastinators (I was one for many years, so I know), but they also need to get the job done or they don’t get paid.
Life Clever: 5 simple steps to greater productivity. This is another list of super-obvious tips that really do work.
Wise Bread: 5 Efficient Ways To Boost Productivity. More simple tips, but a little different than your usual list.
Scott H. Young: Twenty Unique Ways to Use the 80/20 Rule Today. Like me, Scott is a fan of doing the most with as little as possible, and here he shows you how to do that.
Cranking Widgets: 6 Ways to Limit Interruptions at Work (That You Can Use Right Now). The title speaks for itself.
Pick the Brain: 7 Ways to Grow the Action Habit. If you have the Action Habit, you’ll be productive. So this might be the place to start your productivity rampage.
Zen Habits: Top 10 Productivity Hacks. OK, it’s cheating to include myself on my own list. So sue me! :) This is an oldie but a goodie.
Life Optimizer: Top 10 Ways NOT to Become a Productivity Ninja. These are the obstacles to productivity — an interesting angle for looking at the topic.
HD BizBlog: 3 Essential Tools for Productivity. All you need to rock your tasks.
Matthew Cornell: 10 GTD “holes” (and how to plug them). One of the earlier and better GTD bloggers, Cornell is now a GTD consultant and has worked with the system in the trenches.
Ian’s Messy Desk: 10 Resources to Help Overcome Procrastination. Don’t put off reading this. Har!
Instigator Blog: Over 100 Great Productivity Tips. OK, 100 tips is overkill, but to be fair these were tips collected from many different blogs.
Stephen Aitchison: 8 Ways to get out of the rut. It’s hard to be productive when you’re in a rut. Here’s how to get out of it.
Organize IT: The Top 10 GTD & Productivity Sites/Blogs. Where to go when you need your productivity fix.
Dumb Little Man: The 20 Biggest Online Time Wasters, and 6 Strategies for Beating Them. You know you use some of these. Here’s how to cut back.

Check out this post: 15 Widespread Creativity Myths.

—
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

The List to Beat All Lists: Top 20 Productivity Lists to Rock Your Tasks

The productivity list is a common animal these days (goodness knows I’ve done my share), but how do you sort among them all?

You’d need a list of the best lists, that’s how.

Don’t read these all at once. It would ruin your productivity. But I’m hoping this will be a resource you come back to every now and then when you feel you need it. Bookmark it for later!

Lifehacker: Top 10 Email Productivity Boosters. A must-read from the best productivity blog in the biz about the tech tool we all use, all day long — email.
Lifehack.org: Top 10 Firefox Extensions to Improve Your Productivity. If you use Firefox exclusively, as I do, you’ll want to take a look at these extensions.
43 Folders: Merlin’s top 5 super-obvious, “no-duh” ways to immediately improve your life. These might be super-obvious, but they work.
Dumb Little Man: Productivity Ninja: 101 Ways to Rock the Keyboard. Get super quick with the keyboard and fly through your tasks.
LifeDev.net: 10 Ways History’s Finest Kept Their Focus at Work. How some of the smartest people solved a problem we all face daily.
FreelanceSwitch: 46 Must-Read Productivity Tips for Freelancers. Freelancers are notorious procrastinators (I was one for many years, so I know), but they also need to get the job done or they don’t get paid.
Life Clever: 5 simple steps to greater productivity. This is another list of super-obvious tips that really do work.
Wise Bread: 5 Efficient Ways To Boost Productivity. More simple tips, but a little different than your usual list.
Scott H. Young: Twenty Unique Ways to Use the 80/20 Rule Today. Like me, Scott is a fan of doing the most with as little as possible, and here he shows you how to do that.
Cranking Widgets: 6 Ways to Limit Interruptions at Work (That You Can Use Right Now). The title speaks for itself.
Pick the Brain: 7 Ways to Grow the Action Habit. If you have the Action Habit, you’ll be productive. So this might be the place to start your productivity rampage.
Zen Habits: Top 10 Productivity Hacks. OK, it’s cheating to include myself on my own list. So sue me! :) This is an oldie but a goodie.
Life Optimizer: Top 10 Ways NOT to Become a Productivity Ninja. These are the obstacles to productivity — an interesting angle for looking at the topic.
HD BizBlog: 3 Essential Tools for Productivity. All you need to rock your tasks.
Matthew Cornell: 10 GTD “holes” (and how to plug them). One of the earlier and better GTD bloggers, Cornell is now a GTD consultant and has worked with the system in the trenches.
Ian’s Messy Desk: 10 Resources to Help Overcome Procrastination. Don’t put off reading this. Har!
Instigator Blog: Over 100 Great Productivity Tips. OK, 100 tips is overkill, but to be fair these were tips collected from many different blogs.
Stephen Aitchison: 8 Ways to get out of the rut. It’s hard to be productive when you’re in a rut. Here’s how to get out of it.
Organize IT: The Top 10 GTD & Productivity Sites/Blogs. Where to go when you need your productivity fix.
Dumb Little Man: The 20 Biggest Online Time Wasters, and 6 Strategies for Beating Them. You know you use some of these. Here’s how to cut back.

