Productivity Strategies vs. Systems
Don't confuse productivity strategies with productivity systems. Systems, complete with their workflow diagrams, normally lay out the precise steps that you need to faithfully follow in order to be more productive. Strategies instead present you with the general attitudes and techniques that you need to maintain in order to achieve your peak productivity.
As a rule, productivity strategies employ a more open approach in dealing with common personal productivity issues than conventional productivity systems. This broader approach then affords greater flexibility when it comes to applying their ideas and techniques to particular work situations. Such flexibility is extremely important to today's knowledge workers whose jobs often demand that they perform diverse tasks at peak efficiency.
Personal productivity systems are normally very effective at helping workers overcome initial resistance to making the basic changes required to increase personal productivity. However, many workers find systems-based workflow practices difficult to maintain within their fast-paced work environments where they're expected to maintain peak efficiency as they change directions at a moment's notice. Such mismatches not only increase rather than decrease work-related stress but can also end up undermining trust in fundamental productivity practices that lead to the their eventual abandonment.
Check out the Productivity Strategies page on this site for a list of top stress-free productivity strategies. Then check out the Manage Your Life page for more on Dr. Greg's Dummies book that illustrates how to apply these strategies when you use Microsoft Outlook as your Personal Information Manager.