Learning to be more productive is an evolving journey. It’s rarely a linear path and highly subjective. Becoming more productive requires disappointment and testing new tactics and strategies.
Productivity is something that should be constantly improving, as long as there is continued learning. With a deep toolbox, you’ll have the resilience to be better prepared for when new challenges arise.
Not sure what to try next? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a comprehensive list that we put together with 101 ways to be more productive.
1. Begin
Don’t think, just start. A blank page can be as hindering to productivity as a mile-long task list. The first step to being more productive is to begin.
2. Master the To-Do List
To-do lists work by freeing up space in the brain, making room to focus on one task at a time. Everyone may have a personal to-do list strategy that works for them. Continue exploring different approaches until you find one that works for you.
3. Manage Your Goal Buckets (Or Create a Life Plan)
A proven productivity strategy from Jack Canfield’s The Power of Focus suggests creating a 10-year plan that tracks your personal 101 goals across a variety of buckets.
These buckets can include areas of your life such as social, professional, family, charity, wealth, etc. You can go back to the list every year and add, adjust, or see how far you’ve come.
4. Do An End-of-Week Self-Review
At the end of each week, review your accomplishments, goals, and outstanding tasks. Ask yourself if you completed what you planned and assess what you could have done better. For example, could you have achieved the same amount in a shorter time period?
A self review can help to compartmentalize your work – not only pausing work until Monday but ensuring you’ll be well-prepared to continue where you left off.
5. Find Digital Well-Being
We live and work in a digital world. It’s important to know how and when to not only turn it off but how to use it in a healthy way. It can be difficult to demarcate our time spent away from digital devices and screens – but doing so is vital to your overall productivity and well-being.
One strategy for carving that balance is to designate specific time for device use and for time spent offline.
6. Turn off Notifications
Sure, you turn them off when you are in a meeting (hopefully) or going to bed but why not default to notifications off? That Slack message can wait. And there’s voicemail. Rarely is it more important than the work you are prioritizing right now.
7. Delete Social Media (Temporarily?)
The dopamine rush we get when we scroll through messages from friends and perfect images by influencers is both addictive and very disruptive.
Boost your productivity by deleting those distracting apps while you’re focused on work. You can always re-download them later. And if you aren’t ready to delete them, you can get an app like AppBlock or Freedom to control the time you can spend on them.
8. Reduce Screen Time
Reducing screen time can also increase your overall ability to control distractions and efficacy. Aim to limit screen time in the evenings and find hobbies that are offline.
9. Practice Digital Hygiene
Your desktop files or bookmark folders are overflowing with past projects, articles, and never-to-be-opened docs. Delete. Delete. Delete. It will help you focus on what is actually valuable versus the noise.
10. Close Tabs
We’re all guilty of it. But if you’re tab bar is starting to look like this… freeing up some bar space is another great way to maintain good virtual hygiene.
11. Read Productivity Books
There’s an entire genre of books written by productivity experts that might just add a few tactics and tools to your roster. Here are 10 we found particularly helpful.
12. Read… Productively
When you learn to properly absorb what you’re reading, you get more out of the time and energy you’ve invested in a book. Practicing critical thinking and better comprehension while reading will also translate into other areas of your work. Reading one book that benefits your goals is far more valuable than reading a hundred books that you don’t absorb.
13. Listen to A Productivity Podcast
The world of podcasts is ripe with productivity experts with advice on setting you in the right direction. Check out this list of productivity podcasts which includes The Tim Ferriss Show, Before Breakfast, Goal Digger, On Purpose, and many more. These can all help you be more productive.
14. Try Noise-Canceling Headphones
Shut out the distractions with one of the best investments you’ll make – noise-canceling headphones. Sound can have an important impact on productivity, managing it well is essential to staying in the zone.
15. Stop Procrastinating
Putting things off won’t get you anywhere. Find your strategy for getting things done. It could be jumping in or committing a small bit of time. Either way, aim to understand your own procrastination patterns and how you can beat them.
16. Break it Down
When a task feels daunting, it might just be because it hasn’t been broken down into manageable sections. Rather than biting off more than you can chew, cut it up into smaller pieces.
17. Get Accustomed to Shortcuts on Software You Use
A simple and effective way to save time and be more productive is to learn shortcuts available in the tools you use every day. You may be surprised by how much time you save simply by shaving a few seconds off here and there.
To start, here are some basic Gmail, PC keyboard, and Mac shortcuts.
