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29 Simple Productivity Hacks (in 2021)

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You’ve had a long day at work, and you’re exhausted. You feel like you’re doing everything right – your to-do list is clear, your office is clean, your desk is organized – but there are still so many things that need to be done. What can you do to stay on top of it all? Keep reading for some simple productivity hacks.

This blog post will focus on tips for staying productive throughout the day, including keeping track of tasks, what not to do with email, and more!

productivity hacks

The importance of staying productive

The importance of staying productive is crucial and can lead to a great work ethic. It’s also essential for your personal well-being. When you’re feeling down, it’s easier to stay down if you don’t have anything to be excited about in the future. Without any motivation, it will be challenging to motivate yourself out of your slump.

Tips For Staying Productive Throughout The Day (Productivity Hacks)

1. Change your environment

Changing your environment is a perfect idea. If you work in a noisy office, take a walk outside or listen to some music. You could also do some stretches at your desk to test your flexibility and get back to being comfortable in your body.

2. Listen to Motivation

Another idea is to have a go-to playlist on Spotify that will help motivate you when you need it most. Listening to one of these before tackling a big project can be very beneficial.

3. Know What to Do Next

Also, we often know we need to stay productive, but we never know what we should be doing next. This is why planning ahead and organizing yourself is essential.

What if you’re not working on anything? Then start with something small like responding to an email and continue from there. Doing something, even if it’s small, is better than doing nothing.

4. Work in Stages

Another idea for getting more done is to work on your tasks in stages instead of finishing them all at once.

You could get a lot done and feel great by tackling the easy stuff first and moving on to the more complicated tasks once you’ve already got one thing finished.

5. Reward Yourself

Consider rewarding yourself for all of your hard work after each step towards accomplishing your goals. After finishing an email or organizing one shelf of your office supplies, allow yourself some fun time!

Spend half an hour checking out cute animals on Instagram or watch that movie you’ve been dying to see. This will keep you motivated and happy so that you can continue to work productively.

6. Turn off mobile notification

Sometimes you’re just trying to get some work done, and your phone is buzzing with notifications. It’s so hard to resist the temptation of checking them, but they can sometimes be a distraction, or we can feel like we need to respond right away.

Here are some ways to stop these notifications and stay productive

  • Turn off all alerts and vibrations on your phone: This will allow you to focus without distractions.
  • Put your phone on aeroplane mode: If you’re really busy, this will let you stay focused on what you’re doing without having to pick up your phone every two minutes.
  • Start a do not disturb schedule: People usually find it easier to stay productive if they’re not glued to their phones all the time. If it’s time for a big project, try putting your phone on. Do not disturb at least 30 minutes before and after you know you need to focus.

You might even want to schedule recurring times throughout the day when you’ll put your phone on do not disturb.

7. Make to-do lists

Much like making a list, you should keep track of what to do so you know exactly what to work on next and won’t forget anything!

This productivity hacks will allow you to stay productive because there won’t be any time wasted by wondering if you’ve already done something or not. Plus, it makes your day more organized, so it’s easier for you to get everything done on time.

8. Stay Focused

If you’re working on a big project that will take several hours, it’s so important to stay focused and not let yourself get distracted.

Sometimes we don’t realize how long specific tasks can take because they seem simple enough… But you should always estimate the time you’ll need for each task before starting!

9. Prioritize

Staying on top of your priorities will help you stay focused and get things done. When your day starts, it’s essential to focus on the tasks that YOU consider to be most important.

This will help you stay focused and get more done because it requires less attention and mental energy.

10. Take Breaks

It can be hard to stay productive if you never take breaks- especially when you’re in a session working towards your goals.

But taking breaks is essential! That way, you don’t experience burnout and can accomplish so much in a shorter period.

Try taking 5-minute breaks every hour or short 15 minute breaks every few hours. That way, you’ll come back refreshed and ready to work!

11. Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is a time management method developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. It uses a timer to break down work into intervals traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.

The technique has been popularized to increase productivity. Still, it can also be used for other purposes such as studying or meditating.

Using this technique can help you overcome procrastination and stay productive. It can be tough to start a task, especially if you’re not feeling motivated. The Pomodoro technique makes it easier because you have to set the timer and focus on one thing until the timer goes off again!

Here are some simple steps for using this technique:

  1. Choose a task and make sure you have enough time to complete it
  2. Set a timer for 25 minutes
  3. Work on the task until the timer sounds, then put a check on your sheet of paper. If you didn’t work continuously, start again at step 2
  4. Take a short break after every time you complete a Pomodoro. You can use these breaks to get up and stretch, go for a walk or check your phone (but don’t spend too much time on one thing!)
  5. Do 3-5 Pomodoro per task (and remember that if it takes more than five, take another short break and start over with step 2)

12. Automation

Another productivity hacks that make your life easier. Here is a list of tasks that can be automated:

  • Managing your emails
  • Spending less time on social media
  • Organizing your inbox into folders
  • Finding files or documents that you need to work on or share with someone else

13. Break the task down into smaller tasks

“This can help you stay motivated because if you’re not sure what to do next, you’ll know exactly what to work on.”

One of the biggest productivity killers is getting stuck and not knowing how to move forward with a task. It can be really overwhelming when you have a project due in a month, and you don’t even know where to start!

Sometimes it helps to break down your projects into smaller steps- like writing an outline or designing a flyer before getting started on your final report.

This can also help you stay productive because it can be hard to get started when you’re unsure where to go next with the task, so it’s essential to set small goals for yourself that lead up to the bigger ones!

