We need to do many things—between work, domestic duties, and self-care, it can feel like we need a few more hours in the day. This is where productivity can be helpful; if we get more done quicker, we’ll likely have more downtime, but this isn’t always easy. Productivity can be elusive; we get distracted, find our minds unable to focus on the task at hand, or get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things we must do. So, how do we overcome this?
What if I told you there are several hacks you can use to trick your brain into being more productive? It may sound impossible, but if you’re desperate to jump-start your to-do list or need a little help tuning in when it counts, here are 17 tricks you need to know.
1. Keep a detailed list.
Getting organized is a great tip for increasing your productivity. If you ritualize making a list at night before bed or first thing in the morning, you give yourself one less thing to worry about. When you’re organized and know exactly what to expect, your time management is better, and you’re less likely to get distracted. Plus, you save the processing power that your brain would use to remember all your goals and can put it directly into achieving them.
2. Game-ify your tasks.
Maybe it’s a bit silly, but turning your tasks into a game can trick your brain into enjoying the things you have to do a lot more. If you have to pick up the laundry, shoot three-pointers into the laundry bin; if you have to wash the dishes, try to do it as though there is a timer ticking. Treating more menial tasks as fun or a quest to conquer can reframe your thinking significantly. Our brains love games and challenges, so using them to motivate your brain may be helpful.
3. Focus on one thing at a time.
The myth of multitasking is that you’ll get more done in a shorter time. However, this has been proven wrong time and again. Not only does multitasking produce worse work, but it can also significantly slow progress. By jumping between tasks, you can overstimulate your brain and make it lose its focus, and getting into a solid flow can be more difficult. Let yourself focus on one thing at a time, spend ample time working, and start to find yourself in a solid groove and completing more than you thought you would.
4. Abide by the two-minute rule.
Let me explain the two-minute rule if you haven’t heard of it. The rule states that if you can do a task in less than two minutes, do it as soon as possible. It’s simple and effective, and it will have you knocking small tasks off your to-do list left and right. It will also mean you don’t get bogged down with small functions in your daily routine and help you with upkeep. Once you get into the habit of following the two-minute rule, it can be a huge relief and take a lot of pressure off of you in your daily routine.
5. Schedule breaks for yourself.
Maybe this one sounds counterintuitive, but trust me, taking breaks is good for focus and productivity. Unless you have superpowers and can endlessly lock in on your tasks, you will get bored and overwhelmed. This is normal—so allow yourself to take breaks. A popular method in productivity circles called the Pomodoro Technique posits that for every 25 minutes of work you do, you should give yourself a 5-minute break. Opting to take regular breaks also means you are less likely to pick up your phone and accidentally fall into a TikTok rabbit hole for longer than you’d like.
6. Block distracting web pages or set up work mode on your computer and phone.
Do not disturb mode on my phone has been a lifesaver for me working from home, and so have apps like Stayfocusd and Freedom. When enabled, these apps block a number of sites you would frequent that might distract you. When you get a notification, you’ll pick up your phone and focus, and according to a study, that loss of focus can take almost half an hour to recover from. There’s a wealth of entertainment at our fingertips, and sometimes we just need a little help keeping our hands out of the cookie jar. Avoiding potential distractions and limiting how much we can engage with things that aren’t our work can massively boost our productivity.
7. Visualize tasks.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but do you know its interesting origin? Our brains can process visual data 60,000 times faster than text alone, meaning visuals are far more valuable for communicating ideas than words. That being said, adding a visual component to your daily planning or productivity goal can actually make it easier for your brain to understand. Whether this be a graph, chart, color-coded schedule, or taking time to create an image in your mind of the completed product, you help your brain out significantly when you give yourself something to look at.
8. Put on some focus music.
Music can make work far less boring, that’s for sure. However, choosing the right kind of music can make a big difference in terms of productivity. Listening to your favorite songs may be more distracting than helpful, but don’t worry; plenty of other types of music will work. Binaural beats, lo-fi, white noise, or natural soundtracks will increase productivity when listened to during work periods. You can find entire playlists dedicated to focus on Spotify or YouTube. These are great if you like a bit of noise in the background, so you don’t have to listen to your breathing and the clicking of keys.
