By Leo Babauta

I used to be a productivity junkie (and still am, a little bit, sometimes) — I’ve tried just about every system and almost every productivity tool. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much.

These days, though, I like to keep things as simple as possible.

And I’ve been finding, when I’m overwhelmed or feel like there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it all … that I’ve been turning to simplicity.

Simple tools and simple methods.

These are calming and nice, but also I’ve found that they’re really effective.

Let me share some of these simple things.

  1. Pen and paper (or the Notes app). When I feel there are too many things to do, I abandon whatever my Productivity App of the Week is, and I open a fresh page in a notebook (or the Notes app on my computer). Then I write a Today list, and I try to keep it short. I might have a longer list somewhere else, but for today, I just make a short list of what I want to focus on. It’s so nice!

  2. 3 Most Important Tasks. For my Today list, I like to write a short list of 3 Most Important Tasks (MITs). I might add a few smaller “nice to do” things below this list, but I can really only do about 3 important things. These important things are my priorities — getting clear on priorities can make a huge difference in my productivity.

  3. Single-tasking. When I find myself feeling scattered, I get into One Thing at a Time mode. That means I only have one thing in front of me to focus on, and that’s all that matters. This can be done not only with important tasks (like your MITs) but anything you’re doing — you can single-task with washing the dishes, or walking to a meeting (instead of being on your phone), or having a conversation without distraction. Life becomes simpler and more peaceful when you single-task.

  4. Focus sessions. Along the same lines, I like to make good use of focus sessions. We have multiple focus sessions every day in my Fearless Living Academy, where some of us work together on video calls. I’ve also been doing in-person focus sessions with my wife and daughter lately, and those are lovely. And I do some on my own: set a timer, play some music, and focus on one or more tasks on my list.

  5. Limits. Back when I wrote my first book, The Power of Less, I experimented with using limits to change everything. For example, limiting yourself to choosing 3 MITs. Or doing one thing at a time. You can also limit distractions: just let yourself get on social media for a 5-minute break, for example, or give yourself 30 minutes to watch a TV episode. Consider how limits might change your day for the better.

  6. Distraction-free apps. My favorite way of writing is with a distraction-free writing app — I’ve used them all, from all-time faves Ommwriter and Writeroom to iA Writer and Typora and Byword. Currently I’m using Paper. I like to find other apps like this when I can — from site-blockers to distraction-free reading apps like Instapaper.

  7. Walking. Finally, there’s an age-old productivity tool that’s incredibly simple — going for a walk. If I’m feeling distracted or overwhelmed, I like to go for a short walk to clear my head and remember what matters to me. I take a longer walk when I want to stimulate my best thinking.

OK, those are my all-time greats in simple productivity. They’re not complicated, and they’re incredibly effective. We tend to overthink things, because we want the “perfect” system … but what if it could be simple?