Dear Fellow Investor

Are you also always on the lookout for tools and ideas that can improve your productivity?

I hardly ever have enough time in a day and am always on the look-out for anything that can increase my productivity.

The best book I ever read on the subject was a book called Getting Things Done by David Allen.  The book and the productivity tools mentioned in the book has reached cult status on the Internet with thousands of websites offering tips and suggestions.

Here are a few:

Getting Things Done – Wikipedia – Best summary

Getting Things Done – Official Website

 Getting Things Done - Guru David Allen and His Cult of Hyperefficiency - Wired Article

Getting Things Done – Official Blog



I recently implemented three routines that I found really helpful and I thought you may want to give them a try.

Firstly , at the end of each day I take 10 minutes to make a list of five things that I want to accomplish the next day.  These are the tasks that, when completed, would make me feel that my day has been really worth while.  

I write them down on an A4 page that I fold in half and this is the only thing I keep on my desk.

First thing in the morning when I come into the office I take the first task on the list, which is usually the hardest, and start working on it immediately.

After that I take the next one and the next one, until they are hopefully all done by the time I go home.

This has really improved my productivity but also my feeling of accomplishment. The five tasks are the things that I most want to accomplish each day but even if I only just accomplish three of of them I have a feeling that my day has been worthwhile.


Secondly , I've started using the timer function on my mobile phone to time periods I have set aside to complete certain tasks.  For examples if I want to work at writing an article for 30 minutes I set the timer, focus on the task for the full 30 minutes until the timer beeps. I then stop working on that task and go onto the next.  

This has improved my productivity because I could focus on just one task without being distracted for a period of time that I have allocated to that task.  

Also because of only allocated the certain amount of time for a task I find a complete tasks quicker than in the past. It has also stopped me from getting so caught up in this one task that I do not get anything else done.


Thirdly , is a technique I use to manage all the internal distractions that keep on popping into my mind while working on other tasks.  For example send an e-mail to Greg on the great movie I saw or remember to look at the review of the new mobile phone I am considering buying.

Whereas previously I would stop with the task I was doing and quickly do this I now, on the back of that piece of paper that I write down the five tasks for the day mentioned above, quickly list all these things and pop into my mind from time to time.

I then allocate 15 to 30 minutes each day to quickly take care of these tasks.

What I found is, as I write down these internal distractions, I removed them from my mind and it frees me up to be more focused on the task at hand.


Give these tools and techniques a try you may also find them helpful.

Apart from the Getting Things Done book mentioned above another program I found really helpful in increasing my productivity is audio program called the 80 / 20 Principle.

What this program did for me was make me work on the most important things in my life that lead to the 80% of what I wanted to achieve, rather than the 20% that does not matter.

It gave me a lot of satisfaction, knowing that I'm working on the right things rather than just working on something that was urgent.

Take a look at the program, The 80/20 Principle, you may also find a value.

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Your productive analyst


Tim du Toit

P.S.   A company the market forgot about

Last month while running my stock screeners to find attractively valued companies I stumbled onto something that will interest you.

As you know I look for the absolute cheapest companies in Europe, the UK and the USA, irrespective of size and market they are trading on.

This time however I discovered “a gem lying in plain sight”.

It’s a really large company (that you can buy nearly anywhere) that has gotten really cheap. But is so large and obvious that it is completely overlooked by the market.

Something like a diamond lying on the sidewalk, you do not believe that it is a diamond and thus ignore it as you walk by.

Another reason I like the company it that it recently got rid of quite a large millstone around its neck, another factor that should help it perform better in future.

I immediately analysed the company and recommended it to my subscribers.


To find out how you can also get ideas like this monthly click here.