Productivity Tips to GET MORE DONE

Recommended Productivity Apps:
👉Notion App: bit.ly/2MUXPMy
👉Now Then Pro: apple.co/2M5d1sd
How do you stop procrastinating and get work done? What productivity apps and tools do you use to manage time? How do you manage a big team of people?
Creative Director, Matthew Encina, shares his tips to increase your productivity and manage your time like a pro. See how he juggles multiple jobs and manages big teams, using project management tools and simple systems to stay on track.
Matthew's 3 Simple Tips:
0:25 - Tip 1: Keep a prioritized to-do list.
2:00 - Tip 2: Track your time and where you're investing it.
4:09 - Tip 3: Track Your Projects
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@matthewencina
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Host- Matthew Encina
Cinematography- Aaron Szekely, Mark Contreras, Ricky Lucas
Editor- Ricky Lucas, Aaron Szekely
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Typefaces: Futura, Din, Helvetica Neue
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*By making a purchase through any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us on our mission to provide quality education to you. Thank you.

[@thesonners]

Solid advice Matthew! I appreciate the content and tips. I really like the simple interface and app integration of Notion and will check it out. I feel that these project apps are all part of a creatives toolkit - It frees up space in my mind to focus more on the prioritized task. Happy mind happy design :)

[@rdvgrd6]

1 Like = 1 Prayer for Ricky the intern.

[@thefutur]

better pray harder.

[@ctothedub]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpXTaqKricqEkJI - R.I.P. RICKY

[@evolgenius1150]

RIP Ricky the Intern

[@thefutur]

#done

[@sanatshirodkar7]

:(

[@graphicetiks8229]

You can find real value on Business, management, graphic design, entrepreneur, tools, mindset... Really this is one of the best channel on KZbin.

[@thefutur]

Appreciate it

[@Cybernetics2]

Love the alternative from ‘important’ to ‘high-value for the business’. Everyone has their own priorities but this shifts the question to ‘how am I adding value to the business’. Thanks!! It’s very helpful to see how you do it, not just an explanation.

[@James_Far]

this is very helpful, thanks matthew!

[@ALMBusinessInstitute]

Great advice... I run a graphics agency, a Coworking space and a nonprofit. The tools and tips in the video have given me hope that I don’t need to go crazy to get it all done!! Thank you.

[@phnxwlfphnxwlf6544]

You guys are seriously my favorite right now. In one of the videos you had us follow our time with post it notes. Wow, I saw how i spent my time. About an hour a day studying and i was able to change that to 6 hrs(breaks and lunch included). That right there has really helped me out. I don't think people will understand how important it is to track your time until they do it. Love the content and good luck

[@mindmatters3842]

You guys are amazing. Definitely needed a reminder about prioritization. Big thanks to the whole futur family, keep up the good work

[@bacaweb3436]

I'll never forget these words: - it's not about the tool, it's about creating processes and habits that you and your team can commit to. Dang Right Matthew! I have spent a lot of time, days, even months digging deep for the perfect app to manage my work, and now I realize that it was a commitment issue with myself, now It's time to create THE PROCESS.

[@DCTapeworm]

Just a follow-up comment: Now Then Pro is awesome. Being data-centric, it's powerful as a reference point, and I can testify to what Matthew is saying about Tracking Your Time. I love it.

[@DCTapeworm]

Totally agree. I'm only on Day 2 of using the app, and I'm already shifting how I spent my time and being more diligent about it. Still working on the categories and how broad/narrow to make them, but the graphical way it allows you to view time spent is interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing trends after a month.

[@dungnguyen3458]

Really like these kinds of content. They are more focus and easier to follow than the livestreams. But of course the livestreams with Chris are what make the channel the way it is.

[@posebukse]

Awesome (never use "new" or "final" cracked me up, perfect point)! Although not a direct productivity tip, I see a lot of people underestimate the freedom of using Save As on whatever they're working on to explore possibilities that might not go anywhere. They end up staying safe and rubbing those same little details for hours rather than spending 15 minutes trying out broad stroke changes in a safe, incremented project file.

[@shanerice6757]

Yes, this made me chuckle as well :) These 'nuts and bolts' workflow practices are rarely highlighted, and yet they're so important. And a slick, consistent workflow can speed up productivity more than some people realize; Particularly if you're in a production role. You should consider posting your studio guidelines somewhere so they can be reviewed in more detail.

[@shanerice6757]

I think that's a great idea. When I mentioned posting the guidelines I was thinking for the wider Futur audience to review and gain insight.

[@1Darirl]

Matthew Encina I would really recommend doing a video of this type. I'm a instructional designer and I've been in the training industry for 10 years and one of the major things I encourage is to get the tribal knowledge that experienced employees have built up through their own experiences, all their tips and tricks from their workflow and bring it to the new hires right from the start. It really speeds up the onboarding process and that means the new hires can start adding value to the business a lot earlier.... Anyway, keep up the good work, it's really appreciated and if you could share that list or a version of it, it would be really great. Thanks, Darren

[@GeorgeTSiy]

short and useful, thanks for showing actual use.

