Productivity Strategies for Procrastinators | The Anti-Planner

Summary

In this video, the host enthusiastically introduces 'The Anti-Planner' by Dani Donovan, a non-traditional planner designed to help, especially those with ADHD, overcome procrastination and stay organized. Highlighting the book's strategies for tackling tasks and boosting productivity, the host emphasizes the importance of self-worth beyond productivity. With its colorful illustrations, tabs for different issues, and practical tips, 'The Anti-Planner' is presented as a valuable resource for managing tasks and maintaining momentum.

Takeaways

• 📔 The Anti-Planner by Dani Donovan is a non-traditional planner designed to help with productivity without the pressure of traditional planning methods.
• 💫 The book features a beautiful cover with gold foil and is filled with strategies to overcome procrastination and get things done.
• 🚫 The author emphasizes that a person's worth is not determined by their productivity, aiming to shift the focus from fear to desire in task completion.
• 🔖 The Anti-Planner includes tabs for different scenarios of feeling stuck, such as being overwhelmed, unmotivated, or disorganized, providing targeted advice.
• 🧯 It is described as a 'procrastination fire extinguisher', suggesting it's a resource to be used in moments of emergency to tackle tasks.
• 📝 The book offers detailed strategies broken down into manageable bullet points, which are particularly friendly for those with ADHD.
• 🎯 It encourages finding strategies that work for an individual's brain, suggesting that what works may change and requires periodic reevaluation.
• 📈 The Anti-Planner includes practical exercises and tools, such as the 'Idea Parking Lot' for capturing ideas without losing focus on the task at hand.
• 📉 Strategies for dealing with email overload are provided, like setting a timer for inbox sprints to make significant progress in a short time.
• 🛑 The book addresses common ADHD-related issues like people-pleasing and provides scripts for saying no or setting boundaries in a polite way.
• 🎲 Novelty is used as a motivator, with suggestions like the 'Suit Up Card Game' to add an element of fun and randomness to task selection.
• 🎨 The Anti-Planner is richly illustrated throughout, with full-color pages and creative designs that enhance engagement with the content.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of 'The Anti-Planner' by Dani Donovan?

The main purpose of 'The Anti-Planner' is to provide strategies for getting things done and overcoming obstacles like procrastination, feeling stuck, or being overwhelmed, particularly for people with ADHD.

How is 'The Anti-Planner' different from a traditional planner?

Unlike a traditional planner, 'The Anti-Planner' does not have sections for planning out weeks or specific schedules. Instead, it is a resource book full of strategies to help with productivity when one feels stuck or unmotivated.

What is the significance of the statement 'Your worth is not measured in productivity' in the context of the book?

This statement emphasizes that self-worth should not be tied to one's ability to be productive. It serves as a reminder to readers that they should engage in tasks because they want to, not out of fear or obligation.

What is the 'Idea Parking Lot' and how does it help with productivity?

The 'Idea Parking Lot' is a section in the book where one can quickly jot down ideas as they come, without losing focus on the current task. It helps in capturing brilliant thoughts for later without getting distracted by them in the moment.

How does the book address the issue of feeling overwhelmed with tasks?

The book addresses feeling overwhelmed by providing strategies such as breaking down tasks into manageable steps, starting with verbs to define actions, and offering visual aids like grids to check off completed tasks.

What is the 'Batch Speed Run' strategy mentioned in the script, and how does it help with email management?

The 'Batch Speed Run' strategy involves setting a timer and attempting to answer as many emails as possible within a set time frame. It helps manage an overflowing inbox by making significant progress in a short amount of time.

How does the book cater to the unique needs of people with ADHD?

The book is designed to be ADHD-friendly by offering strategies in bullet points and sections, using novelty to grab interest, and providing visual aids and creative illustrations that are engaging for those with ADHD.

What is the 'Suit Up Card Game' strategy and how does it work?

