Author: hackproductivity

Chewing gum is an alternative to coffee, which you shouldn’t overdo if you want to avoid the jitters and disturbed sleep patterns. Chewing gum has […]

The last thing you want to do as soon as you wake up is to start idly scrolling through your smartphone. But you risk doing […]

To avoid getting derailed from your carefully pre-planned list of scheduled tasks, put emails that need actioning on tomorrow’s to-do list. That way you can […]

Warren Buffett would have you eliminate all your goals except for the top 5. That’s it – just your 5 most important goals. This exercise […]

While some stress at work now and then is expected, excessive amounts will interfere with your performance, and impact negatively on physical and emotional health. […]

Set deadlines for everything, even small things. When delegating, if others don’t know how urgent a task is they can’t know how to prioritise it, […]

Much as we can try to control ourselves, there’s nothing like being held accountable by someone else to keep us on task. Try assigning a […]

Set deadlines for everything, even small things. When delegating, if others don’t know how urgent a task is they can’t know how to prioritise it, […]

Unless your job requires you to wear an actual uniform, deciding what to wear to work will take time out of your morning routine every […]

Control your inbox, don’t let your inbox control you. It is all too easy to let the con- stant incoming flood of our inbox dictate […]

Email can derail even those with the best of intentions, because every time a new one pings in, our instinct is to want to open […]

Sounds pretty obvious, but non-essential emails need to drop down the list of priorities, if not fall off it entirely. Source: learn.filtered.com

The waiting-on list is for those tasks that are important to you but that someone else must do. Keep a log of such tasks as […]

Open loops are tasks that need doing but have no deadline, plan or decision in place. They can be professional or personal (a unpleasant task […]

Wherever you can (while allowing for deadlines), prioritise the hardest tasks. It might be the opposite of what you want to do – it’s so […]

No need to reinvent the wheel with every new message. Speed up your outgoing email by using templates if you frequently send out emails that […]

In a world of endless pings and text messages, answering a ringing phone can feel like a more “legitimate” reason to allow yourself to be […]

“Zero” doesn’t refer to the number of emails in your inbox, but the amount of time your mind is in your inbox. Productivity expert Merlin […]

Active listening: a perpetually underrated superpower. We may take for granted that we listen and are listened to over the course of a conversation, but […]

Think about how much time you spend typing. Learning to touch type could, over a fairly short period of time, save you hours. You can […]

Who doesn’t love a bit of sunshine? The health benefits of sun exposure include vitamin D, better moods and improved sleep. All these will help […]

Probably the number one motivator for any activity is the amount of fun we have doing it. Injecting fun into even the most thankless of […]

Many of these tips are about exercising greater control – over yourself, or your sched- ule, or your environment. It is important to have control […]

You never know when a random idea that has no application now might be a game changer later on. Keep a log of all your […]

Transpose popular project management methodology onto your own personal man- agement. Being “agile” is a desired trait for any business, so why not try to […]

Eric Schmidt, software developer and business powerhouse, created 9 rules for email. Here are his top 5 – See if any of these make you […]

Do you brush your teeth every day? Hopefully the answer is “yes, of course!” It’s a ritual that was probably ingrained in you by your […]

For this to work you need to ensure you do only reward yourself AFTER you have completed your task, NOT before. Hands off that chocolate […]

A technique used by athletes and successful entrepreneurs alike, visualisation is a powerful tool. Having a clear, compelling and inspiring vision for your goal will […]

It’s difficult enough trying to keep yourself motivated, let alone an entire group of peo- ple, like your team. Setting shared goals is a surefire […]

Reclaim time that would otherwise be lost to you. Standing in queues, travelling from place to place, sitting in a waiting room… these pockets of […]

Malcolm Gladwell popularised the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practise to master any skill. Following this principle should allow you to eliminate […]

If it isn’t scheduled in, it isn’t getting done. To-do lists are essential in that they clarify what needs doing (see tip #7), but they […]

To ensure your meetings are productive and not soporific, assign specific roles for participants, e.g. timekeeper, notetaker, chair. Active involvement will keep attendees engaged, and […]

It is far too easy to get pulled into checking work emails at home, or even on the way home on your phone. This age […]

Ahh the commute. The bane of every office worker’s life. This is essentially dead time, but you can utilise this to get more things done. […]

It’s such a pain in the neck when you have… well, a literal pain in the neck. Sitting in an uncomfortable chair or using equipment […]

