My day is not done until I write down some scheduled tasks into the next day's calendar. This hack has saved me time, energy and, best of all, allows me to end my workday with a sense of completion. Writing down tasks for the next day also relieves my brain for the rest of the night, so I can truly leave work behind. When my schedule is already written down, I am much less likely to suddenly start planning my day at 11 pm that night. Scheduling the next day's tasks helps me get a head start the next morning and saves me tons of time. When my tasks are already scheduled for the next day, I can immediately tackle the most important items on my list the next morning, using my valuable brain power on essential tasks rather than scheduling.
My one best productivity hack is the Pomodoro Technique. This is a technique that helps me manage my time more effectively and efficiently by breaking my tasks into manageable chunks of time. I set a timer for 25 minutes and focus exclusively on the task at hand without any distractions. After the 25 minutes is up, I take a five minute break to get up, move around and recharge. Then I repeat this cycle of 25 minutes of work and five minutes of rest until I complete my task. This method helps me stay focused and motivated, so I'm not wasting time on distractions. It also helps me break my tasks down into manageable pieces, so I don't feel overwhelmed. This way of working also helps me stay organized and track my progress. It's easy to see how long it takes me to complete each task and I can use this information to plan out my day more effectively. Additionally, helps me stay motivated and prevent burnout as there is a defined end or break in sight.
One way I have found to ensure productivity is to set a timer. I set a timer for 20 minutes and for that period of time, I am hyper-focused on a specific task. I don’t look at emails or answer calls during that time. I strictly work on a specific project. When the timer goes off, I will take time to check email or just stretch. I will then set a new timer and begin again. By doing this several times throughout the day, I am able to get more done in less time and ensure projects are being completed. As little as two hours a day gives me 6 specific periods of focus for my tasks.
I'm a mixologist and restaurateur, so obviously my favorite productivity hack is to motivate myself with treats! Simply by rewarding myself with a great meal or a nice coffee after a prescribed work block allows me to stay focused. This means less time wasted procrastinating, and more time working with purpose. Giving yourself something to look forward to- whether its a treat like food, coffee or even some TV time- gives you a light at the end of the tunnel of work.
Get comfortable with the word no. Don’t let shiny object syndrome take your eyes off of your goals. Companies that lead with the big picture in mind devoid of distractions are companies that achieve big things. In the end, you’ll have more time and be more productive when your workload is laser focused. No matter how tempting a business prospect might be, say no to said prospect if it doesn’t get you one step closer to achieving you ultimate career/company goal.
My favorite productivity hack is batching. This involves doing similar tasks at once to save time. I was recently in the process of preparing for a work project when I realized that by reading the research material, writing an outline, and tasing notes all together instead of separately, I was able to cut down on my total working time significantly. My rule of thumb is to make sure all related or adjacent tasks are done concurrently so that my motivation remains high throughout a project and my attention span stays focused. Batching also allows me to spot patterns in what I'm working on more quickly, which helps prevent burnout and boosts efficiency.
Hi there, My name is Rob Reeves, and I'm the CEO and President of Redfish Technology, a recruiting firm working in the tech sector. As a small business owner, I'm always looking for ways to maximize my time. My best productivity hack? Automate, automate, automate. Don't get stuck in the if-it's-not-broke-don't-fix-it mindset: in 2023, this advice no longer applies. Instead, take a minute every day to look into automation apps, and consider how they might expediate those rote tasks that you think you've got a handle on. For example, as a recruiter, following up after a meeting is crucial to establishing a connection. I used to manually reach out; now I just scan their business card and my email app sends an automatic message. If you find ten tasks that can be automated this way, you've likely freed up a valuable hour. And you're not just clearing your schedule. You're clearing your mind of clutter too. Rob Reeves CEO & President, Redfish Technology https://www.redfishtech.com/
My best productivity hack is to utilize pre-prepared meals. By setting aside a couple of hours once every few weeks and batch cooking all my meals, I can spend significantly less time in the kitchen throughout the week looking up recipes and preparing food. This allows me to use that extra cooking time towards other tasks, like studying or running errands. It also gives me peace of mind knowing my meals for the week are already taken care of so I can focus on other activities without worrying about what I'm going to have for dinner - saving myself valuable time and energy!
One of the best ways to actually get productive is by seeing the tasks you need to do in front of you and being able to properly assess how much time they will take, what you can do yourself and what you need to delegate. Once they’re written down and breaking them down into smaller tasks, it helps you become more productive and motivated to finish tasks to be able to cross them off your list.
This doesn't sound productive, but I find that making myself take ten uninterrupted minutes to freewrite or "brain dump" in a journal allows me to be more focused and productive throughout my day. I think it is because all those small to-dos, worries and random thoughts that cry for attention throughout the day finally have an outlet. I can review the freewrite later if it brought up a solution or task that needs tending, but for the most part it allows me to mentally purge the clutter.
Business owners have a thousand things to do everyday so having your time sucked up by meetings can put you way behind schedule, and that is why my best productivity hack is to reassess to find alternative types of communication. Numerous studies have shown that one of the most unpopular and least productive forums for a business is the “all-inclusive” meeting, in which every team member has to attend, even though only a fraction of the meeting’s content applies to them. Therefore, by taking the time to assess whether a meeting is needed and looking for alternatives such as an email, a video chat, or a department memo that can suffice, I can save dozens of hours a month for more pressing matters. In first looking for an alternative to meetings rather than just scheduling them blindly, I have a productivity hack that gives myself the time to be more productive and my team as well.