18. Focus on Focus
98% of workers say they’re distracted multiple times throughout the day. Be intentional about improving your focus. The ability to concentrate and get into deep work for longer periods of time and ignore (inevitable) distractions can greatly benefit your overall output.
19. Try New Tools
Experiment with different tools and apps until you find the ones that work best for your needs. This can mean abandoning tools you thought were right and investing time into adopting something new. In the end, the time or energy the right tools save you will be worth it.
20. Don’t Ignore Work-Life Balance
Maya Angelou aimed to work from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. After that, she made a point of putting work from her mind.
There can’t be enough said about the importance of establishing a healthy work-life balance. You can’t be productive if you are spread too thin or burnt out. Creating a balance that works for you means finding the right strategies and time-management efforts to optimize the time spent working.
21. Foster Routines and Rituals
Shaking things up now and then is important, but establishing a solid routine for your day is imperative to finding your most productive process. Daily routines and rituals, such as waking up at the same time daily or taking an 11 am walk, will foster greater productivity throughout your day.
22. Identify YOUR 9-5
Look into the benefits of async work within your team. Especially when coworkers are spread across different timezones, a traditional 9-5 may not be the most productive workday structure. When do you work best?
23. Limit Caffeine Intake
Too much caffeine can actually slow you down. While the optimal amount of coffee varies per person, most of us know the feeling of the too-many-cups-jitters followed by a seriously unproductive crash.
24. Take Better Breaks
There is no consensus on the optimal time and length of breaks. Whether it’s 15 minutes every couple of hours or 5 minutes every 40, experiment with taking your breaks at different times throughout the day.
The ideal break will include enough time to clear the mind and reset without overdoing it and losing focus on the task at hand.
25. Eat Lunch
Skipping lunch to sneak in an extra hour of work might sound productive, but when you run out of energy, sandwich-o’clock will sneak up on you whether you like it or not. Hydrate and fuel yourself for your peak productivity – and to avoid hitting that afternoon brick wall.
26. Don’t Sleep on Ergonomics
From your mattress to your office chair, setting yourself up with the right tools for proper posture can be the difference between a productive workday and one spent planning your next trip to the chiropractor.
A footrest, screen riser, or high-quality chair can all be positive additions to your ergonomics toolbox.
27. Get Up Earlier
Apple CEO Tim Cook claims to set his alarm for 3:45 am. Though that may be extreme, there are benefits to getting an early start on the day.
Some studies found that getting up earlier can make you more proactive and healthier, while anecdotal evidence suggests it can make you more successful. No-pressure, though. As with all these tips, do what works best for you.
28. Get More Sleep
Well rested = better performance. You can still start your day earlier while getting your ideal number of Zs. Though everybody is different, the ideal amount of shut-eye for adults is 7 or more hours.
29. Try a Standing Desk
Using a standing desk can improve productivity by reducing back pain among other things, including boosting your mood and energy levels. One study found standing desks can even increase productivity by 45%.
30. Get a Quick Workout In
Getting a workout in during your lunch break can have more positive benefits than just saving time. Exercising during your work hours can also improve your performance and productivity. Sounds like a pretty good case to make for an on-site company gym!
31. Work from Somewhere Different
A change of scenery can be the small push you need to get out of a slump and back on track to better productivity. There’s always the cafe. Try a picnic table in the park (with tethering). Or even a different room in your house.
32. Avoid Analysis Paralysis
Reduce the number of options or paths facing you so that you can spend less time on decision-making and more time doing.
33. Take Regular Walks
Taking a walk outside is a proven way to improve your mood and manage stress – both essential to your productivity. Going for a walk is one of the simplest solutions to help improve concentration and refocus your mind. Many a Eureka! moment has been had on a walk.
34. Keep Stress in Check
Chronic stress left unchecked can lead to feeling overworked and overwhelmed; it can even be followed by depression. Nobody is productive when they’re unable to work due to burnout.
Identify and manage symptoms of stress before they get out of hand.
35. Manage Your Energy
Being aware of the four types of energy – physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional – and optimizing your energy can help you be more self-aware and manage your work hours more effectively.
36. Say “No”
Saying no, respectfully, can lead to better time management, healthier relationships, better feedback cycles, better collaboration, and, most importantly, stronger mental health.
37. Avoid Multi-Tasking
Trying to switch between tasks mid-way, or “multi-tasking”, can reduce what we accomplish by 40%. It takes time, after all, to refocus and recalibrate after switching lanes.