The 'Suit Up Card Game' strategy involves using a deck of cards to draw tasks and time limits. By shuffling and drawing cards, one can assign a task from the book's categories and a time limit to focus on that task, adding an element of fun and novelty to task selection.

How does the book help with the problem of saying no to things or people-pleasing tendencies?

The book provides scripts and guides for saying no in a polite and assertive way, helping individuals to feel more comfortable with declining invitations or tasks that do not align with their priorities or schedule.

What is the importance of finding the right strategies for one's brain as mentioned in the script?

Finding the right strategies for one's brain is crucial because it allows individuals to identify what works best for their unique cognitive patterns and preferences, leading to more effective and sustainable productivity.

What is the significance of the visual and physical aspects of 'The Anti-Planner', such as the gold foil cover and the elastic strap?

The visual and physical aspects of 'The Anti-Planner', including the gold foil cover and the elastic strap, enhance the aesthetic appeal and functionality of the book, making it more engaging and user-friendly.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Unboxing The Anti-Planner by Dani Donovan

The speaker is excited to introduce 'The Anti-Planner' by Dani Donovan, an early copy of which they have received. They praise the book's cover design with gold foil and dive into its content, emphasizing that it's not a traditional planner. The Anti-Planner is a resource for strategies to overcome procrastination and unproductivity. The speaker highlights the book's unique approach to value worth beyond productivity and its tabs for addressing different states of being stuck. They also appreciate the book's detailed strategies, such as dealing with perfectionism and email management, and note the book's ADHD-friendly design with bullet points and sections.

05:04

🤔 Strategies for Overcoming Overwhelm and Unmotivation

The speaker discusses strategies for dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed and unmotivated, which are common issues for individuals with ADHD. They describe how the book provides guidance on breaking down tasks into manageable steps and starting with verbs to define actions clearly. The speaker also mentions the 'Idea Parking Lot' for capturing ideas without losing focus and the importance of finding personal strategies that work for one's brain. They highlight the book's approach to saying no to non-essential commitments and the 'Suit Up Card Game' for selecting tasks, emphasizing the value of novelty in maintaining interest and productivity.

10:05

🎯 The Anti-Planner as a Resource for ADHD Minds

The speaker continues to explore the utility of 'The Anti-Planner' for those with ADHD, focusing on strategies to tackle unmotivation and the importance of starting small to build momentum. They mention the book's visual aids and the 'Treat Yo' Self' section for rewarding oneself after completing tasks. The speaker also appreciates the book's full-color design, elastic strap, and pen loop, recommending the book as a valuable resource for managing ADHD-related challenges and providing a comprehensive guide for overcoming productivity hurdles.

Keywords

💡Anti-Planner

The 'Anti-Planner' is a non-traditional planner designed to help individuals, particularly those with ADHD, to manage tasks and productivity in a way that suits their unique working style. It is a central theme of the video, as the host discusses the book by Dani Donovan. The Anti-Planner is not a typical planner with schedules and calendars but a resource full of strategies to tackle procrastination and unproductivity, as illustrated by the host's description of its use as a 'procrastination fire extinguisher'.

💡Productivity

Productivity in the video is discussed in the context of personal worth and effectiveness, not as a measure of self-worth but as a goal to achieve tasks willingly. The host emphasizes that the Anti-Planner aims to facilitate productivity not out of fear but desire, which is a key message in the book. For example, the host mentions, 'Your worth is not measured in productivity,' highlighting the book's approach to a healthier mindset towards task management.

💡ADHD

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects focus, organization, and time management. The video script frequently references ADHD, indicating that the Anti-Planner is tailored to the needs of individuals with this condition. The strategies within the book are designed to be ADHD-friendly, with formats like bullet points and novel activities that can capture attention and motivate action.

💡Strategies

The term 'strategies' is used throughout the script to describe the various methods provided in the Anti-Planner to overcome obstacles such as procrastination, feeling stuck, or being overwhelmed. The host gives examples of strategies like 'inbox sprints' for managing emails and the 'Idea Parking Lot' for capturing ideas without losing focus, demonstrating the book's practical and varied approach to task management.