9. Find a good reward system.
Our brains love dopamine; they even love the promise of dopamine so much they’ll endure almost anything if they know there’s a reward in it for them at the end. This premise is an excellent way to get yourself focused and increase your willingness to do complex tasks. Maybe you promise yourself a nice dinner if you finish a difficult assignment, or perhaps you’ll thrive from checking off tasks from your wishlist. Either way, giving your brain a steady stream of dopamine rewards can be vital in building productivity.
10. Try block scheduling.
I used to think block scheduling was a fluke; how can someone need to block off time for sleeping or taking a lunch break? Turns out I was wrong. Block scheduling is a highly disciplined way of setting up your days. It doesn’t allow for much deviation or freedom, but it can be incredibly effective if you’re serious about accomplishing your productivity goals. It also ensures that nothing falls by the wayside because every aspect of your day is scheduled out. Research shows that a consistent routine can boost mood and productivity, so having a steady flow of work, play, and rest may be the structure you need to succeed.
11. Move your body.
Getting out of your seat may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning. Blood flow to the brain can increase our processing power, and one of the best ways to improve that flow is to get up and move. You can take a quick five-minute stretch or a walk around the neighborhood; both will likely help you return to work with renewed vigor. If this works for you, you can even go to standing desks or walking pads to ensure you’re moving almost constantly while working. Besides being good for productivity, it can also help with general health, as there have been some pretty concerning studies about the effects of sitting for prolonged periods.
12. Work in a new or different place.
Sometimes, we get sick of the view from our cubicle or home office. Consider that what you might need is a slight change of scenery. Your ideas and motivation can stagnate in uninspiring locales, so consider checking a new or different workspace if possible. This can look like taking your laptop to a cafe or shared workspace, moving from your bedroom to the living room, or meeting up at a friend’s place for a work session. Giving yourself a fresh perspective and new stimuli can refresh your mind and break you out of a slump. Bonus points if the place is beautiful, inspiring, or ergonomically designed with productivity in mind.
13. Set a work timer.
When you were in school, did you ever stare at the clock, counting the minutes until the bell rang for lunch? This memory still plagues many people today; however, there is a way to flip the narrative on clock-watching. By setting a work timer, you can be excited to know there’s an end in sight; the key is not to stare at it! Depending on the type of work you do, you can start by setting a timer for 30-60 minutes, minimizing the window, or putting your phone across the room and getting to work until it goes off. Before long, you’ll be surprised by how quickly the time flies, and you’ll work more effectively than ever before.
14. “Eat the frog.”
Another interesting idiom, “eating the frog,” is from author Mark Twain and has been widely discussed in productivity circles. Assume your job is eating a frog. Would you rather do it first thing and get it over with, or sit all day, knowing you’ll eventually have to eat the frog? The answer is simple: eat the frog first and get it over with. This phrase basically means that it’s a good practice to tackle your most challenging task first. If you find yourself overwhelmed with many tasks, singling out one particularly daunting one and tackling it head-on can improve your perspective and put you one step closer to accomplishing your goals. This is great if you struggle with procrastination or often feel overwhelmed with the more significant items on your to-do list.
15. Get adequate and constant sleep.
It’s not so much a hack; it’s just some good, solid advice. You can’t function without sleep; it’s a fact. If your body and mind are tired, you’re likelier to slack off and not produce good work. There may be an impetus to be up early and hit the ground running, but this isn’t the only way to deliver consistent and quality results. It’s not necessarily how many hours of the day you spend working; instead, the quality of the time spent really matters, and sleep is the first step to getting those quality hours.
16. Take time to reflect.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to keep the wheel turning, but what is also important is finding ways to work that work for us. Taking time after a project to reflect on what went well and what didn’t and consider whether the time spent was worth the outcome can be beneficial. We sometimes lock ourselves into jobs or patterns that cause us stress and don’t serve us, so finding opportunities worth our effort can make the work more gratifying and give us hope or motivation.
17. Give yourself some breathing room.
Despite our best-laid plans, sometimes it’s just not a good day for productivity. Personal issues may occur, our mood may be off, we may be sick, or we’re struggling with insurmountable brain fog and mental blocks. No need to feel stressed or ashamed; life will go on even if you don’t work at it today. If you continuously struggle, stepping away from the task can be the better choice. Asking for a deadline extension when needed or postponing less essential tasks to tomorrow can mean the difference between an off day and total burnout. Your brain is less effective when stressed or overtaxed, so remember that sometimes the best thing you can do for productivity is not to be productive at all.
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