17 Time-Tested Productivity Hacks that Actually Work

We all want to be productive, and we want to get all our goals accomplished, but oftentimes, this is easier said than done. And this is especially true in today’s world where there are so many things happening simultaneously around us…

• Your phone buzzes while you’re talking with your soulmate.
• You can’t resist the urge to check emails a couple of times an hour and at the same time, you need to get your work done.
• You are addicted to your phones and are always on social media.

With everything that happens all at the same time around us, it is difficult for us to focus and become productive. And this is why I created this guide – to help you stay productive and get more things done so that you will create real results and live a better life.

So, here are the 17 time-test productivity hacks that actually work. Check them out…

1. Set a goal for the day

That’s right, you need to have an objective or a purpose to focus on each day. And the best way to do that is to set a goal for the day. What is the most important goal you need to get done today?

Knowing what you need to focus on allows you to better focus on getting the right things done.

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”

Bill Copeland

So, every morning, before you start your day, identify the one goal you need to accomplish. It doesn’t need to be something big, but it needs to be a target that inspires you and if you achieve it, it will progress you towards the future you desire.

Read: Ultimate Goal Setting Guide: How to Set Goals and Achieve Them

2. Plan your day

Setting a goal for the day is just the beginning, the next thing you want to do is to plan your day. You want to know what you need to do throughout the day so that you can become more productive.

You see, when you have no idea what you need to get done, you’ll become reactive and respond to things that come to you. But when you plan your day and you know what you need to do, you become proactive. You become the one that gets things done than waiting for things to come to you.

This is one of the most important productivity hacks you should apply to your daily life. Each morning, write down 3 to 5 things you need to get done and then schedule them and get them done.

Read: 10 Tips How to Plan Your Day and Live a More Successful Life

3. Stop multitasking

Many people got it wrong and thought that multitasking is productive. It is not! Studies have shown that multitasking decreases your productivity. We are wired to be mono-taskers, not multitaskers.

Your brains can only focus on one task at a time. When you multitask, you’re not really doing multiple things at once, but you’re switching from one task to another in rapid succession.

Research has also shown that when you constantly switch gears and bounce back and forth between tasks, you become less efficient and more likely to make mistakes. This is why you shouldn’t talk on the phone while driving. It will take away your attention and focus, and it is dangerous.

Hence, from now on, stop multitasking. Instead, try to focus on doing just one task at a time.

4. Focus and work in short bursts

We can only focus and maintain our attention for a certain time, we can’t have 100% focused 24 hours non-stop. As human beings, we feel exhausted as we used our willpower and attention.

And so, if you want to keep your productivity high, the best approach is to work in a short burst. For instance, use the Pomodoro Technique, where you focus on working on a task for 25 minutes, then you take a 5-minute break before you start with your work again.

Our attention span is short, this is why you tend to check Facebook after 30 minutes of focusing on a task. So, the best hack is to work in short bursts. Put in 100% focus on a task and then stop before you begin again.

5. Take regular short breaks

Do you know that taking short breaks is important according to research? There was research carried out by Jonathan Levav, the associate professor of business at Columbia University, who did a study on the judicial rulings by Israeli judges and discovered something interesting.

Levav discovered that judges gave more lenient decisions at the start of the day and immediately after a scheduled break in court proceedings such as lunch.

This was what Levav said, “You are anywhere between two and six times as likely to be released if you’re one of the first three prisoners considered versus the last three prisoners considered.”

In other words, prisoners are more likely to be granted parole early in the day or after a break such as lunch.

When the judges experience decision fatigue and when their willpower is low, they deny more parole requests.

In short, taking breaks is extremely important in order to maintain your productivity, motivation, and also your willpower.

Read: 13 Creative Ways How to Take Short Breaks During the Day

6. Reduce distractions to a minimum

I know you have heard this many times, but are you doing it? Most of the time, distraction is the main culprit people lose their focus and productivity.

So, if you want to become productive and get more things done, you must get rid of all possible distractions.

• Switch off your phone when you want to focus on your work.
• Turn off the internet when you don’t need to be online.
• Close your room door so that you can pay attention and work better.

At the end of the day, the fewer distractions you get, the more productive you can become.

7. Prioritize your tasks

Another productivity hack that will work for anyone is this – prioritize your work. Most people don’t do this, which is a big mistake.

You have to understand that not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks will give you the most results, while some tasks are just timewasters. This is why you want to identify which tasks are high-impact and will give you more results.

Every day before you start your day, prioritize your tasks and work on the high-impact tasks that give you the most success.

8. Use your commute time productively

This is one of the most underrated productivity hacks. We all spend time commuting almost every day, so if you’re not using this time productively, you’re wasting a lot of time.

Here’s how you can use your commute time productively (depending on how you travel):

• Read a book or listen to an audiobook.
• Review your goals.
• Plan your day and identify what needs to get done.
• Meditate or practice mindfulness.
• Get simple tasks done like replying to messages and calling someone.
• Take a short break and just relax.

