Productivity is hard to encounter if you’re not self-motivated. But there is a way to be productive and that’s with productivity hacks.
Near the end of my high school years, I was fed up with school (doesn’t every high schooler feel that way?). To me, I was way too stressed out and I was indeed no way near as productive as I am now. You know what they say, once you get to high school, you’re going to get lots of homework, and I completely agree with that (university is even worst).
So anyway, here’s 5 productivity hacks to get things done the quicker way.
Grab a mug of coffee or tea and let’s get right into it!
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Play videos in the background
Ok, look, I know what you’re thinking with the YouTube thing “But isn’t the point of YouTube is to WATCH the video instead of listening to it? If you want to listen to music, go on Spotify”.
Well, there are certain types of videos that can be listened to without watching it like those Story-time videos, podcasts, audiobook videos, etc.
And I know multitasking is bad but what can I say? This is more of “productivity life hack” because you’re listening to or catching up on things but you’re also doing things that don’t need mega thinking.
I find that this way of life is pretty much less overwhelming because…
- I don’t have time to sit there and watch every video on the list
- It would take me 3 years to finish watching 200+ videos on my Watch Later list.
You can do this trick while you declutter your home, do some chores, exercise, and do tasks that don’t require using a whole lot of your frontal cortex.
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Applications that can block or restrict the sites you find “Distracting”
If you’re here now finding out about tools that restrict distracting sites, then what are you even doing? These applications help turn off most of the other notifications on your phone, tablet, and computer.
You can also do this by using the “Do Not Disturb” mode that is basically installed in all newer smartphones and tablets. Even Windows has the “Do Not Disturb” feature in its notification bar.
The only important notifications are those for meetings and appointments. (Don’t blame me if your boss calls you 10x. I did warn you!)
Or you can… Not leave your distracting apps or tabs wide open when you’re being productive on your PC. This means closing your tabs involving sites like social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) or hiding the tab bar in your computer’s setting.
If you’re the type of person who can’t discipline themself (like myself), try installing a free tool or extension to block it.
Suggested Tools:
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To-Do Lists
I cannot stress how much To-Do Lists make my life wayyyy easier and make me more productive and accomplished.
The most productive way to create the to-do list is set 3 Main IMPORTANT tasks to your prioritised list and do those first thing for the day.
Do the little “less important” things afterwards, because you know, the moment you wake up, you’re more productive by then than you are later (depending on the person).
At the end of the day, once you’ve completed the tasks, you’ll feel a sense of “success” and “achievement”. Actually, it’s more of a “finally I get to take a break!”
You can achieve this by also writing your tasks down on a planner. You can do this with an app on your device/s or computer or another option is a psychical planner or down on paper.
I use Microsoft To-Do for my daily tasks. On the other hand, I use Trello for organising my blogging and business projects. You can check out a tutorial I created on how to use Trello for beginners.
Write these task down while you check them off your list throughout the day during your breaks.
Timers, Timers & TIMERS!
This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about the Pomodoro technique (as I’m using this right now while writing and editing this post).
If you don’t know what this wonderful and easy technique is, it’s where you set at least 25 mins on the task you need to do and set 5-10 mins for a break. The more you work on this method, it becomes your everyday productivity habit.
The best part is that there are plenty of ways you can get this method the easier and faster way.
If you search up “study with me Pomodoro” on YouTube, you get plenty of videos that have the Pomodoro method with or without music playing in the background.’
Visit Tomato Timer here
Or the method I tend to use more often based on what I’m doing and is already installed on my Windows laptop is the Alarms & Clock feature.
You can set up multiple time slots based on your preference and it will notify you in the notification settings.
Update Sep 2020: I currently use “Focus To Do” for my Pomodoro app. This is because I have multiple devices that need to sync in all my tasks.
Put that phone A.W.A.Y!
I’m actually being serious. I’m pretty sure the number 1 thing that makes you procrastinate is your electronics!
So keep it in a place away from yourself or out of sight. And don’t even think about that notification or message. By not looking at your phone more than once per hour is a habit you should make if you’re that addicted to your phone.
I put my phone away from me because…
- I don’t have to check it.
- Because no one calls me because I have no friends (well friends who don’t call me anyway).
You can do this by hiding your phone on the top of your cupboard, in a cupboard, under a pillow (this is what I do), or anywhere else that is out of your site. Putting your phone screen flat forward on your table is not a smart idea btw.
Conclusion
Playing podcast or videos in the background while you do none major thinking task, download applications that restrict you from distracting sites, making a To-Do List, using the Pomodoro technique and hiding your phone away are the top 5 best productivity hacks.
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You’ve come to the end of learning how to hack your productivity. Now you can simply use these tips during the time where you’re procrastinating.
Hey, did I help you hack your productivity? Well, I hope it works out for you and tells me how it goes in the comments.
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Sometimes I love taking my time coz it makes me more productive. Or maybe it depends on the activity.
Everyone is different! I like to do things the quicker way cuz time is limited.
Wow! This is helpful! hacks are very much needed nowadays
Very true. Makes life simpler you know?
Awesome blog post! My productivity depends on how I start my day actually. Making my bed in the morning actually makes me more productive throughout the day. Even using my phone becomes productive. I have never heard of the apps blocking distracting sites. I usually just turn off notifications and not open my browser. For the timers, they are actually more distracting, I tried twice and I got tired with half work done. However, this is just my experience.
It all depends on every person! I also make my bed in the morning and that helps with my productivity as well. From your experience, I actually find that you’re more productive and self-disciplined than me haha (I’m actually jealous seriously)!
A colloquial term for common sense that makes people feel good about their basic creativity, or lack thereof. Typically lifehacks are not all that helpful, they are simply advertised well so as to provide a false sense of improvement in the user’s day to day operation.
Some useful advice and tools to help with productivity here.
I love the timer idea and its really useful to get some goals accomplished.