Start and end on time – no exceptions. Simple rule, big results. Just knowing that there’s no flexibility on this will change everyone’s behaviour, allowing […]

For faster, error-free work, set up a system so that you can’t fail. Automation is the name of the game. It could be something as […]

Dwelling on the past never made anyone more productive. Mindfulness, the idea of being present in the moment, has helped countless people in all areas […]

When you feel helpless…help someone else. In doing so, not only are you making the world a better place, you are empowering yourself and reinforcing […]

You’re happier, more productive and more efficient when doing something you LOVE. Sometimes you may struggle to love your job and its challenges, but having […]

The overwhelming majority of things that prevent us from being productive are just a result of bad habits. We open Facebook and next thing we […]

We all know how distracting our electronic devices are at the best of times. Their allure can become all the more powerful during a snooze-worthy […]

Ensure that your goals are as clear as they can be. Setting vague goals deprives you of the focus you need to achieve them. Consult […]

Perfectionism is enemy to productivity. In setting goals, we should choose ones that stretch us but that still reside in the realm of possibility. Having […]

Some of the most innovative ideas come to us in the space between doing tasks. It’s difficult for inspiration to hit when your mind is […]

For most people, we are most alert and productive within the first few hours of waking, typically 9-11am. You probably already have an idea of […]

Nobody’s perfect. We all procrastinate sometimes. However, you can upgrade your procrastination time to make even that productive. Get non-work related tasks done while procrastinating: […]

Though this might not be for everyone, working from home can boost some people’s productivity significantly. There are any number of reasons why this might […]

We all get irrationally attached to certain ideas or ways of doing things, either because we are used to them, because we came up with […]

Start at the start. Be on time. According to a recent study by Bain & Company, a meeting that starts five minutes late will be […]

It’s easy for meetings to get hijacked by the biggest and loudest personalities in the room, but showy doesn’t always equal best. Do your part […]

Incorporating a strict “one-time only” read policy on your emails will guarantee that you read with greater care and attention, and will retain the information […]

While it’s important to keep looking forward and barrelling toward your goals, it’s equally important to take a moment and acknowledge the things you have […]

Simply telling someone else about a task makes you more likely to do it. Once made public, a mix of pride, shame and sense of […]

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that, when properly employed, can up our energy levels and productivity game significantly. Get too reliant, however, and it’ll be […]

It hydrates your body and fuels your mind. So simple, yet something many of us fail to do. Being well hydrated promotes better focus, energy […]

Getting into a state of “flow” means being completely absorbed in an activity: focussed, in control, and creative. Read: productive. While we  have all experienced […]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Even the biggest achievements are composed of hundreds of small actions. Incorporating small, incremental changes […]

After a meeting, having a clear list of actions which are assigned to specific people with set deadlines is essential to ensuring things move forward. […]

There is a direct link between self-control and positivity. Think about it: are you more likely to cave in and eat an entire pack of […]

There’s nothing like a time limit to spur you on to get more done. Setting yourself time limits on your tasks, and then timing yourself […]

While regular, short breaks are important to keep you fresh and focussed, don’t skimp on taking a longer break during the day – typically the […]

Being slumped over a keyboard in the same artificial lighting for hours on end, day in and day out, is going to harm your productivity […]

Can you remember being more productive and encouraged at work as a result of something you saw in the news? News outlets make money largely […]

Only do the work that only you can, and delegate the rest wherever possible. Try outsourcing to others who have the relevant skills and can […]

Before getting efficient, first prioritise effectiveness. Efficiency allows you to do some- thing quickly and well, but effectiveness determines what you choose to do in […]

This is a little mind hack you can employ with yourself to laser-focus your efforts and keep you motivated when the going gets tough. Think […]

While there’s no denying the necessity for meetings, they are a frequent productivity drain. Minimise this by simply having fewer. This will free up time […]

Jumping from one disparate task to the next is inefficient and wastes precious brain juice as your mind scrambles to grasp each new task randomly […]

More often known as time-wasting, sleep-inducing group torture sessions, meetings are frequently badly run. It’s a lose-lose and a waste of everyone’s time. However, if […]

We all know sleep is holy, essential for the proper running of every bodily function. Sleep deprivation raises stress hormones, and wrecks your ability to […]

When you need to engage in deep work, the most likely distraction is a visual one. So hide the phone, turn off pop-up alerts, and […]

Heed the timeless advice inscribed over the temple of the Greek Delphic oracle: know thyself. Know your most and least productive times of day, and […]

