Industry Buzz: 5 Essential Productivity Hacks

Ever feel like you’re in need of a productivity hack?

If you’re like me, your to-do list is miles long. Sometimes you breeze through it, checking things off left and right. And sometimes, your productivity stalls. It’s times like these that a productivity hack — a shortcut to plowing through that to-do list — would come in handy.

Why the discrepancy in results? According to AsapSCIENCE, productivity can be impacted by a variety of reasons. One influence includes what happens when our brains realize we’re about to take on a big project.

In a video on the subject, AsapSCIENCE explains, “The first thing to come to terms with is that your will power is simply not enough. In fact, some studies suggest that willpower is an exhaustible source, that can be entirely used up. This is a concept known as the ego depletion. So instead of convincing yourself to simply try harder, a more methodical approach is suggested.”

That suggestion is to simply get started. “It may seem obvious but studies have shown starting a project to be the biggest barrier to productivity. Before starting our brain visualizes the hardest parts to come and instead tries to simulate real work by focusing on small, mindless tasks.”

This is where the Zeigarnik effect comes into play, and can be your savior to productivity. “The Zeigarnik effect shows that when we don’t finish a task we experience discomfort and intrusive thoughts about it, so get started now.”

Here are 5 essential productivity hacks to help you tackle your gym’s to-do list:

1. Get rid of distractions. Turn off email and social media notifications. Every time your phone or computer pings, your attention is getting pulled away from the job at hand.
2. Better yet — put away your phone altogether. Phones in particular can be huge sources of distraction. If your phone isn’t essential to your task, then there’s no need to have it nearby.
3. Tidy up your workspace. Personally, I find it hard to be mentally productive when my space is cluttered. Clear your physical space up, and you’ll likely experience a clearer mind.
4. Struggling to get things done? Try a change of scenery. If you’re finding your office lacking in the inspiration department, go somewhere else. Visit a coffee shop. Sit outside. Shake things up to see if that helps your productivity.
5. Do take mental breaks, but make them productive ones. Instead of surfing your social feed, meditate for 10 minutes. Meditation has proved to increase not just productivity, but efficiency. If you’re not sure how to get started, try Headspace, a free meditation app.

What’s your go-to productivity hack?