If you've tried all the advice from the productivity gurus, but still If you're drowning under the weight of your to-do list, these offbeat, science-backed tips could save your sanity.
When it comes to productivity tips, most of what we read online is just anecdotal. If you've tried any of these tips, you'll instantly know that just because it worked for them, doesn't mean it'll work for you too.
And then you have more evidence-based productivity tips. Boost office productivity with 10 science-backed tweaks. Boost office productivity with 10 tweaks backed by science Productivity goes deeper than your to-do list. Being productive is closely tied to feeling good, and simple adjustments to your environment can unlock untold potential. We show you where to start. Read More Find your perfect morning routine Which of these morning routines is best for you? Which of these morning routines is best for you? There is no one size fits all morning routine, but if you ask a group of successful people, you will see many similarities and overlaps. Read more . Start a meditation practice. Get Enough Sleep 7 Secrets to a Peaceful Sleep, According to Science 7 Secrets to a Peaceful Sleep, According to Science A perfect night's sleep isn't as difficult as you might think. We've compiled this list of ten science-based tips and tricks to help you fall asleep. Read more . Work in short bursts, Pomodoro style The Best Pomodoro Timer Apps to Shake Up Your Productivity The Best Pomodoro Timer Apps to Shake Up Your Productivity If you often hit a productivity wall after a few hours of work, a Pomodoro timer could help you. keep your focus. This selection of timers has an option for each platform. Read more . Listen to the Right Kind of Music The Best Music to Stay Productive at Work The Best Music to Stay Productive at Work Drowning out distractions with music can make you more productive. But, according to science, only if you choose the right music. Let us show you what works. Read more . Work out. Buy a standing desk.
Some of these tips will work, no doubt. But since each of us reacts differently to different stimuli, much of this won't make a real difference. Instead, it's a matter of trial and error. Even if every blogger and mother of hers relies on one method, if it doesn't work for you, you might as well throw it out and try something else..
And that's where this list comes in. If you feel like you've tried most of the productivity tips and nothing works, don't resign yourself to living on the couch eating takeout and never doing anything.
Here are some offbeat, science-backed productivity tips that might work for you even if nothing else would.!
There is a lot of advice out there that tells you to tackle your most important task (MIT) first. But for many of us, tackling a daunting task first thing in the morning often saps morale and acts like a Delaware motivating.
Instead, try procrastinating.
Set aside your most important task for an hour or two while you cross off some smaller (and easier) things from your to-do list, and keep track of what you're accomplishing. This allows you to take advantage of the science of “small wins.”
After studying thousands of diary entries from 238 employees, Teresa Amabile of Harvard Business School found that tracking these small wins increases our motivation. How you decide to keep track of these small profits is up to you. You can visually visualize your progress in a spreadsheet, or simply check items off your to-do list To-Do List App Deployment:Any.do vs Todoist vs Wunderlist To-Do List App Deployment:Any.do vs Todoist vs Wunderlist Some to-do list apps stand out above the rest. But how do they compare and which one is best for you? We'll help you find out. Read more . It doesn't really matter.
The reason this works is that every little gain gives a little hit to the neurotransmitter dopamine, which increases motivation and energy levels. So what may initially seem like “productive procrastination” can easily lead to a domino effect that will see you approach your MIT with much more enthusiasm than if you had just walked up to it first thing in the morning.
Rewarding their successes may work for some people, but for others, punishing their failures is a much more effective motivator.
In psychology, this is known as the "negativity bias" and has been shown in a number of studies. For example, in one study, Group A was asked to complete a task in order to gain money (a positively framed incentive). Group B was allocated the money in advance, but was threatened with losing the money if they failed the task (a negative frame incentive).
Due to negativity bias, the threat of losing something was consistently shown to be more motivating than the promise of gaining something.
So try to use the negativity bias to your advantage by putting your money where your mouth is. There's nothing like risking some of your hard-earned money to keep it on the straight and narrow.