Don’t bother clinging to the idea you’re a natural multitasker, as only 2% of the population falls into this category!
38. Employ Breathing Techniques
When tasks get overwhelming (or before!), breathing exercises will help recenter the mind, bring focus back to the inner self, and find your zen.
39. Schedule “Me” Time
We regularly fill up our time with work-related meetings and tasks. How much time are you blocking out for yourself? Investing in spending time with yourself can help replenish and improve mental health – and give you more energy to invest in work and productive activities.
40. Work on Your Posture
Bad posture can interfere with your overall productivity. Poor posture can lead to neck pain and headaches, which can reduce concentration by compromising oxygen intake. All these can lead to fatigue and brain fog. So sit up straight to get more done
41. Keep it Neat
Tidy up your physical workspace to eliminate distractions and create a clear space for clear-headed focus and productivity.
42. Try Shorter Sprints
Try working in short sprints rather than long periods of forced focus. Shortened work sessions, separated by small structured breaks, can be a management method for more productive bursts of focused work.
43. Use SMART Goals
Try the SMART technique to help improve your productivity and time-management skills. Start by being Specific about what needs to be done. Track your progress in a Measurable way. Ensure your goals are Achievable and whether the task is Realistic and Relevant to your larger plan. Work with a Time frame in mind and towards concrete delivery dates.
44. Smell the Flowers
Aromatherapy is no myth. Academic studies back up the theory that certain smells can affect the way we work. For example, the smell of lemon can sharpen focus and help wake us up. Rosemary and lavender have been shown to help reduce cortisol levels, which makes us feel relaxed and better able to process information.
45. Keep Your Eyes Happy
The way you see your work can affect your productivity. Start by adjusting your screen’s brightness, fonts, and contrast to find your ideal settings. Adjusting the angle of your screen can help, too.
Otherwise, give your eyes somewhere pleasant to rest between work cycles. Your work environment should make you feel calm, happy, or energized when you see it.
46. Listen to Sounds
Auditory-based productivity is a powerful tool. It will vary based on your task and mood. Whether it’s ocean sounds, white noise, a lo-fi playlist, or heavy metal, utilize music or sounds to get into a groove.
47. Stock the Snack Pantry
Your favorite snack can be an enjoyable way to motivate and self-reward after achieving goals. Healthy and energy-boosting snacks like nuts and berries can also help improve productivity.
48. Don’t Forget Touch
Tactile objects in your workspace can trigger emotional responses, too, while fidget objects (like a spinner or stress ball) can help you refocus and concentrate.
49. Be Prepared
Going into a meeting with notes or an agenda makes everyone more productive. On the flip side, there’s nothing more wasteful than attacking a task without having done the legwork.
50. Ask for Help
Asking for help doesn’t mean you are incompetent. It means you’re confident and savvy enough to know when you could benefit from the added skills or knowledge of those around you. Delegating when necessary can also help improve your productivity as a whole.
51. Be Concise
Get to the point. Being concise is helpful for your own process, and it respects the time and energy of those working around you. Don’t waste people’s time.
52. Be on Time
Be punctual and on time to respect the productivity of others, and the sentiment will (hopefully) be returned.
53. Set Clear Expectations
When collaborating, you can complete a project faster when you set clear expectations for everyone involved. Avoiding miscommunications will lead to faster deliveries and feedback, getting things done quicker.
54. Balance Flexibility and Structure
Whether your team sticks to a structured 9-5 or a more fluid workday, finding a balance between set hours and flexibility is an important strategy for establishing maximum productivity.
55. Rethink Async vs Sync Presentations
Before inviting your entire team (or company!) to a presentation, rethink whether it needs to be live. Could the presentation be recorded and shared with the team later? Could it, alternatively, be a file they can view during async work time?
56. Ban Meetings
Encourage your team to block off no-meeting time slots or days. Too often regular meetings can eat up your entire week, leaving no time to actually do any work.
57. Become a Better Collaborator
Whether in person or online, look to connect with colleagues and peers in an open way. It will make you more likely to feel comfortable asking for help or advice.
Better collaboration = better productivity.
58. Stay Connected
When working in a closed office, from home, or across the world from your colleagues, you’ll often neglect relationship building. Interpersonal relationships contribute to productivity more than you might think. A study found that employees with a “work bestie” are more engaged and more productive. Be cognizant of how you build your community.
