7 Life-Changing Productivity Hacks!

Since most of us have been working from home the past few weeks, I thought I’d gather up some of my best productivity hacks to share with you! These are things that I have been doing for years and they’ve absolutely changed the way I work and the amount of work I can get done in one day.

The number of hours in a day hasn’t changed, but the amount of work I can accomplish in one day has! These productivity hacks have allowed me to complete tasks ten times faster and more efficiently. It’s amazing!

Keep reading to learn the 7 best productivity hacks to start incorporating into your life to feel less overwhelmed by your to-do list, accomplish more in your day and make the most of the 24 hours you have!

1. Write down your Top 3-4 Priorities for the day

These three to four tasks should be non-negotiable. You need to get these done. As soon as I wake up, one of the first things I do is write out my daily to-do list. I like to do a brain dump of all the tasks and things that are on my mind. Once that’s done I pick out my top three tasks that I want to focus on throughout the day. I write out these three priorities either on a separate sheet of paper or post-it note and keep it on my desk or somewhere that I can easily see it. This helps me to stay on track the entire day and not lose focus of my main priorities.

For example, today my three main priorities are to create a blog strategy plan for the month of May and June, draft two blog posts and hang up all of my clothes (because they are a mess right now). I have other small tasks that I want to get done like workout, organize my desk, vacuum, respond to emails, etc. But, those are ranked lower on my to-do list. My main focus is on the three priorities I listed earlier.

Keeping your list of top priorities minimal will also help you accomplish more. If you put too much on your list and overwhelm yourself, you won’t be as productive.

2. Time-Batch EVERYTHING

I first heard of time batching maybe a year or two ago from Lauryn Evarts Bosstick of the Skinny Confidential and it has been a total game-changer! If you don’t know what time batching is, it’s when you focus on one task, and that task only for a set period of time. It’s honestly the ultimate productivity hack! It allows your brain to concentrate on one thing at a time and eliminates the time it would take you to switch from doing one task to another.

For example, you could time batch your emails. To do this, you could set aside 30 minutes every day and solely use that time to respond to all the emails in your inbox.

I use time batching for a lot of my blog tasks. I used to write one blog post at a time, respond to emails whenever I got a new one and take photos as needed. Now, I set aside specific days/times to complete these tasks. Tuesdays and Thursdays I solely work on writing blog posts. Saturday or Sunday I work on shooting any photos for upcoming campaigns. And every night for 30 minutes I respond to any personal or blog emails.

Doing this, has been a life saver. You will save so much time if you start grouping like-minded tasks together and knocking them all out in a single sitting. Trust me! Try this and let me know what you think!

3. Work during the times you’re most productive

By now, you should probably have a good idea what times during the day you are most productive. I know I’m most productive first thing in the morning, 8am-11am. This is when I feel the most inspired and motivated. I make my to-do list, I’m fully dressed and feeling optimistic about the day. I try to crank out as much as possible during this time frame because I know this is when my brain is the most focused.

After about 2pm in the afternoon, my productivity has decreased significantly. However, I know this about myself, so anything that truly needs to get done during the day, I like to complete it in the morning.

Think about what times of the day you are most focused and productive. Use those times to get the majority of your work done!

4. Put your phone somewhere you can’t see/hear it

You need to do this if you want to get anything done! I think we’re all guilty of telling ourselves we aren’t going to use our phone while we’re working. But, then we get a notification and it goes downhill from there. We’re checking Instagram, opening Snapchats, looking through emails, etc. Your phone is most likely the number one reason why you aren’t being as productive as you could be.

Try keeping your phone in your bedroom until you complete whatever task you need to complete. Once you’re done, then you can go check it. It might also motivate you to work quicker because you want to get back to using your phone haha!

ALSO.. It is not enough to just flip your phone over and turn it on silent. You’ll still be tempted to pick it up because it’s right next to you.

Try this tip for the next few days and see how it affects your productivity and amount of work you can get done.

5. Set a timer for every task you need to complete

When it comes to getting stuff done, a timer will be your best friend. Take a look at your to-do list and your top priorities for the day. Allot a specific amount of time (within reason) for each task that needs to get done. Only do that task for the amount of time you set for yourself. This is going to keep you on track and help optimize your time so you can get the most work done in your day.

AND setting a timer almost makes you work harder at that task because you know you only have to do it for that set amount of time.

If you’re looking for a more in depth post on how you can get more done in your day, read this!

**6. Take Scheduled Breaks!**

Yes, that’s right.. Scheduled. When I write out my to-do list for the day and make my schedule, I schedule in all my breaks. I do this when I’m at work and when I’m home! Currently, my schedule looks like this..

7:30am-10:00am – Work

10:00-10:15am Break

10:15am-12:00pm – Work

12:00pm-12:30pm – Lunch

12:30pm-2:00pm – Work

2:00pm-2:15pm – Break

2:15pm-4:00pm – Work

I find that taking one break mid-morning, at lunch, and mid-afternoon are the times that work best for me. Knowing that I have breaks scheduled in makes me work harder during my scheduled “work” times.

Also, during your breaks, make sure you get up, move, walk around, go outside and do not do anything work-related. You will come back with a renewed sense of calm and the motivation to get things done. Breaks are so necessary and will give your brain a much needed mental reset.

7. Start your day the night before

I am a firm believer that how productive your day is going to be is totally dependent on well you prepped the night before. Which means having a solid nightly routine is key here. Anything that can be done the night before that will help your morning run more smoothly, should be done at night. Things like packing your lunch or your family’s lunches, laying out clothes for the night before, having your work bag or backpack all ready to go, even making your to-do list for the next day will totally relieve a ton of stress and anxiety in the morning.

You will be so much more productive when you wake up if you have everything prepped the night before and go into the day knowing what your priorities are.

7 Life-Changing Productivity Hacks!