[@crepanna]

Thank you for the lovely, valuable content Matthew & Futur team~ Definitely going to start logging my time during the week so I can take some from the low value and put it towards growth.

[@melvinrobinson933]

I found this channel a few months ago and I am avid follower, thank God for Stay at Home Orders.

[@arikasowitz]

Liked before watching, because it's Matthew.

[@aniruddhamedhekar3488]

Me too.

[@ndumisomnyani285]

He is a God

[@vaizluca]

In the creative process the biggest challenge I face is understanding how long a project, and each task within the project, will take. So that is my question - How do you determine how long a project will take? And, say the client gives you six weeks or two months, what should you reasonably be able to get done in that time frame? I seem to promise the world and am never able to deliver everything I had envisioned and planned for - despite spending endless hours in focus mode. When working in teams, it was simple enough, on my own, I have yet to be able to stick to my timeline. A year ago was the ripe time to post on these comments, but I'm just seeing now in my quest to find an answer to my question in one of your videos with no luck yet - if there is one, I'd love some direction to it from anyone reading! thank you!

[@CREDOMALT]

That was massively helpful. At a time where I’m finding I procrastinate waaaaayyy too much, this has video has come at the right time. I’ve downloaded the two apps you mentioned and will integrate them into my business immediately to combat wasted time. Keep up the great work and thanks to you and the team for the awesome content 👍

[@simoneblax]

Please, you have to do this type of content more often then ever. Got so much value from this one! Thanks guys

[@simoneblax]

Matthew Encina really really appreciate your value. Keep going, you're truly helping me, an Italian guy far far away from you. You, Chris, Ben and all the futur crew should be proud of what you're doing every single day of your life. Hope that my support give you a little motivation to keep doing these amazing videos.

[@moistpotato8917]

how bad was ricky to get fired on tuesday and wednesday?

[@willhelliwell]

Love that you use Notion. I've been using it for most of the year now and I'm loving it. Keeps me so organised and reminders come up on my phone for when I need to get things done. I have a big "Get Sh*t Done" list that's got everything on it like shopping lists, projects, house work, etc. I split it all with tags and use different views.

[@willhelliwell]

As soon as they release their API access, it will be so much better. I'd happily get a whole team on there but until then we use Jira at work and Notion is just where we document some work and tips.

[@braverycreative9673]

Notion - that is GOLD! Thank you some much Matthew and co!

[@felone]

I was doing all this at my side job today, some great tips. I'd include using a automatic tracker to log your days. RescueTime is great and logs all the "entertaiment" stuff too, so you see how much you've actually been productive.

[@felone]

Matthew Encina It logs everything you give it permission. Apps/software and even websites. You categorize them and set time goals. I have it set up on my browser, phone, desktop & laptop. I mostly like the weekly pie graph of how I've spent my time. I bet you'd get more out of it than me.

[@arnaudmez1621]

Learning a lot, Taking notes and ... putting together all strength for practicing. Blessings !

[@aleksandrastarosta7129]

I think I have found my first online mentor. Matthew is such an inspiration :)

[@mahmudhassan2291]

Mathew's tips and whatever he says are always amaaziiing. Love to hear this guy 😊 ... Always.

[@mahmudhassan2291]

Wohh! the man himself wrote. :D , thanks for all your hard work, learned a lot from your videos ( along with others from Futur )

[@superproxyem1288]

Hey bro! Thanks for this tips! My favorite channel in you tube! Mabuhay ka!

[@rainbowbubby]

I wonder where this channel has been all my life. You guys make awesome quality content.

[@richellevirgiani5806]

Needed these tips. Thankyou matthew and thefutur! Always good and relatable content

[@werchsley]

I'll check this one out. Thank you for this tips!

[@hrvycreative1781]

Great video! Excellent advice on habit forming and loving the app recommendation, I've tried dozens of to-do apps over the years and Notion just hits all the sweet spots for me.

[@hubertblajer8976]

Hi Mat, on the topic on time management ( and aspecially wasting time on emails and stuff) there is a great book about this if you were interested - Deep work, can't recommend this book enough!

[@jaimecarrillo1706]

Great content as always!, Thanks Mathew

[@ericksanchez6656]

Hi mattew, one of my big strugglings is the procrastination, it's killimg me in a slowly way, also thanks for the video so usefull

[@WyzrdCat]

YEEE Notion is boss!! Tip 2 a little easier said than done. I try to track things but I always forget.

[@alexandramarchesini428]

Love it! Thank you for the great tips.