59. Network with Freelancers
You’re always going to need to talk to an expert. One of the best habits that productive people have is fostering their relationships with freelancers and consultants.
Knowing when and how to outsource skills and tasks by hiring freelancers when necessary will save you valuable time and energy.
60. Make Decisions Faster
Being a better decision-maker will speed up your projects and eliminate delays due to indecision. To be an effective decision-maker, follow the 4-step process of brainstorming, evaluating, follow-through, and follow-up.
61. Measure Twice, Send Once
Read written work through twice. Though this may take more time, the initial investment will pay off when you don’t have to waste time going back to review and revise errors, potentially missing deadlines, and being set back.
62. Avoid Resolutions
When a new year, month, or week begins, many of us are prone to setting lofty (and, sometimes, unrealistic) goals. All too often, these goals fail. Instead of setting big resolutions, think back and reflect on what has been working well.
Rather than changing your process, focus on expanding on what’s already working for you.
63. Do the Worst First
This tactic is sometimes known as “eating the frog” after the quote often attributed to Mark Twain: “Eat a live frog first thing every morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
Getting the worst thing over with right away, you’ll waste less time worrying about doing it.
64. Try the 80/20 Rule
This strategy is based on a 1906 discovery that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. This rule can apply to your daily to-do list by identifying the two most important things on the list that will offer around 80% of the results.
In other words, this means that you find what you can do that will provide the most significant return.
65. Don’t Stifle Creativity
In the effort to be optimally productive and efficient, we can lose sight of nurturing creativity. Don’t stifle your creativity in the name of productivity. There’s room, and time, for both.
66. Mind the Urgency with Eisenhower
Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. This allows you to chart activities by urgency and importance, so you can quickly identify what to prioritize.
67. Carry a Notebook
Carrying a notebook with you allows you to jot down ideas and things you want to remember. You’ll free up space in your brain and spend less time trying to recall those important details, tasks, or ideas. It’s a great way to spark ideas, so they don’t distract you from your current task.
68. Use a Whiteboard or Sticky Notes
Get thoughts and ideas out of your head and in visual order by utilizing a whiteboard or sticky notes. Digital forms of these tools can work, but there’s a value in the tactile.
69. Time Productive Tasks
Stuck with a task you’ve been avoiding? Get it done by setting a timer for 20 or 30 minutes and committing that time to the task. Sometimes, not overcommitting makes it feel less overwhelming and helps you get started.
70. Time Non-Productive Activities
If you stop working to scroll a shoe store site or check your social media feed, start a timer and time how long you spend doing this non-work related activity… longer than 15 mins it might be cutting into productivity time.
71. Set Boundaries
Being productive also means understanding your limitations. Setting healthy boundaries that indicate your needs for quiet time, space, support, etc (whether with coworkers, family, or roommates) can ensure you maintain your productivity while protecting your mental health.
72. Check Emails Less
We often check our emails out of habit or in between tasks. It is not productive. Dedicate blocks one or two times per day to go through and respond to emails.
73. Avoid Email Chains
Feedback and review of creative work can sometimes take the form of never-ending email chains. Nothing slows down the productivity of a project like searching through 100s of emails for feedback and notes.
Counter this symptom of broken workflows by adding a creative workflow tool like ReviewStudio to your stack.
74. Delegate and Let Go
The most productive people know how to delegate properly to colleagues and employees. While you can’t do everything yourself, you can surround yourself with people you trust who can do it just as well – or better.
Though following up can be helpful, try to let go of tasks that have left your list of responsibilities. Trust your team and dedicate your time to what’s in front of you.
75. Consider DEI
Pushing for a workplace that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive leads to better performance and happier employees. Diversity promotes an environment with better problem-solving strategies, debates, and solutions for ultimately better outcomes.
76. Create and Participate in Building a Good Culture
Workplaces with a more positive environment and happier employees are up to 37% more productive. Investing in team-building is a small cost by comparison.
77. Employ Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement creates a more productive work environment. It also reduces turnover rates, increases innovative ideas, and encourages individual and group growth and development. So, reward your teams or even just use your words – they can be just as strong if not stronger.
78. Use Positive Self-Affirmations
Post them on your mirror, or your desktop, or make a list on your phone notes. Practice talking about your daily positives. Daily affirmations are a great way to stay motivated and productive. Cheesy, but effective.
79. Pencil In the Async Work
Your calendar doesn’t only have to include synced collaboration and meetings – you can pencil in your async work and personal events as well. Everyone will know when you’re available and when you are going to be in deep work mode and not to be disturbed.