Set a day or two each month on the calendar to show you will be 'out of office'. This allows time to focus on completing projects and tasks without interruptions. With others believing you are out of the office, there will be no meetings on the schedule and less interruptions. This will provide you with a solid block of time for completing important projects. You should look ahead on the calendar and identify deadlines. This will allow you to block your calendar early enough to prevent scheduling conflicts and ensure you have allowed yourself focused time before the deadline.
Tackling a tricky task first thing in the morning infuses my day with a sense of accomplishment. While there always seems to be more on my to-do list than time, taking on a challenging item immediately keeps me focused on what's important. Brian Tracy creatively outlines this highly effective productivity hack in his book Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. So with all the digital distractions, I can set my workday agenda by eating the frog first rather than letting all those emails and messages consume my attention.
The Screen Time feature for iOS was a real eye-opener that has helped me shave hours off my work week. You can look at real-time reports that show how much time you spend on your smartphone by app, website, and more. The data alone is enough to help improve habits. When I first started using Screen Time, I aimed to cut my screen time by 5% weekly. I could see the biggest culprits and set time limits for specific apps - some were deleted altogether! Reducing screen time gives me more time to focus and fewer distractions at work, but it also has secondary benefits that significantly improve productivity. Less screen time reduces stress-inducing cortisol production, improves sleep habits and quality, and reduces eye strain that can affect how well we work.
Folders are a great way to organize your inbox. I create rules to filter certain emails into their respective folders to avoid clogging the primary inbox. For example, you can filter all of the newsletters you receive into one folder. That way, your emails are sorted automatically, which will increase your productivity and make it easier to prioritize unread messages.
When it comes to leading & managing people, communication is often a bottleneck faced by leaders. The challenges expand in remote and hybrid environments with various team backgrounds & personalities at hand. As the Founder & CEO of Reimagine Talent, a workforce & talent development firm, I am consistently looking for tools to communicate confidently and clearly. My team of 10 are fully-remote, living across the U.S. Therefore, frequent communication is vital in ensuring we are exceeding client outcomes and scaling our business products, process & systems. Loom, a video messaging tool, helps get your message across through instantly shareable videos. I use Loom to share annual and quarterly visions, complex ideas, and project updates - typically 5 minutes or less. Loom is also the resource leveraged to support new hire onboarding. Loom serves as a tool that replaces one-on-one meetings. It also ensures consistency in messages and builds team understanding.
Nothing helps me get through a long work day better than taking a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. This little hack has made such a difference in my level of productivity, allowing me to focus more effectively and have enough energy to stay productive until the end of the day. With this 30 minute break, I'm able to curb fatigue, improve my concentration and recall information better as well. I also find that I'm able to take on bigger projects with less worry because my improved productivity allows me more time during the day. Without this 30 minute productivity hack, I'd certainly feel too drained to handle what comes my way after lunchtime and quickly slip into an unproductive spiral.
There are many productivity hacks that can be effective, ultimately it depends on the individual and their specific needs. In my opinion, the best productivity hack that has worked for me is breaking down a larger task into smaller manageable chunks. This strategy is best known for task decomposition, this approach makes a complex task more manageable by breaking it into chunks. By doing so each step can be managed separately making it easier to focus and complete the individual task. For example, if the larger task is to write a research paper, the task decomposition approach would be broken into smaller tasks such as choosing the topic, conducting the research, introduction, writing the literature review and so on. It is not only useful for writing papers, you can apply this to any kind of task.
Founder of Life and My Finances and Financial Expert at Life and My Finances
Answered 3 years ago
One productivity hack that helps me stay organized and alert is starting the day with small, easy-to-accomplish tasks. There are always some miscellaneous tasks that fill the gap during the primary objectives; that’s why I prioritize them for the beginning of the day and pay attention to the main goals, such as meetings or big reports later. This allows me to look at my day during lunch and feel a sense of accomplishment with a to-do list that has all these little tasks checked off. Similarly to the process-related productivity hack, I ensure to make my bed the exact moment I step out of it. It has nothing to do with being a clean person; I just know if it’s too inviting, I will go back in. And what’s more, as I’m getting ready for the day, I know I’ve already accomplished something which allows me to feel more productive by default.
The first step in becoming more productive is changing your regular behavior. Deciding on the best productivity hack doesn’t mean you will succeed at once. Before you can get anywhere, you need to identify your personal strengths, interests, working style, and so on. Beyond just managing your time effectively, comes the simple productivity hack of making lists. Keep a notepad nearby and use the traditional method of writing out short lists for tasks that you are trying to accomplish for your day. Make a list for everything that you want to do, set small goals instead of dumping everything on yourself. For the tasks that you feel like absolutely avoiding, set a timer somewhere for 15 minutes, and work on that one task. Only commit 15 minutes to it. This will enable you to slowly catch the pace. Once you start building these series of small habits of being consistent you will eventually catch the flow and thus this will result in better a productive lifestyle.