Besides, you want to also make good use of your waiting time. According to this article, the average person waits for about 45 to 60 minutes a day, which could add up to months. Thus, you want to make sure you make the best use of your waiting time too.

9. Make use of a dedicated workspace

This is important if you work from home or remotely. The key is to create a dedicated workspace so that you can focus better and become more productive. Don’t just sit on the couch or at the kitchen table, if possible, create a proper workspace where you will feel like you’re working.

As a blogger and an internet marketer, I work from home most days. Sometimes I do work in a local café. And I’ve turned one of my rooms into a proper workspace for myself. I can tell you that it is one of the best decisions I’ve made for my internet business.

10. Know when to say “no”

If you want to be productive, you have to learn when to say “no”. Steve Jobs nailed it when he said…

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

There is only so much time in a day and there is only so much you can do in a lifetime. So, you want to choose carefully. When you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to other things.

Hence, prioritize your work and always keep your goals in your head. When you know what you want, you can then focus better. You can say yes to the right thing and say no to the things that take your attention away.

11. Measure your progress

This is another productivity hack you should embrace. You want to measure and track your progress each day, or at least each week.

Why? Because if you don’t measure, you can’t improve. You can never tell if what you do is getting you the results you want if you don’t track, isn’t it?

Therefore, schedule time to measure your progress. This is crucial because when you know what is working and what is not, you can then spend most of your effort and work on things that get you the most results.

Read: How to Measure Your Progress to Effectively Achieve Your Goals

12. Celebrate all wins, no matter how small they are

Never underestimate the power of celebration. Nobody wants to work 18 hours a day and at the end of the day, have nothing to celebrate for.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

Oprah Winfrey

Imagine you worked hard for the day, but in the end, you have more work to do, how does that make you feel? Not good, right?

So, celebrate your wins no matter how small they are. Make yourself feel good so that you will be looking forward to getting more things done.

Read: 13 Ways How to Celebrate Small Victories and Make Progress

13. Make the work fun

Is your work fun? If your work isn’t fun, then you’ll never look forward to doing it. This is why people dreaded going to the office. They hate their work, and they don’t like their bosses.

But you can change that by making what you do fun. For example…

• If you find that working out in the gym is boring, get a friend and exercise together.
• The same goes with study. Create a study group so that it will be more fun.
• It is boring to do the dishes, so why don’t you put on your headphones and play your favorite songs while doing the dishes?

The key is to make the work fun so that you will be looking forward to doing it. Richard Branson said it well:

“Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home, why shouldn’t you have fun at work?”

14. Limit your work time

I know work is important, but still, life is more than just work. You want to spend time on other things, such as family and health. So, to stay productive, you need to limit your work time.

If you read the book, The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play, one of the suggestions from the author is to schedule your playtime on your calendar FIRST before work.

Why? Because you want to tell your brain that there will be playtime for you to enjoy so that you will become more productive. This is why you want to limit your work time.

Take time off over the weekend. Get some rest to recharge and replenish your energy.

15. Play soft background music or use white noise

Whenever I want to focus on getting my work done like as I’m writing this article, I will play some soft background music.

According to this article on TheGuardian.com, music has been shown to improve both productivity and cognitive performance, especially in adults. Listening to music can help people manage anxiety, become motivated, and stay productive.

Depending on what kind of work you’re doing. If your work needs you to focus and use a lot of your creative power, then choose to listen to music without lyrics. But if your work doesn’t require you to think, like if you are washing the dishes, you can play your favorite songs and sing along.

16. Take a power nap

Another great productivity hack that works is to take a power nap. A quick nap can improve your cognitive performance, make you more alert, and also enhance your memory.

The thing I love about a power nap is that it is short, usually 15 to 30 minutes. You don’t want to nap over 30 minutes to prevent deep sleep.

Sometimes, you just need to close your eyes and take a rest for 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter whether you sleep, the key is to rest your mind so that you can refresh and gain back your productivity to focus better.

17. Review your goals to align your present with the future

There are 2 types of actions – acceleration and navigation. You accelerate when you take action and work on your tasks. But when you plan and review your goals, you are navigating.

Navigation is important because when you are doing that, you are aligning your present moment with your future. In other words, you are creating the future you want today through planning and aligning what you do in the present moment.

Most people spend time planning their weekends and dinners, but they don’t spend time planning their life and future. This is why they are not living the life of their dreams.

If you want to be productive and make sure you create the results you desire in life, then you must spend time on both modes of operation.

I recommend you read this book to learn more: The Buddha and The Badass: The Secret Spiritual Art of Succeeding at Work.

Conclusion

These productivity hacks are what works for me. You don’t have to apply all of them, just pick a few that suits you and try them out.

I hope these hacks are useful to you. So, what do you think about these productivity hacks? Do you have any to add? Let me know in the comment below…