80. Calm Before the (Brain)Storm
Dedicate a few minutes alone to brainstorm ideas prior to your brainstorming session with colleagues. Having some ideas and research ready as jumping-off points can make the brainstorming session more efficient. Studies show that doing individual brainstorming sessions in advance yields stronger group results.
81. Be an Active Listener
Active listening involves being attentive and responsive while not interrupting. Hearing someone through eliminates time wasted on questions that may have been answered had you waited and listened.
82. Take Feedback Well
Learning to accept and implement constructive criticism will make you more productive, as well as a better teammate or collaborator. It can be hard to take sometimes. But it’s incredibly valuable.
83. Give Good Feedback
As important as it is to learn to take constructive criticism, giving feedback is also a skill that when mastered (or improved) can boost the performance of everyone around you.
84. Stay Flexible
Remember that tools and strategies that have worked for you in the past might not always be the best method. Be open to trying new things, adapting new tools, and growing your process to fit the “now”.
85. Experiment and Explore Bad Ideas
Being productive doesn’t always mean getting to the best idea as quickly as possible. It can also mean dedicating time to experimentation and trying new tactics or methods. Even if it doesn’t work, time spent exploring, making mistakes, and learning is never time wasted.
86. Don’t be Too Hard on Yourself
Sure, catching a typo post-publish can feel like a punch in the gut. But don’t be too hard on yourself when it comes to mistakes. Errors happen – as long as you can find efficient ways to avoid them and correct them.
87. Overcome Fear
Feeling the pull to run when things get tough is an instinct of self-preservation. But in times of turmoil, it can be the ones who persevere and carry on that end up being productive through the chaos. Grit is a great quality to remain productive.
88. Don’t Let Rejection Slow You Down
Everyone experiences rejection. Take the moment needed to let it sink in, pick yourself up, and keep going. If you let rejection lead to self-doubt, you could end up wasting valuable time that could be spent working on your next great idea.
89. Learn From Failure
While failure is inevitable, failing well is an important skill.
Learn how to turn setbacks into opportunities by being open to dialogue, discussing what went wrong, and keeping a positive attitude.
90. Speed it Up
Listening to podcasts or audiobooks at 1.5 or even 2x speed can be a great way to save time and consume more helpful content in less time.
91. Slow Down
While embracing patience might seem counterintuitive, your best work likely isn’t the ones you rushed. Take your time, get it right, and pace will follow.
92. Show Gratitude
Gratitude has a positive impact on productivity. Studies show people who express gratitude enhance their productivity across the board. There’s no simpler way to show gratitude than a simple thank you!
93. Explore Your Ideation Process
How do you come up with ideas? Add structure to the process by experimenting with techniques such as working through bad ideas first, rapid ideation, and brain sketching.
94. Work Through the Block
Everyone runs into creative or productive block from time to time. Get through the wall by talking things through with a colleague, opening your mind to new experiences, or leaving the project aside and coming back to it later.
95. Embrace the Weird
For a period of time while Picasso was working in Paris, he ate nothing but vegetables, fish, rice pudding, and grapes. That strange thing you do that works for you? Keep doing it.
96. Balance Production and Creation
There’s a fine balance to be found between being a productive machine and allowing space for serendipitous creation. A truly productive person who produces great work lands somewhere in the middle.While being efficient matters, it’s vital not to lose sight of the importance of creativity.
97. Plan Ahead
Start each new project with a roadmap. Though we can’t predict or expect every possible scenario (though some of us try), getting ahead of eventualities helps you to be better prepared when things don’t go as planned. . Tools like ClickUp, AirTable, and Trello can be useful for planning your goals and tasks.
98. Make Time for Joy
You can’t be productive every second of the day. And if you are, you’re missing out.
99. Step Away
When something becomes overwhelming, or you get stuck or feel blocked, the best thing to do might be to step away. Take a breath, a walk, or a week and come back to it with fresh eyes.
100. Trust the Process
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Today’s culture can make us feel like we’re “behind”, even when we’re putting in 101%. Remember that we’re all on different timelines and becoming more productive is a long-term goal, not something that happens overnight.
101. Find Your Rhythm
Everyone works differently and productivity doesn’t mean the same thing across the board.
Being more productive might simply mean ticking one extra thing from your to-do list. Or it might mean a complete lifestyle overhaul. Remember that the opportunity to improve your productivity is there. Find the right rhythm that works for you.
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