[@colleenstudio]

thanks Matthew, it helps a lot!

[@zerahmercado]

I love you Aron. Especially that high intensity hand shake ❤

[@thefutur]

Aaron has a fan! yay.

[@zerahmercado]

I remember being on your live chat one time, and, i swear. There was more than just me talking about Aron. I bet he can have a fans club too. 😂❤

[@melodyshih2288]

Thanks for sharing these awesome tips!

[@raindropsneverfall]

This kind of videos, videos on productivity, is what I am looking for. Time and I are not good friends, but I would like to make amends.

[@latinillusion00]

Love Matthew!!! thanx!

[@bianwenbo]

Very useful tips, thanks for sharing.

[@amaryasir2410]

Thanks

[@JJWong22]

Thanks for the tips and habits Matthew! I’m going to time track now.

[@TonyRSanders]

WE NEED MORE CONTENT!! Thanks for this!

[@WilmanArambillete]

Congrats! very good tips i love this video.

[@Isabela4817]

your videos are so useful to me... thank you... i watched more than once

[@nandarmgmg14]

Notion is the key!

[@lodhishweta]

Really great and practical advice! Thanks

[@lisac6867]

amazing content thanks man!

[@wiktoriakusak3280]

Today was one of this day... really needed this video

[@marthabalaile]

When you get caught off guard watching video at work... Happens to the best of us

[@spinerocker]

I personally use Todoist Brainfocus (Pomodoro timer) currently running at 1hour focused work to 30min rest for 4 cycles.

[@Eliteracingloft]

Just Awesome and loved the other video 90min from 99U.

[@godwin_njoroge]

Wasup Matthew! You’re really holding down the fort man, awesome segment here. As small business owners, we’re not yet at the point where we manage large teams like you guys, but it feels good to know that when we finally do there’s content like this that we can refer back to.

[@godwin_njoroge]

Makes total sense, being a 2man shop, we've struggled quite a bit with project management even at a small scale so I can only imagine that it gets tougher as one gets more exposure. I'll try the tips you've outlined then get back to you. Thanks for taking the time to reply

[@andreabartfai4246]

Thank you! I love this video :) it's a gem!

[@zimamoon]

So much valuable!!

[@maryspringg]

cool thatnk you, very useful as always!! love your videos )

[@theskmsoftware]

Good to see you. Good tips

[@wallybeng]

Thanks for the tips! 👍🏽

[@colorespapeles]

Thank you for your share mind!! I'm using it!

[@farooq-ux]

Great tips mathew...keep sharing your processes and the way you work. Thanks all at Futur.

[@farooq-ux]

I would like to see next video from you on "How to present any design all of sudden without preparing"...you and ben did that in one of the previous video. Presentation on an event frames. You were just describing the art work and the shapes with the words as you were prepared for it...how you did that...? 😊

[@alizaify]

Thanks for the Matthew!!

[@Bryanica]

See this video, try out notion to plan the digital marketing for my agency. Can't stop putting in the planning. Purchased.

[@Bryanica]

Yes. 😂 I never ever subscribe on a paid app without going through all the pros and cons. When they said I exceeded 5MB, I was like shut up and take my visa!😂. Anyway ,thank you so much! This is really fun & liberating. And thank God Ricky is still swinging on the chair and not fired.

[@rafaele-3lopez624]

Great advice, and thank u for the tips, they should help me with my time management

[@ButlerBranding]

Super valuable. Thanks, Matthew!

[@tehmangoboss]

What happened to trello? Was notion just a better choice

[@bispocriativo]

Great content! I didn't know Notion and I'm gonna try it right now. Thanks!

[@ricaventuranza6534]

Omg “fire ricky the intern”??! Lol

[@sanatshirodkar7]

:(

[@ocubex]

Good share, thanks. I'm considering switiching from Evernote + Todoist to Notion.

[@loomish]

Oh no! Poor ricky :( he's been fired two times !

[@georgebush7761]

Great Tips Matthew! I have noticed one thing over these years. I think whenever there's a deadline, most of the designers work towards it. Imagine the deadline is loose or no deadline, then it is really difficult to focus on that particular project. Most of them tend to procrastinate their works. So the point is if there's a definite deadline and there is good enough time things would work great, rather if there's a lot of time and fewer projects can lead to unproductivity. Yes, it is all about priorities and habits. BTW, I think, Ricky would have watched this video and ran away or wondering is he still around :D :D 1:38

[@pradeepgusain5]

3:46 Break time with open door..GREAT hahaha :)

[@TheVirtualStealth]

Pay respects to Ricky :'( F

[@thefutur]

Haha. You saw that.

[@explorebernard]

F

[@sanatshirodkar7]

F.

[@stefanes2750]

Hi Matthew! I am also a big fan of Notion - i almost transferred my complete life in it :D i was wondering if you could do video on describing your workflow and share some litte tips with it. Especially on how you manage clients.