Check out this post: 15 Widespread Creativity Myths.

—
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Posted on 17 July 2008 in Productivity & Organization |
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Comments (51)

Alecia D. Says:

July 17th, 2008, 20:32 pm

This List is just what I needed! Definitely getting saved to my “productivity folder”…thanks again Leo for the great info!

Alecia D.

Ryan McLean Says:

July 17th, 2008, 20:39 pm

This is an incredible list. This will keep me going for many months (and even years) to come. I have recently started my own online business (a financial blog) and I am really keen on being super productive because the less time I waste the more money I can make :)
Thankyou so much for this list

Zendad Says:

July 17th, 2008, 20:43 pm

Very comprehensive list, kudos!
I’m going to wade through these this evening and pick and choose what tips are right for me.
I think I can pull this off and remain productive because its laundry night, i can multislack……errr multitask!
Thanks!
Zendad
http://www.zendad.net

Rahul Says:

July 17th, 2008, 21:17 pm

Great weekend reading, thanks Leo!

Mary Says:

July 17th, 2008, 21:19 pm

Great list. I am already a subscriber to or reader of most of these. Though I would have put Steve Pavlina on there, too. His posts on productivity and related topics are worth reading.

Zendad, I love that word - multislack. LOL. We all need to slack some times. After all, productivity is nice, but balance is essential.

Adam Sicinski @ Study Matrix Art Says:

July 17th, 2008, 21:32 pm

It just amazes me how many amazing free information, resources and tools are available out there in the blogosphere. We must learn to tap into this wealth of information and completely absorb ourselves within this Matrix of knowledge - just like in the movie :)

Only ignorance will stand in our way towards achieving the success we desire to experience within our lives. Thanks for this list. I wanted to add if I could a Mind Map about Time Management to this list that I created on my site. It presents a number of great productivity strategies to help us gain more time throughout our day.

Pizzamancer Says:

July 17th, 2008, 21:53 pm

Too many lists man.

Not Zen at all.

Leo Says:

July 17th, 2008, 22:26 pm

@Pizzamancer: You’re right, not very Zen, but lists are just a good way to store information … I find them very useful, and I thought this would be a good resource for others looking for this kind of info. I hope it is!

Overcoming Lifes Obstacles Says:

July 17th, 2008, 23:36 pm

Great list! Now it’s time to get productive! All the lists in the world won’t do us any good idf we don’t take action on them.

impactednurse Says:

July 18th, 2008, 0:13 am

So many lists!
Nurses are warning that too many lists may lead to some serious health issues: http://www.impactednurse.com/?p=403

Jonathan B. Says:

July 18th, 2008, 0:28 am

At this point, I feel like I’ve read so many productivity lists that I know all of the techniques. It’s better for me to just focus on actually APPLYING those techniques now.

But still, this is a good list. Thanks Leo.

Fenton Says:

July 18th, 2008, 0:43 am

Twenty items is not much but going deep into them is not an easy task not included mastering them. They are essentials and taking in one at a time is enough.