Also known as the Pareto Principle, this rule states that that across all industries, activities and contexts, 80% of results come from 20% of causes […]

Start with writing down the first thing you need to do, however basic. You’re much more likely to get started on a task (i.e. not […]

The moment you are assigned a task, it looms in your face: big, important, unforgettable. However, if often does end up being forgotten. Oops! We’ve […]

Research proves that people who listen to music generally finish their tasks faster and are better at generating good ideas in comparison to those who […]

Do one thing at a time. Do NOT multitask. This is very difficult. Even if you minimise distractions from devices, tech etc, there are still […]

Sounds like a no-brainer. We all know that proper planning helps us make better use of our time. So plan ahead. At the beginning of […]

Tech might be responsible for the majority of our distractions, but it can also be harnessed for greater productivity. There are a whole host of […]

Why expend precious energy on exercising self-control, when you can simply remove all temptation? There are numerous programs available to block access to your most […]

The Babylonians created the concept we now call an “hour”, though they probably didn’t have 21st century business meetings in mind at the time. An […]

Alerts alert. That means they get your attention. That means they take your attention from whatever it was you were doing. That’s fine if the […]

With increasing workloads, varied work, colleagues in multiple timezones and devices pinging all around us, it’s no wonder we’re a more stressed workforce than any […]

Not easy, but simple and effective. From Richard Branson to Michelle Obama, high performers are often also early risers. Whether it’s to fit in a […]

And keep it organised. Spending several minutes excavating the detritus on your desk as you frantically try to find a document is not a good […]

Every time we get a ping indicating a new email, comment, or notification of any sort, our brains get a dopamine hit. Dopamine is the […]

Taking a sneak peek at what your friends are up to on Facebook during the working day is common. But social media can be a […]

If a task can be done in less than 2 minutes, don’t write it down or put it into a system or discuss it or […]

Loading up on sweets and crisps won’t sustain you over hours of hard work, and will almost certainly result in a crash. This is particularly […]

To-do lists are fundamental. They aren’t a complete solution to time management (time-boxing takes the idea further) but they are essential. Think of a typical […]

Building regular, short breaks into working time increases focus and productivity, studies have shown. One popular way to implement this is the Pomodoro Technique, named […]

Don’t let them control you. We check our phones between 150-221 times a day, depending on which study you’re reading. Even having your phone in […]

Moving does a lot for you. It gets the blood flowing round your body, can break you out of that daydream and helps stir creative […]

Stop trying to please everyone! It’s much easier said than done, we know, but by overloading yourself with work, not only do you risk being […]

The modern worker has a thousand things to do at any one time. These should be ruthlessly and methodically prioritised. Otherwise you’ll consistently add less […]

Time-boxing will improve your life. At the core it’s simple: assign a fixed period of time to a task, schedule it and stick to it. […]

Unroll.me is a tool you can use to manage and declutter your inbox. Quickly unsubscribe from unwanted subscriptions or ‘“rollup” your favorite subscriptions into one […]

For the record: I am not a tab person. I’m a little OCD about keeping my workflow clean and minimal. I prefer to bookmark my […]

Some people get really into survivalism: life preparation for worst-case scenarios (freeze-dried food, generators, etc.). Many of those precautions are worthwhile to take if you’re […]

If establishing a home for every item fails (#Hack 71), use a tracking device as a contingency plan for your most important things. For example, […]

Are you constantly losing your car keys? How about the drill for that home improvement project? The hard truth: these misplacements steal your time. And […]

Know this: your environment is either creating clarity or complexity. Stay minimalist by throwing out or donating one item for every new thing you acquire. […]

Consider all the times you’ve needed to go to the store for a single item that’s run out. This can be avoided by automating purchases […]

Maxing out storage on your mobile device can lead to poor battery life and performance. One of the biggest data Draculas? Your photos and videos. […]

I never used to have a system for managing my mobile apps. I believe that sloppiness spilled over into other areas of my life. My […]

Let’s talk about the dreaded password reset process. How much time do you routinely lose trying to remember passwords? It’s about as fun as identifying […]

Mac OS users: you know those icons in the top right corner of your computer? That’s the menu bar. Improve your workflow by organizing your […]

Does your computer’s desktop look like a cluttered antique store? Fix it by creating a “desktop to review” folder on your desktop, where you can […]

Lethologica is the inability to recall the right word— also known as the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. Very common, very annoying. But get this: how would it […]

In Evernote, I’ve created a cheat sheet for every life topic of interest to me—ranging from negotiation to the ketogenic diet. Only the best of […]

