You’ve probably heard of AMRAP in workouts – As Many Reps As Possible.
Let’s apply this to your to-do list. Enter AMTAP: As Many Things As Possible.
AMTAP goes against a lot of the conventional wisdom around productivity.
Instead of prioritising your work using the traditional factors of impact and urgency, in an AMTAP session you do the quickest and easiest tasks first.
Here’s how it works:
- Block out one hour (or shorten the time as needed, don’t go longer)
- Get your to-do list (or think up small tasks on the fly)
- Grab some paper or open a fresh document and title it “Done”
- Remove distractions and set a timer
- Start smashing out tasks as quickly as possible, write them on the list of “things done” as you complete each one
- Go as hard as you can until the time ends
Don’t try to prioritise or triage tasks. Do the next thing on your list or skip it.
Do the tasks that are quick, easy and don’t require much attention to detail. If a task has a roadblock, skip it. If you don’t feel like doing something, skip it.
This isn’t about diligence. It’s about volume.
After your session, look at your “Done” list and bask in the feeling of accomplishment.
The benefits of an AMTAP session include:
- Increased focus by cutting down your to-do list. Less to track and remember means fewer distractions.
- Breaking down procrastination. Motivation follows action, not the other way round. The more you do, the better you’ll feel. The better you feel, the more you’ll do.
- You’ll get a bunch of stuff done!
If you find the technique useful, you can start tagging things on your to-do list with ‘AMTAP’ and save them for your next session. Track the number of tasks you complete in a session and try to beat your score.
Schedule in a weekly session or pull it out of the toolbox any time you’re feeling stuck.
Ready to smash through your tasks? Give AMTAP a try and let us know how it goes!
