If you’ve ever visited the office of a fully funded and large-scale production, you know that there is more than enough work to go around a sizable staff. While you may be using a spreadsheet in Google Docs to keep track of the financials, a larger production may have a dedicated accountant or even an entire accounting department. While people are shooting, more people are bringing in and organizing footage, editing, and doing all the little things that you need to keep a production moving along.

While you may be able to staff your production days with some people, it’s much more likely that once you sit down in the editing room chair or start to go through a bag of receipts, you’ll be flying solo. Because of this, it may be a little tougher to drill down and get things done.

But never fear! There are some great simple tools and techniques out there to help you stop wasting time during post production and plow through what you need to get done.

1. The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique

Sometimes you need some structure to get you going, and that’s what the Pomodoro technique excels at providing. Created by Francesco Cirillo, the idea is simple: 25 minute periods of absolute concentration, with 5 minute breaks in between. After four consecutive “pomodoros”, take a 15 minute break.

Give it a try for a few hours and you’ll find yourself making less excuses to check email or get a snack. You’ll soon find out you can get a lot done in 25 minutes, and the breaks help you refresh your mind. This technique is also ideal for writing and other production-related tasks you do on your own – I’ve used it for months and it’s part of the reason these blog posts get written!

You can get all the information you could possibly need on the technique at the Pomodoro Technique’s website including a free downloadable PDF of the Pomodoro Technique book.

2. Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done

A close cousin of the Pomodoro Technique, Getting Things Done, or GTD is a technique made popular by internet-evangelist Merlin Mann with his famous blog post on the subject.

It provides a very well structured and inspiring method of getting the stuff that is hanging in the air nailed down, identified, and done. It’s obviously a little more involved than that, but Merlin has got your back in that department with his post. Obviously, nothing has more “stuff” than a production, so using the method will help you get all that mess under control.

3. Zen Habits

Zen Habits

Not everyone needs a technique – some just need a boost or advice every once in a while. To fill that need, nothing works better than Zen Habits, a blog about simplicity in how you work and live. Productions (the production part, and the other parts), tend to be hectic and cluttered. Zen Habits can help you keep things in order and remember above all to keep things simple.

That’s it! Check out these techniques and see if you can optimize your post production process.