It seems that learning how to read a book is an undervalued skill. Here’s what I recommend: start reading the table of contents—which acts as […]

Doctor Atul Gawande elaborates on this hack in the Checklist Manifesto: “…the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to […]

The simple truth is that—with the proper training— nearly everyone is capable of tripling their reading speed (without sacrificing understanding). It might just be the […]

Here’s a pro tip I picked up from author and entrepreneur Alex Hormozi. He says, “If you listen to the audiobook while reading the eBook […]

I’ve been listening to audiobooks and podcasts at 1.2-2x speed for many years—though I’m sure other productivity enthusiasts have recommended this tactic. The reason? It’s […]

I read on Kindle because all my highlights are automatically digitized. You can access your device’s Kindle notes here or use software like Readwise. I’ve […]

Joe Rogan says the best advice he ever received: “Live your life like you’re the hero in the movie…Live your life like there is a […]

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says, “It is the knowledge that I am going to die that creates the focus that I bring to being alive. […]

Jerry Seinfeld, the famous comedian, wanted to write every day. So, he started marking the completion of each session with a big “X” on a […]

In sports, they say that winning fixes everything. Is there an equivalent for life? I believe it’s purpose— having a strong “why” for doing what […]

Five-time Male CrossFit Champion Mat Fraser has a sign in his home gym that reads: “Success is the best revenge.” CrossFit is a grueling sport. […]

The sunk-cost fallacy teaches that we tend to overvalue things we’ve already invested time or money in. Tim Ferriss recommends using the sunk-cost fallacy (in […]

An implementation intention is “a plan you make beforehand about where and when to act.” A study by the British Journal of Health Psychology found […]

Atomic Habits’ author James Clear shares the two- minute rule: “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” […]

The Alter Ego Effect, by Todd Herman, teaches the power of creating an alter ego of your ideal self. He shares that creating an alter […]

Realize this: emotional management is vital for productivity and staying focused. I’ve found selective ignorance of the news is often helpful towards this end. A […]

StickK allows users to set a public or private commitment and add monetary stakes to increase accountability. One notable feature is setting negative stakes: if […]

Create momentum in your day by completing a celebration blitz. In the words of Stanford Professor BJ Fogg, in Tiny Habits: One of my favorite […]

The ritual of calling upon a muse before a creative act is powerful. Here, we put our ego aside and become open to receiving higher […]

The Phone Charger Challenge is a quick win that will kickstart your day in the best way possible. Discover the simple behavioral hack of moving […]

A 201243 study found that people who practice meditation develop more folds in the outer layer of their brain. This development (known as gyrification) is […]

Consider the following statistic: In countries where organ donation is the default selection (also known as “opt-out”), more than 90 percent of people register to […]

A few months ago, I was looking for a daily vitamin to round out my wellness system. Thankfully I came across Onnit’s Total Human. More […]

Winston Churchill credited his daily nap as an invaluable tool in raising his effectiveness: “You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner…You get two […]

From iconic entrepreneurs to presidents, outlier performers have streamlined their decision-making around clothes. Some notable figures that come to mind are Steve Jobs and Barack […]

Building a blog can be lonely. There are a lot of unseen hours in isolation, developing original thinking and new content. I’ve found that going […]

“Sitting is the New Smoking” is a phrase coined by Dr. James Levine, director of Mayo Clinic at Arizona State University. I wouldn’t go that […]

What do Steve Jobs, Nietzsche, and Aristotle all have in common?34 Each used walking as a strategic tool for clear thinking. In the words of […]

Arianna Huffington’s Sleep Revolution opened my eyes to the fact that our society wears sleep deprivation like a badge of honor, when lack of sleep […]

Wim “The Iceman’’ Hof teaches that cold showers improve metabolic rate for weight loss, reduce stress levels, and increase immune response.33 If you’re new to […]

With HIIT, users alternate between intervals of high- intensity and low-intensity exercise. (Example: 60 seconds high, 45 seconds low.) HIIT offers many benefits. My favorite? […]

Soylent is a comprehensive meal replacement shake. There’s a reason soylent became so popular in the coding community. Software engineers could drink soylent and stay […]

I’m a big fan of drinking “bulletproof coffee” (often referred to as “butter coffee”) throughout my morning deep work time block. I’ve found bulletproof boosts […]

In the words of Tim Ferriss, “The ketogenic diet, often nicknamed ‘keto,’ is a high-fat diet that mimics fasting physiology. Your brain and body begin […]

