The Finish Calendar is My Biggest Productivity Tool

This calendar measures 25” x 36” inches (63.5″ x 91.44″ cm) so it’s, in fact, the biggest productivity tool I own. Every year, I try numerous tools to improve my regimen and writing output. This year, two items seem to be making a significant difference. The first is John Acuff’s Finish Calendar.

Why I bought it

It took me a year before I finally decided to try it.

1. Acuff has used it for years and he says works for him.
2. The calendar was aesthetically pleasing enough to put on my wall.
3. Gave up on my other calendars.

Acuff was right. (For some reason, he strikes me as someone I would refer to by last name.)

Self-Accountability

There’s nothing more honest than tracking your progress on a big calendar and leaving it up on your wall. There’s no denying what you’ve accomplished. In my calendar, all the pre-production work doesn’t make the cut, it’s not calendar-worthy if you will.

Non-calendar worthy

• Applying or filling out forms
• Thinking
• Researching
• Bookmarking
• Drafting
• Editing
• Outlining
• Updating (systems)

Calendar worthy

• Blog post published
• Email sent to loyal readers (thank you!)
• Used my planner (during the majority of the day)
• Wrote a draft or revised existing draft
• Went to the gym
• Meditated
• *Updated website

*Complicated

Write down daily accomplishments

The calendar keeps me productive and accountable to my tasks. It’s not always pretty to see when I hit lulls but I’m grateful because there’s no one trying to tell me what I did. It’s all right in front of me.

Here’s a 10% off discount for your own calendar if interested (a Move Up exclusive).

The second one is the Free to Focus planner, but I’ll dive into that in an upcoming blog post.

Question for you: How do you track your progress? What would you put on a wall calendar? Let me know on Twitter.