💡Perfectionism

Perfectionism is discussed in the context of being a barrier to productivity, particularly for individuals with ADHD. The script mentions that the Anti-Planner addresses perfectionism by offering strategies to set realistic expectations and avoid the trap of obsessive tinkering. The host refers to page 70, where the Anti-Planner provides specific strategies for dealing with perfectionistic tendencies.

💡Overwhelm

Feeling overwhelmed is a common issue for many, especially those with ADHD, and the Anti-Planner offers strategies to break down tasks and make them more manageable. The host describes a section of the book dedicated to addressing overwhelm, including advice on task breakdown and the importance of starting with actionable verbs to define tasks clearly.

💡Motivation

Motivation, or the lack thereof, is a key issue the Anti-Planner aims to tackle. The video discusses various strategies for increasing motivation, such as the 'Suit up card game' which helps in selecting tasks through a randomized yet structured method. The host illustrates the use of this game as a way to inject novelty and fun into task selection, potentially reigniting motivation.

💡Novelty

Novelty is highlighted as a crucial element in the Anti-Planner's approach to engaging individuals, particularly those with ADHD, in the task management process. The host mentions the book's use of creative illustrations, charts, and games that offer a fresh take on productivity tools, making them more appealing and likely to be used.

💡Task Management

Task management is a central theme in the video, with the Anti-Planner presented as a tool to help with organizing and executing tasks effectively. The host explains how the book provides methods to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps, and how to prioritize and select tasks using various strategies, emphasizing the importance of actionable steps in task management.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is a significant topic in the video, as the Anti-Planner is designed to help users overcome this common issue. The host describes the book as a 'break glass in case of emergency' resource for when one is feeling stuck or procrastinating. Strategies such as 'inbox sprints' and the 'Idea Parking Lot' are presented as specific tools to combat procrastination.

💡Resource

The Anti-Planner is referred to as a 'resource' in the script, indicating its purpose as a go-to guide for when individuals feel stuck or overwhelmed. The host emphasizes that the book is not just a one-time read but a reference that can be returned to repeatedly, providing ongoing support and ideas for managing tasks and improving productivity.

Highlights

Introduction to The Anti-Planner by Dani Donovan, an early copy with an exciting walkthrough.

The Anti-Planner's beautiful cover with gold foil reflection.

A non-traditional planner addressing the common issue of abandoning traditional planners after initial use.

The Anti-Planner's ring-bound design allows for easy access and visibility of desired pages.

A reminder that one's worth is not determined by productivity, emphasizing a healthy approach to planning.

The book's purpose is to facilitate task completion based on desire, not fear or obligation.

The Anti-Planner is not a traditional planner but a resource for strategies to overcome procrastination and unproductivity.

The Anti-Planner is likened to a 'procrastination fire extinguisher' for emergency productivity needs.

Strategies for overcoming feeling stuck, including a detailed guide for perfectionism and related strategies.

The book's ADHD-friendly design with bullet points and sections to cater to different working styles.

Innovative strategies like the 'Idea Parking Lot' for capturing ideas without losing focus.

Breaking down tasks effectively with strategies tailored to individuals with ADHD.

The importance of starting tasks with verbs and the detailed breakdown of defining projects.

Strategies for dealing with email overload, such as the 'inbox sprint' technique.

The 'Suit up card game' as a novel approach to selecting tasks based on drawn cards.

Addressing people-pleasing tendencies and providing scripts for saying no in a respectful manner.

Strategies for overcoming unmotivation, including the 'productive mood' and 'switch it up' techniques.

The comprehensiveness of The Anti-Planner with over 300 pages of full-color content and creative illustrations.

The Anti-Planner's additional features like an elastic strap and pen loop for convenience.

Encouragement to purchase The Anti-Planner as a valuable resource for individuals with ADHD.

