5 Practical And Science-Backed Routines To Increase Your Productivity

“How is it already 5PM?”

Does that sound like a familiar phrase? I know that every time I look at my watch I wonder, “where has all the time gone?” Some days, it seems like hours fly by faster than the speed limit! It can be hard to keep up and stay focused, so here are some practical advice on how to increase your productivity and make the most out of every minute.

1) Block the Temptations

Sometimes even the most disciplined of us need a little help and that’s why technology is so great. There’s probably an app or website out there to help you do whatever it is that you need it to do (and if there isn’t…congratulations! You’ve just found an untapped market opportunity!).

These include productivity apps and websites like ColdTurkey and SelfControl (for Mac users), that allow you to temporarily block yourself from popular social media pages and other addicting websites that you just can’t keep yourself away from.

Google Chrome also has a great tool called Newsfeed Eradicator for anyone who still needs to access Facebook for work purposes (like those of us who are community managers), but would still like to minimize our exposure to the distractions that the site can bring.

The tool blocks your entire newsfeed and replaces it with an inspirational quote so that your attention is redirected to work that needs to get done instead of having to face the temptation of scrolling through the bottomless pit that is your newsfeed.

2) The 80/20 Rule

There is a rule in economics that states that approximately 80% of an outcome is produced from only 20% of the input. The key thing to take away here is that only a small portion of things we do everyday drives the majority of the results. Therefore, it is important for you to identify early on which 20% of those inputs work for you, whether it’s working in solitude, studying in a group, or blasting some music. You have to know how to leverage your time in order to maximize productivity. Don’t define productivity as how much time you spend but rather how you spend it.

For those of you who are interested in learning more about the 80/20 rule, Yaro Starak wrote a great article titled What Is The 80/20 Rule And Why It Will Change Your Life. He explains the model in more depth and discusses some of the ways that you can use this principle in your day-to-day life.

3) The Simplest Procrastination Trick (Or Two)

What would you work on first: A presentation due in 2 weeks or a report due in 14 days?

An interesting study conducted by Daphna Oyserman, co-director of the USC Dornsife Mind and Society Center, found that the unit of time we use to think about our goals and deadlines affects our likelihood of procrastination. It turns out that when we think of future deadlines in terms of days, it decreases our tendency to procrastinate. This is because thinking in terms of days makes events appear psychologically closer in time than weeks or months. So for those of you who have a long-term project at hand, it may be best to start planning for those future deadlines in terms of dates.

To read more on the study, The Muse wrote a fantastic post called This Procrastination Trick Is So Simple That It’s Impossible To Put Off.

A Personal Hack

Another method that I like to use when fighting the battle against procrastination is to deceive myself. How, might you ask? For those of you who are chronically late, you may have heard of the simple trick of changing all the clocks around your home and on your devices to ten minutes ahead of real time (or for however long you’re typically late for).

I also use this method for any projects and deliverables. Whenever I receive a deadline, I like to set it on my calendar a few days ahead of time. The real trick though is to alternate between the number of days ahead in which you set the deadline so that you can’t outsmart yourself by remembering to count back a certain number of days. I personally swear by this method and it has definitely saved me from many all-nighters and last minute stress breakdowns.

4) The 90-Minute Work Cycle

Would you believe me if I were to tell you that over 63 billion dollars is lost per year amongst American companies due to the loss in productivity as a result of sleep deprivation? The idea has always been that it’s not how hard we work, but how smart we work. It’s important to remember that it’s not about the number of hours you work but the quality of the time spent working.

A great article published by the New York Times (Relax! You’ll Be More Productive) talks about a series of studies conducted by Professor K.Anders Ericsson and his colleagues at Florida State University, examining work habits that lead to the highest productivity. It has been found that our bodies transition between phases of high activity and rest constantly during the day. The study has found that our minds alternate from alertness to psychological fatigue every 90 minutes. So the next time you’re thinking of working non-stop on a project, remember that you’ll achieve the most productivity by doing 90 minutes of uninterrupted work interjected by breaks.

5) Serious Rests, Seriously

The previous point then brings us to the question of breaks. FYI, grabbing a coffee while checking your work email is not considered a break. In fact, there is now a term called the “serious break” as a result of the amount of times we’ve so misleadingly used the word “break”.

The ‘American overwork’ is a very real issue today. But did you know that many important historic figures including writers, scientists, artists and even Charles Darwin himself were found to spend only four to five hours per day on their most critical work? They also followed a consistent pattern in the way they rested. Perhaps we should all re-examine our own work patterns (of frequent overtime and sleepless nights) when many of these creative and accomplished individuals are spending less time and energy and producing/contributing more than the majority of us.

To read up on what constitutes a serious break and all of its benefits, visit Washington Post’s article on How Charles Darwin Used Rest To Be More Productive And How You Can Too.