[@stefanes2750]

nice! i'm looking forward to it!@@MatthewEncina

[@oldmanyellsatkeyboards]

I tried notion but didn't really click with it before I went back to asana boards, might give it another try. I see you have a nice board layout going there!

[@blendergeek6230]

You are great Matthew Sir 👍👍

[@HeartInChristwithCristy]

I LOOOOVE IT.. very helpful

[@gazitaufiq6433]

That's some super valuable advice. This is gonna help me save a lot of my time. Gotta feel for Ricky though.

[@rickylucas]

Gazi Taufiq see the futur's insta to see what happened to me 🤔😬

[@sanatshirodkar7]

💔

[@nb08]

Well I just installed the "stayFocusd" extension, quite helpful. you will only be able to find the extension if you paste the exact phrase, YES the misspelled word.

[@thefutur]

Haha

[@nb08]

ha ha?

[@nb08]

I requested to the futur fan community to join the group. Please approve my request.

[@Cubannerd]

I use Asana for keeping track of my projects but I'm going to have to track the time spent on those too. Thanks for that tip. After seeing the list of to-dos that you have to complete in a week, I'm curious. How often do you manage to complete all those within a week? I'm trying to automate my process but I also waste a lot of time in the back and forth with my colleagues and emails. I wish I had a more effective way to gather feedback from playtesting and also avoid distractions.

[@77mranthony]

It's like Thanksgiving with every video! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@thefutur]

But no one gets killed.

[@77mranthony]

The Futur haha! Exactly

[@razarnold]

We need more Matt content!

[@thefutur]

Agreed

[@jorjan2000]

just came across this channel and it is very good keep it up

[@archiveclosed6309]

Matthew, but do you use just Notion or do you swap into paper too?

[@computron1]

I've noticed that a lot of productivity and communication tools end up being these walls of text that people have to go through. There has to be a better way in terms of visual clarity. Also, in animation and vfx they try to automate certain processes as much as possible so that people don't have to focus on checking off 50 different things when publishing an asset. They write software to handle it automatically, because everything has to work together. It's a pipeline.

[@-_--_-2106]

Thanks❤❤

[@SabbirAhmed-vs6ph]

You made my day.

[@AndreaEmad]

Please make a detailed video about Notion, I love its simplicity, features, design, but i don't know where to start from, or how to use it effectively

[@MrSaky1996]

Hey! Puppy videos are important!

[@RodrigoTasca]

Thanks for the tips! Bout to go download some apps

[@atommindproject9060]

The power of sharing basic principles - they can be used in multiple areas of Life at the same time, not only in the one that they are currently used and presented in. :)

[@atommindproject9060]

As always excellent work, great content and professional quality. :) Thank you, The Futur! :)

[@rezaradityo4326]

Futur's content is amazing as always 🎉 But i was wondering tho it was kinda hard for me to implement the tips and discipline since my workplace are pack with dynamic task that sometimes are given to me even if it's not part of my Job desc and this "Dynamic task" are often to be the small task that can possibly be done by others but sometimes they kept asking me to handle all this small things. Yes i do believe with the sense of startup needing to be dynamic and sometimes we gotta handle alot of stuff but i kinda feel the task that given to me were distracting and kept me from progressing or completing my Real Task/The thing that i supposed to do. How do i cope with this situation and Basically how do i say no to the unnecessary stuff?

[@joshmasse7342]

Hey Matthew, I noticed in a previous video you used Trello to help manage your time/projects. Why did you switch to Notion?

[@joshmasse7342]

@@MatthewEncina that's awesome to hear! Thanks for all the amazing content.

[@post-monk671]

on your website, to watch this, you have to click then scroll then click. Is it possible to click once? or twice max?

[@lykongheng]

1:42 Fire Ricky the intern xD

[@373sono3]

Excellent video! Could you explain how to setup your TO-DO list on Notion more? I have downloaded but I couldn't find the checkbox like you did in this video... It would be great if you would share your sample TO-DO list!

[@feiyinwang6169]

Hey Mathew, I want to see how your weekly log is used in conjunction with your all project list. I found that overlapping with each other. Could you do an in-depth explanation on that end?

[@meek.p]

moree management videos please.

[@MihaiDolganiuc]

thanks for this, just checked Notion! Nice app.

[@MihaiDolganiuc]

Matthew Encina I hop not! :D i used trello so far, mostly for boards and labels feature, but you have to archive something there in order to complete it. I liked notion for the fact that you can check what has been done, this gives a better sense of ownerhsip and fullfilment.

[@MihaiDolganiuc]

I tried Notion for the past hour and find it a bit not so intuitive, I can't figure out how to add columns into "My to do list" all it shows me is my name and have to pick it, no idea how to rename the columns whatsoever also.