Your Secret Weapon for Hitting Your Quota

In a game where every second counts, productivity systems can be the difference between merely meeting your quota and exceeding it.

James Clear the author of Atomic Habits (a personal favourite book of most productivity bros/broettes) puts it simply “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems” and being a BDR/SDR with poor systems can be a painful experience.

My goal is to take you through my 3 favourite productivity techniques I use every single day that have been paramount in me hitting quota this year. 

First off what is a productivity technique - A productivity technique is a structured approach designed to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in completing tasks. These techniques provide frameworks or methods that help individuals manage their time, prioritise tasks, and maintain focus, ultimately leading to improved productivity.

My 3 Techniques:

• Time Blocking
• Pomodoro Technique
• Second Brain (Tiago Forte)

Time Blocking:

Time blocking is referenced heavily as a big mover when it comes to productivity with experts like Cal Newport (Professor and Author) using it as a tool to initiate ‘Deep Work.’

It’s thought to have roots all the way back to figures like Benjamin Franklin known for meticulously planning each hour of his day.

Time blocking is important because it enhances focus and productivity by allocating specific time slots for tasks, reducing distractions, and promoting a structured approach to managing your day.

How To Time Block:

1. Choose what to time block

• I time block 2 call out blocks per day (one AM and one PM) with a 30 minute block after to do any follow up actions after my call blocks.
• I also include at least 1 cold email block per day

2. Place these blocks into your calendar

3. Stick to the time blocks

• This sounds like it should be easy but one of the highest leverage activities you can do as a BDR/SDR is valuing your own time. If you have a call block, commit to it. If it needs to be moved you have to make up the hour elsewhere but never fully delete the call block.

4. Bonus Tip

• At the recommendation of Chris Ritson, I double my call blocks on Fridays. Although it may sound counterintuitive this is where I book the most meetings each week.

The Pomodoro Technique:

The Pomodoro Technique originated in the late 1980s and was developed by Francesco Cirillo, a university student who sought a method to improve his study effectiveness. He named the technique after the Italian word for "tomato," inspired by the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used to track his work intervals, which are typically set for 25 minutes followed by short breaks

Become A Pomodoro Master:

My entire day is run via a series of pomodoros (25 mins deep work - 5 min break - repeat 4 times - 10 min break) as someone who struggles with ADHD and general concentration this has been life changing.

Simplest Use - Begin the pomodoro at the start of a call block and the goal is to dial hard for those 25 minutes. No switching tabs, no checking a notification on slack, you are 100% focussed for the next 25 minutes. Then a 5 minute break and repeat. That’s your call block done and rather than task switching you have just spent 50 minutes in deep work and booking meetings because of it.

Bonus Tip - You can then like me extend this usage to everything you do and treat your day in a series of mini sprints of complete focus.

Link to Pomodoro Timer

Evidence Supporting Deep Work/Pomodoros

Multitasking can significantly reduce cognitive performance, with studies showing a drop of 10-15 IQ points when engaging in task switching. A University of London study found that participants who multitasked during cognitive tasks experienced IQ score declines similar to what they'd expect if they had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night. For men, the IQ drop was as much as 15 points, which lowered their scores to the average range of an 8-year-old child.

Second Brain:

A Second Brain is a digital knowledge management system designed to capture, organize, and leverage personal information effectively, freeing your biological brain from the burden of remembering every detail. The system follows the CODE method (Capture, Organize, Distill, Express)

Put simply your brain is for idea creation and not retention.

This is perhaps the most advanced of the techniques I use and I feel something that requires experimentation and iteration to come to a model that suits you best.

Why I Use a Second Brain:

1. Enhanced Information Retention: Sales reps can store and easily retrieve crucial information, meeting notes, ensuring no important details are forgotten

2. Boosted Creativity: The ability to quickly access and combine various pieces of information sparks new ideas and perspectives that may not have been apparent otherwise.

3. Reduced Cognitive Load: By offloading information storage and retrieval to an external system, it frees up mental bandwidth for more critical tasks. This reduction in cognitive load allows sales reps to focus on high-value activities

The Creation of My Second Brain:

(I am a religious Notion user so this will be focussed around Notion)

1. Search for Free Second Brain Templates on Notion

2. Find one you like the look of aesthetically

• Key Features for me
  • GTD Matrix (A very detailed to-do list with the ability to assign priorities to tasks)
  • Space to brain dump (A section for me to place the random thoughts that come freely throughout the day which can be prioritised later)

3. Begin to experiment and iterate what you do and don’t like within the second brain.

This is something that can take some time but I personally find invaluable as it allows me to be more creative when it comes to prospecting and making sure I don’t lose track of any ideas I potentially want to come back to alongside being the king of all to-do lists.

Conclusion:

Whether you implement these 3 or try some of your own, structure and discipline are in my opinion the biggest movers when it comes to performance as a BDR/SDR. The purpose of these tools are to make that structure and discipline easier. To quote Chris Williamson (Modern Wisdom Podcast) ~ “The magic you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding”.