15 Best Productivity Hacks You Must Try Today

In this post, I’d like to share with you the 15 best productivity hacks you must try today.

It can be hard to stay on top of everything you need to get done, especially when work starts piling up.

But you’re not alone in feeling the pressure. Thousands of other professionals are trying their best to feel organized and get tasks done, too.

We all want to have more time to focus on other aspects of our work, but we don’t have the luxury of being able to clone ourselves.

Increasing our productivity is a good way of keeping up with all the work on our plate without feeling overwhelmed.

Though many say it takes more time, many “productivity enhancers,” like going to the gym every morning, seem to add more effort. Instead, try some of these.

So, without further ado, let’s get into the 15 best productivity hacks. Shall we?

15 Best Productivity Hacks You Must Try Today

1. Pause your email inbox and turn off your phone.

Many of us are guilty of doing these things.

Sometimes it’s because we are afraid that something urgent will come up while we are offline.

But the truth is that if something urgent comes up, it will come up whether you are online or not.

Some people argue that it makes sense to have email alerts turned on so they can get messages when they come in.

It is true that you may miss messages this way but not everyone needs to know about every single message coming in on your phone.

From a practical standpoint, the only sanity-saving feature on your phone is the “Do Not Disturb” setting.

This allows you to mute notifications for a set amount of time or until you manually turn them back on again.

One study showed that the average worker spends about seven hours a day on email and other digital tasks.

This is a lot of time out of your workday that could be spent doing more productive things or just resting for a few moments.

2. Clean your desk.

What is the point of cleaning your desk? It’s like putting a band-aid on something that’s not fixable.

It’s good to go through everything every now and then, but if you’re looking for something specific, it usually doesn’t make much sense.

People will find anything to do in order to avoid doing the tasks they don’t want to do or don’t know how to do.

It helps with organization and productivity because you will clear space that may have been cluttered with unnecessary items just sitting around for years.

It can also help people get better at their work because they are less distracted by the clutter on their desks, which often causes them stress or anxiety.

3. Work on next-day task lists.

We often find ourselves constantly checking our to-do list or constantly crossing off tasks.

But what is the point of this if it leads you to feel constantly stressed out?

This is because by constantly checking your list, you are giving yourself unnecessary pressure.

There are many ways that people deal with this pressure – they stop doing their task lists or they constantly check them, but this just leads to more stress.

So the best way to deal with this is just to stop doing it altogether.

One way how you can do this is by using a “next day” checklist – where you write down all your tasks for tomorrow and then tick them off when they are completed.

4. Establish a micro-routine.

You need to create a routine that is personalized for your unique needs and goals.

The micro-routine should take less than 10 minutes and can be done at any time during the day.

Some people find it easier to work out in the morning, while others like to do it right before bed.

Pick whichever time is most convenient for you and make sure to get in the habit of doing it at least three times a week.

5. Break in the middle of a task.

This is one of my favorite and best productivity hacks. Breaking tasks into manageable pieces.

People take breaks because they need rest and renewal.

Many people think that taking a break is a waste of time.

Breaks can help you to focus on the task at hand and better understand it.

Breaks will also help you to take care of your well-being and avoid burnout or stress.

6. Set sprints for yourself.

Sometimes it is difficult to create content for a specific task with deadlines. To make it easier, you can set sprints for yourself.

Sprints are time periods where your goal is to complete a certain task.

This way you will be able to better manage your tasks and also stay disciplined.

I find that setting sprints for myself is a great way to keep on track.

It’s important to know what your goals are and how much time it will take you to reach them.

Ways to set sprints:

-Set a timer for an hour and work as long as you can on the task until the timer goes off.

-Set a specific time of day (i.e., 9 am) and work as long as you can on the task until that time goes by.

-Set a specific amount of days (i.e., 3 days) and work as long as you can on the task until those days go by.

7. Perform mindless tasks as a break.

Performing mindless tasks is a good way to take a break. The tasks should not require much mental or physical effort.

Some examples of mindless tasks are folding laundry, doing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, running errands, etc.

They can be anything that doesn’t require cognitive function to complete.

The idea behind this is that by performing these mindless tasks for a few minutes, you will be giving your brain time to rest and recuperate from whatever mental activity you have been doing before.

This can help people who are feeling overwhelmed by things they have to do in their life.

8. Deactivate your internet connection.

It’s also one of the best productivity hacks, but the hardest one is simply to deactivate your internet connection.