Place a bet with a friend where you lose a day's wages if you fail to advance. Or if that's not enough, try an anti-charitable platform like Stikk. This is a site that will donate your money to a hate charity If you don't reach your goals. Are you a staunch Democrat? How about risking the Republicans $100 if you don't finish that report?!
First of all, don't be put off by your self-help reputation. A large number of medical personnel maintain magazines. Most professional scientists keep "laboratory journals." Many well-known high achievers (such as Tim Ferriss) also publish regularly. That's because there is a lot On the ways journaling can help increase your productivity.
It's a method that comes in many different forms, but essentially boils down to "expressive communication recording." That could be like a journal, a place to store ideas, or a way to track thoughts and progress, or something else.
A study has shown that daily logging is effective in improving problem-solving skills, which could be a great way to help you move forward with difficult challenges. Another study, conducted by Psychotherapy Research, showed that by expressing your emotions through expressive writing, you're more likely to see "greater reduction in anxiety." This stress reliever could be an effective way to relieve the pressure that is negatively affecting your productivity.
How to Start Keeping a Journal How to Keep Writing Daily Journal or Journal Entries for a Year How to Keep Writing Journal or Journal Entries for a Year The start of a new year is a great time to start journaling or journaling, but the challenge lies in maintaining your new daily journaling habit. Read More If you want to store your journals digitally, try Evernote or Microsoft OneNote. And for a dedicated journaling app, try DayOne (iOS and Mac) or Journey (Chrome and Android).
When faced with a lot of piling up tasks 10 ways to get off the to-do list 10 ways to get off the task to-dos The feeling of drowning in an endless to-do list is a fear common to all of us. The cure is available. Here are ten ways to get your way back. Read More The science is clear on this..
A 2014 paper by John Pencavel of Stanford University is just one study that supports this claim. This research found that each of us has a threshold where output per hour begins to decline. Although the data used for this study came from a munitions factory during the First World War, we can now see similar effects, especially in the knowledge and labor sector.
It only takes a small amount of reflection to notice that our energy and production levels drop when we reach a certain level of fatigue. This is when procrastination kicks in, and we realize that we could have done more in an hour of hard work than we have accomplished in an entire afternoon of exhaustion.
We have to be able to recognize this point of diminishing returns and move back. Not only so you can come back stronger tomorrow, but also to prevent burnout in the long run.
An effective way to set your own threshold is to track your productivity levels in apps like Exist and TracknShare (iOS). Or use an Excel spreadsheet like the one explained in this article. Discover your most productive hours with this simple method Discover your most productive hours with this simple method Build your perfect work day around your energy levels. This simple Excel spreadsheet and a few seconds of work each day could help you change your habits and get more done. Read More
For most of us, when we check messages, we are simply "making sure everything is okay." It's like we're on call 24/7. Always ready to react, even when it's not necessary for us, whether we're having lunch or watching a movie at 11 pm.
We all know this is a bad move. A 2016 study revealed that this “always on” culture leads to depressed mood, decreased calm, increased stress, and lower energy levels. These effects were not only seen outside of working hours, but also when we returned to work in the morning.
This is thought to be because being always ready to react to incoming messages makes it harder for us to recover from a hard day's work. This causes a negative cycle of lower productivity and higher stress levels, which could lead to burnout.
The solution, it seems, is to separate ourselves completely from work when we're not there. We need to unplug and allow our body and mind to recover effectively, in order to maintain high levels of productivity in the long term.
To help with this, we have already published a guide on How to Delete Your Email App Without Negative Consequences How to Delete Your Email App Without Negative Results How to Delete Your Email App Without Negative Results Ban email from your life and get more done Is it a practical solution to remove the email app from your device and no longer live in your inbox? Read more . The same lessons can be applied to deleting other work-related apps, like Slack. Yeah, it's scary at first, but give it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes!
As mentioned, since each of us is different, not all of these productivity tips will work for you. But with the weight of scientific research thrown behind these tips, they have a good chance of being useful to a larger group of people.
Why not give it a try and see what sticks? They could not only help you increase your productivity, but also reduce your stress and improve your health.
What productivity tips have worked for you? And which ones definitely didn't? Let us know in the comments!