Transcripts

Hey friends, I'm so excited to show you The Anti-Planner by Dani Donovan.

Uh, now I've got an early copy and I'm really excited to kind of walk through it.

So let's go ahead and tear in.

Let's go.

Just look at that cover.

That is gorgeous with the nice, the gold foil there, reflection.

That is beautiful.

Uh, so let's dive in.

Let's take a look.

The Anti-Planner, I can't believe I actually finished this.

First off, even though this isn't a traditional planner, one of the biggest

problems with most planners is you open it up, you make some great plans, you shut

it, and then you never look at it again.

But because of the rings, you can open to where you want and leave that page

open and leave it out on your desk, so you're gonna be able to find it later.

Let me start off by saying one thing.

Your worth is not measured in productivity.

Did you read that?

I feel like you may have skimmed over it kind of fast.

I wanna make sure this really sinks in.

Your worth is not measured in productivity.

That being said, this book will hopefully help you to get stuff

done because you want to, not because you're afraid you have to.

You've got this, I believe in you.

Love Dani.

How awesome is that?

Dani is the best.

How to take care of the thing.

Got a forward.

Uh, does anybody really actually read these?

I will, I promise I'll read it later.

Dani.

Anti-Planner 101.

What this book is and isn't, it's not a planner.

So there's a temptation to see Anti-Planner and think, oh,

it's sort of a play on words, but it's actually a planner.

It's not, there's no like planning your weeks in here.

There's nothing like that.

It's basically a giant book full of strategies for getting stuff done,

things to help you when you're stuck.

It's got all these beautiful tabs for how you're stuck, maybe.

Yeah, just stuck right there.

Maybe you're overwhelmed or unmotivated.

Maybe you're feeling really disorganized, like maybe my desk situation.

But the idea with this book is that it's sort of a resource to go to, when you're

kind of maybe feeling overwhelmed or stuck or you're procrastinating or whatever,

it's, you're like, I'm trying to get something done and it's not working.

Let me pull out the Anti-Planner and that's gonna help me get stuff done.

And I love, love this right here.

Think of the Anti-Planner as a procrastination fire extinguisher,

break glass in case of emergency book.

Again, with these awesome illustrations, which I just love.

Let's start with feeling stuck.

When you're feeling stuck, you can jump straight to the tab and

there's a bunch of strategies here.

Let's check 'em out.

So I'm not gonna detail every strategy, but it gives you sort of a starting

point here, like, how are you feeling?

And this gives you jump points within this section.

So like, maybe you're feeling perfectionistic.

So page 70, let's jump ahead.

Oh my gosh, this book is so huge.

You're, so, there's over 300 pages, um, it's amazing.

So we're gonna jump to 70 here.

Perfectionistic.

Uh, I have unrealistic high expectations of myself wasting

time, obsessively tinkering, and it really sort of connects with what

people with ADHD are familiar with.

We're feeling those feelings and we're frustrated and we feel bad about it, which

is kind of that warning in the beginning, warning you like, don't feel bad

about, uh, your productivity.

Like our brains are designed different.

We work different.

Oh, I love this.

So you might also like, and it lists other strategies that are sort of

related but aren't the prime strategies.

We've got our five prime strategies here.

Speed run, setting realistic expectations for yourself, and look

how detailed the strategies are.

It's so ADHD friendly cause it's all broken into bullets and little sections.

I want to fill.

I don't even know what this thing is, but I want to figure it out

to fill this, this chart out.

And same again, like look at all these fun little things to fill out.

It like grabs that novelty, like the book is just full of

novelty that grabs our interest.

Uh, I know I'm just like oozing compliments, but I just think it's

such a great book for people with ADHD.

It's so designed for our brains and I think people are gonna really love

it and really get a lot out of it.

So this is a great one.

I always have problems with my email where email builds up.

So how many e emails can you answer in 30 minutes?

