Too many productivity apps center around tasks. I’ve been using Asana and Basecamp, and I’m not happy with them because they’re all about the tasks. Too many tasks make me confused and unproductive.

I’ve found that it’s helpful to move away from the task-centered approach to getting things done, and move toward a focus-approached method. Rather than listing out all the million and one tasks I need to get done, I simply divide up my week into daily focuses.

Each day gets a focus and it’s repeated every week on the same day. As a startup founder, the single most important focus is the product (I focus on this every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Monetization, Distribution & Engagement fill my Tues and Thurs.).

Once I know the focus of the day, I work backwards. What are the top three desired outcomes for that day? And then I list projects and tasks that take about ½ hour to a few hours each. Tasks then keep me focused on meeting the goals for the day.

Want to get some serious and meaningful stuff done?

Create a weekly schedule with a daily focus, and then center all your activity around that focus.

(Read my other posts on Productivity Tips. Check out my other series too.)