14. Don’t multitask

This might sound like a simple productivity hacks. Still, it is actually one of the most important things for improving your productivity. Multitasking means switching between different tasks instead of focusing on just one activity at a time.

For example:

Do not check your social media accounts while studying or watching TV shows when writing an essay before midnight.

Even though many people think that multitasking can help them get more done, it makes everyone less productive.

When you start working on a task, it requires a certain amount of attention and mental energy.

That’s why it might always seem that you can finish a project faster if you do more than one thing at a time- eventually, however, it will catch up to you!

When you try to multitask and focus on too many things at once, your brain must remember what it was doing for each previous task.

Plus, when switching between tasks, your attention is divided- so even though you do get some work done, it’s not the best quality. Instead of trying to multitask, stay focused on one activity at a time and give it all of your energy until it’s finished!

15. Think about the payoff for staying productive

This is a great way to stay motivated because when you think about how good it will feel once everything has been completed, you’re more likely to stick with it!

Try thinking of all the good things that will happen once you’ve finished a big project (or even a small one) to keep yourself going

16. Clean your workspace

When your workspace is cluttered, there are too many distractions around you. This can make it really hard to stay focused!

Cleaning up your workspace doesn’t take that much time- all you need to do is throw away the trash, file papers into the right place and clean up messy areas. These small changes will make a massive difference in your ability to focus.

17. Set strict deadlines for yourself

This is a great way to keep yourself on track! All you have to do is create a list of all the things you need to get done today (or this week, depending on how big the project is) and make sure you’re working on what’s most important first.

If other people are going to be involved, make sure that everyone knows their limits and when everything needs to be finished.

18. Make sure you always have something with you that will keep your focus

Here are some things that can help:

  • Listen to music while doing work- it’s proven that listening to certain songs can help your productivity because they influence your or behavior! The best kinds of music to listen to while working are instrumental or electronic- anything without lyrics
  • Chew gum (this is a great way to distract yourself from being hungry and will keep you focused throughout the day)
  • Work at the same time every day
  • Take breaks when you need them! After an hour, it’s essential to give yourself a breather. This can help keep your focus alive because if you work on something for too long, you’re probably going to get tired and become less productive. It also helps break up your routine.

It might be surprising that just making small changes in how you do things each day can make a huge difference in your productivity!

19. Take notes

When you write things down as opposed to typing them, two things benefit this:

i) You will think about what you want to say before writing anything down, so your thoughts are more organized.

ii) Your memory will be better in the long run since taking notes forces your brain to memorize information- plus, writing by hand stimulates certain parts of your brain which isn’t active when typing on a keyboard (keyboard is inactive for memory and learning).

20. Wash the dishes

One of the most powerful productivity hacks is to do something repetitious and easy. That way, you can focus on other tasks during your break!

Cleaning up the kitchen is a perfect task because you won’t have to worry about doing anything complicated. However, it still feels like you’re accomplishing something.

21. Limit your time on social media

Social networks are distractions that make it really hard for people to stay focused! The best thing you can do is turn them off entirely or limit how long you’re on there for each day.

This will help keep your focus alive since every minute spent browsing Facebook takes one more minute from doing work!

22. Eat at the same time every day

When you eat at random times throughout your day, it’s harder to stay focused because of how hungry or tired you feel.

By eating consistently, you can keep yourself productive by ensuring that you have enough energy to work and won’t get easily distracted.

23. The 20-minute rule

If something takes less than 20 minutes to accomplish, go ahead and do it right away! This is a great way to stay productive because there’s no reason not to do things quickly if they don’t take much time.

This helps keep your focus alive by giving you small tasks during breaks, so your mind stays occupied with other activities!

24. Write down all of your ideas

Writing everything down instead of keeping them in your head is a great productivity hacks! It makes sure that you don’t forget anything and helps you brainstorm on what else you want to work on.

25. Find inspiration

Sometimes, your mind just feels blank, and you don’t know what to do next! That’s why it’s helpful to find different ways of getting inspired, whether by reading books or going for a walk outside.

This will help keep yourself productive because you’ll be more focused on the task at hand when other activities distract you from it instead!

26. Print everything out

If you have to print a document, don’t just do it digitally because printing it out is more efficient.

Going old school and actually putting ink on paper means you’re spending less time looking for what needs to be done and wasting your focus.

27. Work in different locations

Spending too much time at the same place can get boring after a while! That’s why you should try switching things up by working somewhere new so you won’t get distracted with how long your commute takes or how far away the location is from where you live.

This will help keep you productive by having fun with different tasks that are only limited to where they occur!

28. Wake up early

Waking up earlier than usual can have a massive impact on your productivity because you’ll have more time to get things done!

By starting your day earlier, fewer distractions will stop you from doing what needs to be done. Plus, it helps keep you productive since waking up early means more hours in the day, so you don’t need to rush towards the end.

29. Use cash instead of debit cards

Using cash is an old-school way of paying for things, but using credit cards is a big distraction! When you’re paid in cash, it’s harder for you to waste it since there’s a limit, and the money is literally in your hand.

That way, you won’t be as tempted to buy things when it only wastes time when really, all that needs to be done is working.

Conclusion

Keeping these simple productivity hacks in mind will help you stay productive and accomplish more every day. It may take some tweaking to find what works best for you, but don’t give up—you can do it!

Even if it’s just making sure that you’re focused on one task at a time or setting aside some playtime after complex tasks are finished, there is plenty to improve your productivity.

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