This is a strategy I've done before because it's so hard to get stuff done.

I just set a timer and I try just get through as many as I can.

Get through as many as I can.

Cuz otherwise I just get so stuck.

Where I'm looking at an email and I'm thinking, do I want to act on this later?

Do I want to act on it now?

If I reply now, maybe I don't have the right information, and it

just like builds up and up and up.

So doing these inbox sprints, I mean, you're not gonna get rid of all of

it probably in half an hour, but it's gonna help you make a significant

impact into that inbox that's built up.

So what is it?

A batching speed run for quickly moving through your emails.

You'll need a messy inbox.

Done.

You'll need a timer.

So this is really simple.

You're just sort of creating a grid that you can check off as you do the emails.

The beauty of it is the simplicity, because we're seeing something visual.

It makes it novel.

You're just checking off, every time you do an email, just check

it off the list and you're sort of getting on a roll that way.

And she's even got, uh, her comic here, the email like a boss, for really quick

tips on better language to use in emails.

Here's a great one.

This is the Idea Parking Lot.

Capture your brilliance without losing your focus.

She's got a great illustrated parking lot here.

Where you can just sort of throw ideas like as you have them, like,

oh, I don't wanna forget this.

I want to remember this idea later.

And so I need a place to quickly kind of capture it and you can throw it,

like you can just have this sitting out on your desk while you're working

on something else, and you can just write down your idea real quick.

Jump to overwhelmed, again, has a great intro to like, like describing

like what's, what is the problem?

Why are we feeling overwhelmed, and what can we do about it?

Here's a great page, so about breaking down tasks.

I talk about this in my toxic productivity video here.

Where people often give you this advice, like break it down into all of its steps,

but it doesn't really work for us and we don't even really know how to approach it.

So this page has some great strategies for like, what does that actually look

like, and how can I take that idea and make it work for me rather than just

it being this blanket advice that's supposed to fix all my problems.

For me, a lot of times what I do is, I focus on just getting like

those first few tasks figured out.

And again, like these strategies are great.

Like always make sure to start tasks with verbs.

And over here she's got like the breakdown of the not great way to

define a project a better way and then the best way, cause like not great,

it's like instructions, example.

Like what does that mean?

There's no verb to tell me what the action is.

So then she starts to break it down, like write instructions page.

Oh, okay.

So that's actually the action.

I need to write something for instructions.

And then there's some further sub-tasks there.

And then down here it's really broken out the write instructions page, and

then each sub-task, like develop rough content, finalize content, and then

sort of breaking out the steps in here.

So for me, a lot of times I get overwhelmed with

breaking all this stuff out.

So I would probably start with just doing this top section, like I'd maybe write

out, like finalize content, get feedback.

But then I wouldn't do all these subtasks.

I would just write these out so that I can focus on those and

then I can kind of build momentum.

And for me, that momentum helps me propel forward.

But maybe for you, it really helps you to see that big picture.

A lot of times it's hard to get started on something when you can't envision

what that final product would be.

So maybe breaking it out the way that Dani's shown here is the

way that's gonna work for you.

And that's kind of all the strategies in this book and in other books or

videos or TikToks or whatever it is.

The trick is to find the strategies, that work for your brain, and some of

them, like you may, I'm gonna go through this book and I'm sure there will be

some things where I'll just immediately know, like, this isn't gonna work for me.

Or maybe even better approach is, this isn't working for me right now, but

maybe I can come back to this and try this at another time when one of my

other strategies kind of stops working.

So much of what works for us is novelty is introducing and trying out new things.

And that's what I love about this book.

So there's just so many different ideas that if you're struggling

with something, you can kind of flip through it and be like, no, no, no.

And then be like, oh, this sounds like, oh, rolling dice.

That sounds like a fun way to help me figure out what my task is next.

Um, oh, there's so much good stuff in here.

And here's another page that's so great.

So many of us with ADHD struggle with like people pleasing and it's

really hard to say no to things.