One way to avoid being distracted from work when you have a deadline coming up and your internet connection is cutting in and out is to deactivate your internet connection.

This way you will be able to get the work done without any distractions. To deactivate it, go to Settings then scroll down and click on “Cellular” or “Data”.

You may need the username and password for your network provider. If you don’t know what this means, talk to your internet provider about it before you get started.

9. Replace the meeting with a bulleted email.

Meetings are usually dull, tedious, and time-consuming. Emails are more personal and can be better communicated with fewer words.

The bulleted email is a new meeting form of choice for many business leaders.

It’s not ideal for all communication, but you can eliminate that dreaded weekly team meeting if you’re trying to get your team working smarter, not harder.

Bullet points are more concise than full sentences and so they save time in the reading process.

They also don’t require as much attention or mental energy to get the point across which is perfect for an overworked workforce or someone who’s just bored during meetings.

10. Work on Sunday night–just a little.

Sunday night is a good time to take a break from the week and do a few small things that might not have been done or might have been put off during the week.

Some of the tasks that can be achieved on Sunday night are as follows:

1. Listening to podcasts, reading articles, and consuming other media.
2. Hanging out with friends, family or loved ones.
3. Doing some light housework such as dusting or vacuuming.
4. Doing something for one’s self such as going for a run, cooking dinner by oneself, going to bed early etc.

11. Get rid of your low priorities.

This section will teach you to prioritize your tasks based on their significance.

The first step is to make a list of all the tasks that you need to complete. Allocate each task with a letter that corresponds with its importance.

Tasks with an F are the least important and tasks with an A are the most important.

Second, rank your tasks according to their letters.

The highest-ranking task should be done first before any other lower-ranking task is started.

Once you’ve completed one task, move on to the next one in line and so on until they’re all done – or at least ranked according to importance.

12. Commit to starting your least pleasant tasks.

A study by Yahoo found that business executives who schedule their least-pleasant tasks first, complete them more quickly and are more likely to be successful.

What does this mean for you? Commit to starting your least pleasant tasks first thing in the morning!

13. Learn How To Say no.

It is essential to learn how to say no, especially in today’s world that is so busy.

If you don’t, you will find yourself overworked and not living your best life. Knowing how to say no is important for your physical health as well as mental health.

When someone asks for help, it doesn’t always mean they want you to drop everything for them, sometimes they just need an honest opinion or a little encouragement to take the next step on their own.

By learning how to nicely say no, you can help people out without taking on their problems.

14. Optimize your commute.

Wouldn’t it be great to spend your commute making progress and not just time?

The key is to plan ahead and fill that time with something that will help you achieve your goal. Here are a few ideas:

1. The first and foremost thing to do is to plan your commute. You can do that by finding the fastest and most comfortable route for you and then checking the traffic, trains, and buses schedules before you head out.

2. Getting a bike – it’s one of the best ways to save time and money!

3. Take public transit, but know how it works first! Figure out the timing of every stop on your way with Google Maps beforehand so that you can plan accordingly.

4. Keep your cell phone or laptop charged at all times so that you are never without entertainment or work if something goes wrong with your car/bus/train ride home

5. Organize your bag so everything is accessible

15. Go somewhere else.

It’s important to step away from life at the same desk every day.

Try working in a new location once or twice a week to stave off boredom and feel refreshed!

It can be a home office, a coffee shop located down the street, or even a picnic table in the park.

It’s a great opportunity to get a fresh perspective and an environment that is calmer with reduced distractions in order to focus.

Although some work hacks can be very helpful, most are short-term solutions with few long-lasting benefits.

They may reduce your workload now, but they likely won’t solve the bigger problem of giving you a streamlined system to manage your work effectively over time.

It’s true that they can be frustrating to use sometimes. But they’re also helpful in many ways, saving you time and setting you up for success.

Making your life a little easier by taking some steps is a good way to maintain a healthier balance in life and avoid stress.

This will allow you to perform at a higher level and have more time that can’t be replaced.

This post was about the 15 best productivity hacks to boost your productivity.

Struggling with procrastination? Click below to download “The Procrastination Killer” for FREE where I’m sharing 6 of my best strategies to beat procrastination FOR GOOD, and get highly productive.

Ali Ounassi, Founder Of BestProductivityTips.com

You May Also Like Reading:

• Top 6 Tips for Effective Planning
• How To Manage Your Time And Get More Done Effectively
• 10 Simple Ways To Delegate Tasks and Get More Done