Abhijeet Rajwade Says:

July 18th, 2008, 0:47 am

Great List!!!!

Thanks

Clifford Says:

July 18th, 2008, 1:39 am

Holy shit! A list of lists! Just when I thought the blog standard list to change your life had been beaten like a dead dog you go ahead and beat it again. Amazing.

I’m absolutely flabberghasted that you were able to compile a list of lists.

Leo Says:

July 18th, 2008, 1:58 am

Thanks Clifford! I’m going to choose to take that comment as a compliment. ;)

The use of this kind of list is that many people might not have read all the other lists … and they might not want to sort through everything that’s out there (thousands of them). These are the most useful, in my opinion, and I hope this will be a useful resource to some.

Vered - MomGrind Says:

July 18th, 2008, 2:25 am

I’m familiar with some of these, but many are new to me. Thank you.

It was so nice of you to acknowledge other, some of which are much smaller, blogs.

Andreas Rilinger Says:

July 18th, 2008, 3:30 am

Thanks for that list, leo and have a nice weekend.

Hopefully there are some more of those metalists, then i could write a list of lists of lists

James @ Organize IT Says:

July 18th, 2008, 4:21 am

Thanks for including Organize IT, Leo!

designer4u Says:

July 18th, 2008, 5:37 am

This list is very extra ordinary.
You saved my TIME!! Thank you very much. Leo.
I am going to visit and study the given list one by one.
Bookmarked and forwarded to friends.

Thanks for this time saving post.
- suresh
http://www.realgroup.co.in

niko Says:

July 18th, 2008, 6:44 am

ironically, the first entry is outdated.
“Lifehacker: Top 10 Email Productivity Boosters.”
Created last year, 2007. Most of them are not valid anymore

niko Says:

July 18th, 2008, 6:45 am

i mean, the second entry. not the first.

Random reader Says:

July 18th, 2008, 7:23 am

I’m sorry to say it, but I think this blog has jumped the shark. Look forward to some meatier, more insightful stuff like you used to post. Sorry to be harsh, but sometimes you need a wake-up call…

Leo Says:

July 18th, 2008, 7:29 am

@niko: Do you mean the email tips? Those still seem relevant to me. If you mean the Firefox extensions, you might be right, but I still use some of those myself, so it’s not completely outdated.

@Random reader: I appreciate the feedback — I do have posts planned that are “meatier” but in general I try for useful, in many flavors, including lists like this one.

Ian McKenzie Says:

July 18th, 2008, 8:05 am

Leo, thanks for including Ian’s Messy Desk in your list of lists. ;)

Pete Says:

July 18th, 2008, 8:50 am

Great post. Especially, the bonus addition ‘15 Widespread Creativity Myths’. I am in the creative field (digital media production) and can definitely say that this is a MUST read for anyone entering any creative field. It really breaks down the strange world of creative businesses.

http://yinvsyang.com/

Marc and Angel Hack Life Says:

July 18th, 2008, 9:13 am

That’s a rock solid list! Thanks for sharing.

Israel Says:

July 18th, 2008, 10:17 am

You and your darned lists! Why do I love them so,,,?

Dot H. Says:

July 18th, 2008, 10:52 am

Nice to have these all in one place. Thanks!

Anuj Adhiya Says:

July 18th, 2008, 14:55 pm

Now if only there was some piece of software that would do everything on your super-awesome list for me ;)
Thanks
A

e t a v i t o m Says:

July 18th, 2008, 18:50 pm

amazing list of tools to benefit one’s life!

Donald Says:

July 18th, 2008, 22:02 pm

Amazing list of lists, Leo! Thanks for including me.

Karl Jacobs Says:

July 18th, 2008, 22:54 pm

Absolute Magic!!!

Thanks so much for sharing your treasures Leo.

