Summary

The article outlines four personal productivity strategies that have significantly improved the author's efficiency and work-life balance.

Abstract

The author shares personal insights into productivity, emphasizing the importance of breaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces to reduce intimidation and facilitate progress. The article suggests focusing on completing one significant task per day, which aligns with James Clear's philosophy of building identity through consistent action. It also recommends scheduling time for distractions to minimize their impact and maintain focus, citing research on the time it takes to recover from interruptions. Lastly, the author advocates for stopping the habit of snoozing in the morning, as it sets the tone for procrastination or productivity for the rest of the day. These strategies are presented as practical steps that readers can implement to enhance their own productivity.

Opinions

The author believes that starting a task is often the hardest part and that breaking tasks down makes them less daunting.
Contrary to some productivity gurus, the author opines that it's unnecessary to work at superhuman speeds and that slow, steady progress is more sustainable.
Scheduling distractions is seen as a way to control them rather than allowing them to disrupt work spontaneously.
The author quotes Simon Sinek and James Clear, indicating agreement with their views on starting tasks and building habits, respectively.
The article suggests that the decision to stop snoozing in the morning is linked to overall self-confidence and the ability to follow through on intentions.
The author's personal experience is used to validate the effectiveness of the productivity hacks discussed.

Four Productivity Hacks That Improved My Life

Because of them, it’s a lot easier to get my work done

Do you struggle to be productive?

If you’re anything like my former self, you’ll answer that question with a resounding “yes!”

Like many people, you’re busy with work, family, and other commitments. However, you want to become more productive and work more efficiently. The only problem? You don’t know where to start.

Look, I don’t have all the answers. Nor do I possess the powers of a magical genie to make all of your problems disappear. However, I do have personal experience with several productivity hacks that worked for me. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for you, too.

1) Break Big Tasks Down Into Little Pieces

It’ll make anything on your to-do list much less intimidating. At least, that’s what I’ve learned from personal experience.

Let me give you an example. Reading 250 pages of a book is quite a large task and something that many people would procrastinate on for days. So, I break it down into smaller steps like this:

Choose a book that looks interesting.
Find somewhere comfortable to sit.
Read the first few pages.

“The hardest part is starting,” says Simon Sinek. “Once you get that out of the way, you’ll find the rest of the journey much easier.” He’s right. Find the courage to start by breaking any big task into tiny pieces, and it’ll quickly become much easier to get things done.

2) Choose One Task To Complete Each Day

Contrary to what productivity gurus on the internet might say, you don’t need to get things done at superhuman speeds. Often, that type of mindset creates unsustainable habits that eventually collapse like a house of cards.

So, what should you do instead? Choose one important task to complete each day. For example, you might want to write an article, read a few chapters of a book, or find new clients for your business.

Implementing this strategy has worked wonders for my productivity. I’ve learned that continually putting one foot in front of the other enables me to make a lot of progress over time.

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become,” writes James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. “No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

3) Schedule Time In Your Day For Distractions

Before you call me crazy, hear me out.

As we all know, it’s easy to get distracted while trying to be productive. Right? We listen to the little voice in our heads that provides one excuse after another as to why we should stop working.

“I want to watch that new YouTube video.”

“That Netflix show looks interesting.”

“I should check if my pet bunny needs a cuddle.”

The bad news? It can take 23 minutes to recover from a distraction, according to data published by INC Magazine. So, if you’re on a tight schedule, unscheduled distractions are terrible for productivity.

That’s why I purposely schedule distractions into my daily routine. For example, in approximately 30 minutes, I’ll watch a few YouTube videos (guilt-free). And later this evening, I’m going to watch an awesome Netflix series about the Roman Empire.

Because of this strategy, it’s much harder for me to get distracted by Netflix, YouTube, or cute bunny rabbits. So, I can focus more intently on my work and get things done with ease.

4) Make A Commitment To Stop Snoozing

This is something that you can do tomorrow morning.

When your alarm goes off, don’t hit the snooze button. Instead, get up, have a relaxing shower, and begin your daily routine.

Why? Your morning can have a massive impact on your mindset throughout the rest of the day. So, if you hit the snooze button and delay getting out of bed, you’re much more likely to procrastinate on other things. As Michelle Loucadoux writes in Better Humans:

“When my first decision of the day was to fail to deliver on my intention to wake up at a certain time, I started my day with a teeny tiny failure. With every time I pressed the snooze button or turned off my alarm, I chipped away at my confidence in my ability to deliver on the promises I make to myself.”

To stop snoozing, one strategy that worked for me was placing my phone on the other side of my bedroom. That way, I was forced to get out of bed to turn off my alarm. It’s also a good idea to go to bed at a reasonable time — since most adults need 7–9 hours of sleep.

Since I implemented the above strategies, I’ve found it much easier to be productive. Each of them helps me get my work done and focus on the things that matter. Hopefully, they will do the same for you, as well.

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