We live in a productivity-obsessed world. Most popular YouTube and TikTok videos are centred around becoming more productive and beating procrastination. But not every productivity tip works for everyone…
In my hunt for figuring out what productivity hacks and tips actually make a difference in your life, I have found that these 5 actually work. And no, they don’t include spending a fortune on a standing desk or waking up at 5 a.m. every day on purpose.
The 5 min rule
I am a serial procrastinator and often fill my day with other ‘important’ tasks (thanks, productive procrastination). But one tip that has made a profound impact in my life is the 5-minute rule.
The basis of this rule is to spend a minimum of 5 minutes on a task. More often than not, you’ll have tricked your brain into getting stuck in the task and you’ll get it done. If, after 5 minutes you still feel the mental block, you can allow yourself to come back later and try again.
The beauty of this productivity tip is that it’s simple and will leave you feeling like you’ve accomplished something, even if you don’t complete the task.
Plan your day
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You’re probably rolling your eyes, because, duh – of course, you have to plan your day!
However, planning your day allows you to prepare your mind for all upcoming tasks. Even better, if you plan correctly, you can delegate the job of remembering these tasks to your calendar.
Whether you opt to actively time block your day and plan your ideal week (as per productivity guru Ali Abdaal) or loosely block out these tasks if you’re not a fan of setting arbitrary deadlines, planning your day also allows you to be more intentional with your time.
Whether these are work tasks or home chores, you’ll be able to see where your time is going, and how you can fill any spare time with things you actually enjoy.
The daily highlight
A key aspect of planning your day is highlighting the most important thing you have to do that day. This can be a critical work task or something as simple as phoning your best friend.
Like the 5-minute rule, this allows you to feel like you’ve accomplished something important every day. The serotonin boost is astronomical (at least in my experience) and allows you to knock out tasks that might make you feel anxious, feeding the procrastination monster.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should throw all your other tasks out of the window. But getting that one critical task done frees up your time to focus on the rest of your to-do list.
Do one thing at a time
Task switching is detrimental to your productivity and time management. Distractions, like Teams messages, emails, or WhatsApp messages and jumping between tasks, can waste up to 40% of your workday, according to one study by the American Psychological Association. Over time, this amounts to 3 months wasted each year thanks to distractions and task switching.
While this is a scary statistic, Ali Abdaal goes into why doing one thing at a time, or building what he calls the “Focus Habit” can be a superpower.
Most operating software on cell phones and laptops allows for focus modes, so you can tune out the world and get your work done without any distractions. By avoiding task-switching and doing one thing at a time, you’re bound to get more work done and feel far more accomplished at the end of the day.
Recharge your energy
I’ve found that having no energy destroys any chance of maintaining my productivity habits. While a decent coffee can generally get me through my 2 p.m. slump, implementing recharging habits works much better.
These include taking regular breaks, identifying activities that make you feel better and doing them in your free time. For some, this includes going to the gym regularly, and for others, this could be learning new hobbies.
But, this also involves eating properly and getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Recharging your energy will do wonders for your mental health and productivity journey.
Also see: World Mental Health Day – living with an anxiety disorder
Get productive
With these top 5 productivity tips, you’ll be far more productive and intentional with your time. But, always remember that while productivity gurus might swear by these “rules to live by” each person is different and you can adapt these productivity tips to best suit your lifestyle.
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