Like we just say yes, to everything.

Uh, partly because we get excited by new opportunities, but also partly because

we're afraid of disappointing people.

We've, many of us have a long history of disappointing people, so we're like,

terrified of having that experience again.

And so this is a great way to like, this is how I'm feeling.

Like, ah, sure I can come, but it's an event that I don't actually want to go to

and here's some alternate things I can say instead, like, I appreciate you inviting

me, but I won't be able to make it.

I hope y'all have an awesome time and things like that that help give

you like a guide and almost like permission to say, Hey, this is okay.

I can say this instead of agreeing to something that I didn't want to do or

I shouldn't do because my schedule's full, or whatever the case may be.

Love it.

Let's get to unmotivated because I think this is one of the most common

problems for people with ADHD.

How are you feeling?

And it gives you like some starting points, waiting to

feel like it all the time.

I know there's something I want to do, but I don't really feel like it yet.

It's just sort of like, am I gonna get to that?

I don't know.

Maybe eventually, or I'm lacking the accountability, like there's no

consequences if I keep procrastinating or disinterested, uninspired.

Let's see what we've got in here.

So right off the bat, again, it's got all, look at all these great

strategies when I'm, I'm waiting to feel like it's not quite working.

Like, well, boom.

I've got like, what is this?

Like 10 strategies right here?

11 goes up to 11.

11 strategies right here.

Just in this next section.

And then also it's pointing to all these other strategies throughout the

book that are also going to be helpful.

Right off the bat.

Suit up card game, flip four, and pick your poison.

So you take a deck of cards, shuffle it up, flip four, draw four off the top,

and flip 'em over, and then line those up with the page to figure out what

sort of tasks you have in front of you.

So let's do real quick so you can just sort of see it in example here.

Shuffle up real quick.

I'll just flip 'em.

So we got.

So off the bat right here, we've got queen of spades.

So spades, we've got personal finance, delegation, paying a bill, organizing

desktop, throw away junk mail, so that admin sort of stuff right here.

And then we have the number, so it's a face.

So that's 15 minutes.

So I've got, I can spend 15 minutes to work on this one.

I select one of the four.

So one option is 15 minutes on an admin task.

And I've got five, which is cleaning, and five minutes eight of spades, also admin.

And that would be 10 minutes.

So I could choose this if I wanted to do admin, but maybe not as much.

And then this one is the six of clubs, contacts.

So maybe emailing or texting somebody back.

And that's six.

So that's right in the 10 minute range.

So for me, immediately I see these and I think of there's a really

important admin task that I need to take care of having to do with my car.

Uh, and I've been avoiding it for a while, but now, I'm like,

well, okay, I can, that'll just take 10 minutes.

I can do that and then that will be what I get started with.

There's, there's something about the novelty of the cards that is like, oh, you

drew this card and that's the one I pick.

And now I'm gonna take on that challenge because it's sort of ahead of me.

There's get into the productive mood, switch it up.

I'm like barely halfway through this right now, and there's already.

Treat yo' self.

And so much more.

I barely scratched the surface.

Like I said earlier, there's over 300 pages in this thing and every page

looks like the ones I showed you I didn't like highlight the ones that

are especially well drawn or really creative, they all look like that.

It's full color all the way through.

It is just a gorgeous, uh, workbook that I think you're gonna want to own.

And I didn't even say, it's got the nice elastic strap just to

really complete the package.

And a little elastic loop so you can put a pen right on the side there.

Go order this book.

I think you are gonna love it.

It's gonna be one of those things you turn back to over and over again as a resource.

Whenever you're feeling stuck, whenever you're feeling overwhelmed or whatever,

you know all those things that come up in the life of having ADHD.

You hit those roadblocks, you hit those stumbling points, and you just

feel stuck or lacking motivation.

This is gonna be an amazing resource for you to get unstuck, and thanks again to

Dani for letting me have this early copy.

Go get it.