Happy days, always…

k∆

Curious Says:

July 19th, 2008, 7:01 am

I am new here, and I am curious to know- Are all you people full time bloggers making your money via AdSense and posting comments on each other’s blogs?
I find that the number of people who don’t have blogs but still read posts on this site very very small.
I am just surprised because most of the content is so good and useful for everybody, and not just for those who ‘blog for money’.
I love this site, and I would like to connect more with people who don’t blog for money, and how they improve productivity with their 9-to-5 outside-the-home jobs.

Stephen Smith Says:

July 19th, 2008, 9:50 am

Thanks for the list, and the link!

Peg Says:

July 19th, 2008, 11:55 am

Curious

I agree with you. i read this blog and a few others for the great info.

still making my way through the list but i have found some of the tips useful.

James M Vereen Says:

July 19th, 2008, 13:57 pm

~Do not try to obtain the truth, only cease to treasure your ego~

James M Vereen Says:

July 19th, 2008, 14:01 pm

I have always been bestowed with the Strength to stand after I’ve stumbled, to rise after I have fallen, and to endure when the path seems unendurable.

Lauren H. Says:

July 19th, 2008, 16:34 pm

Wow!

I’ve seen a lot of these, but man, I’ve run across so many useful tips.

Reading these lists is going to hurt my productivity; at least in the short run. I need to be careful, ha.

Great job composing this! It’s pretty stellar.

James M Vereen Says:

July 19th, 2008, 16:59 pm

Laurin H. puts the “fox” back in “FOXXXY!”

Mike Vardy Says:

July 19th, 2008, 19:38 pm

Thanks for publishing these, Leo! I’m certain that once I go through everything I’ll be further along in my work and personal goals!

Cheers,
Mike Vardy
http://www.effingthedog.com

hannybanny Says:

July 19th, 2008, 19:42 pm

@ Curious - * puts hand up as a fellow low-profile reader *

I’m here because it’s become a big way I keep myself motivated and innovative in tackling my personal goals - same as you, I think :).

Alexa tells me zenhabits.net has a traffic rank of 40,020. I’m sure the number of commentators represent only a fraction of the whole readership.

Leo Says:

July 20th, 2008, 19:46 pm

@Curious: Well, I think bloggers make up a small percentage of readers, but a larger percentage of commenters (tho not all commenters are bloggers), partly because bloggers are more accustomed to being a part of the dialog that is blogging … we tend to comment on other people’s blogs when we read them, because we enjoy it when others comment on our blogs. Non-bloggers often just read for the info, not for the dialog, which is fine too of course.

Ryan McLean Says:

July 20th, 2008, 22:25 pm

@ Leo and Curious
This is definately true. I used to read a couple of blogs but never comment. I would just read the material. Since starting my own personal finance/ entrepreneur blog I have enjoyed commenting a lot more.
Firstly because it gives you exposure but the main reason is because I love interacting with other bloggers and learning from them as much as I can.

Matthew Cornell Says:

July 21st, 2008, 16:05 pm

Hey Leo - thanks a bunch for the honor. I’m in great company. Speaking of good company, I noticed that you and I are listed as contributors to Tatsuya’s “Overcoming Inventoritis” book, along (with others on this list) Steve Wozniak, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki. I’m thinking of having a get-together ;-)

James M Vereen Says:

July 21st, 2008, 16:23 pm

Nothing does not have a technical meaning.

Nowhere typically means a place that doesn’t exist or a place that seems like it doesn’t exist.

How does one organize nothing? Does nothing belong nowhere?

Matthew Cornell Says:

July 22nd, 2008, 11:16 am

@James: Like meditation, getting to a place of clarity and productive emptiness takes effort and practice.

James M Vereen Says:

July 22nd, 2008, 11:19 am

“The question of real, lasting world peace concerns human beings, so basic human feelings are also at its roots. Through inner peace, genuine world peace can be achieved. In this the importance of individual responsibility is quite clear; an atmosphere of peace must first be created within ourselves, then gradually expanded to include our families, our communities, and ultimately the whole planet.” ~Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.

nick Says:

July 23rd, 2008, 22:13 pm

I think it would be better to look through the lists and then find the most effective items. That is a list full of too many lists.

James M Vereen Says:

July 29th, 2008, 9:51 am

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one after the other:
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