As much as 75 percent of us are regularly dehydrated. And it turns out that even being dehydrated by as little as 2 percent can […]

How much time do you waste in a state of morning grogginess? I used to waste A LOT. Now, I jump rope for two minutes […]

Cooler room temperature increases concentration—as evidenced by the following Scientific American Study: Researchers asked participants to proofread articles in 67- or 77-degree temperature rooms. The […]

Scoring your day (like a movie) is a great tactic to elevate your mood and encourage focus. Recently, I was fortunate to stay at a […]

Research shows blue lights suppress melatonin, a chemical that makes us sleepy. So, I strategically use blue light throughout my home office in the morning […]

Scent can be powerful in creating a productive state, so take advantage of this power by using an aromatherapy diffuser. From Jim Kwik’s book Limitless, […]

Batching is a productivity principle that involves grouping similar activities together for efficiency. Jack Dorsey—the current CEO of Square and former CEO of Twitter and […]

Protect time for high-value work by organizing your calendar for 1) deep work in the mornings and 2) meetings/managing in the afternoons. The goal here […]

As shared in the documentary Social Dilemma: “There are only two industries that call their customers users: illegal drugs and software.” The takeaway: we need […]

Specifically, how much do you value your time? Before Naval Ravikant—founder of AngelList—became wealthy, he prized his time at an aspirational rate of $5,000 per […]

The author of Indistractable, Nir Eyal, provides a helpful autoresponder script for your mobile phone to minimize distraction during your deep work. He suggests: Hi! […]

James Clear teaches that the ultimate productivity hack is saying, “No.” Another way to think about this from entrepreneur Derek Sivers: If your immediate reaction […]

Pareto’s Principle says that 20 percent of our actions lead to 80 percent of our results. You can take this a step further and ask: […]

Upgrade “top-of-funnel” tools that have a positive, cascading effect on your productivity. Two compelling examples: increasing the speed of your device’s trackpad (or mouse) and […]

I try to minimize phone pickups throughout the day— to limit inbound distraction—and voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Google can be […]

Cal Newport says in Deep Work: “In this new economy, three groups will have a particular advantage: those who can work well and creatively with […]

I Will Teach You To Be Rich, a life-changing book by Ramit Sethi, shows readers a system for automating their personal finances. The system involves […]

We’ve mentioned Parkinson’s Law—work expands to fill the allotted time—already. Well, just as it applies to you individually, it also applies to meetings. You know […]

The Forest App is a gamified mobile timer for productivity. The longer you stay focused, the healthier the trees in your virtual forest will grow. […]

Cal Newport defines deep work as “professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capacities to their limit. These efforts […]

IFTTT (if this, then that) is an application that helps you automate your workflow by connecting the apps and devices in your toolkit. Just a […]

Trello is a Kanban-style project management board that visually displays tasks. Easily organize everything you need to complete your personal and professional projects (attaching related […]

TextExpander (or WordBoard’s functionality for mobile) is a desktop application that allows users to program keyboard shortcuts for commonly used messages. Save time by setting […]

Email Ninja is a Udemy course that teaches a powerful method for organizing your inbox.4 The system will show you how to set up three […]

3-21-0 is a popular system for batching email processing in time blocks.3 The method involves processing email in three sessions per day, 21 minutes per […]

Otter is an AI-powered speech-to-text translation application that offers real-time streaming of transcripts with searchable text. Perhaps most valuable is the tool’s ability to identify […]

Spotlight is a built-in search feature for Apple’s Mac OS and iOS. Simply hit Command+Spacebar on your desktop and type in the beginning letters of […]

You can use habit stacking to use an existing habit to trigger another habit! You just need a simple brain tattoo for this: After [EXISTING […]

If I have to summarize all productivity in one word. I’d say PRODUCTIVITY = HABITS. In fact, I’d go further by saying LIFE = HABITS. […]

Remember: A Goal is the destination and the System is the journey. “I knew what I needed to do and how to do it.” Eddie […]

While a lot of productivity content talks about Time Management, it’s important to replace TIME MANAGEMENT with ENERGY MANAGEMENT. We all have the same time […]

There are a few key rules to get more from your life. And one of them is the 40% rule. Here’s how we can define […]

Your first task each morning should be the frog. After you wake up, do something that brings your heart rate up, followed by a few […]

Go to your phone settings and turn off all notifications. I run multiple businesses and I’ve been running and managing businesses online over the past […]

A smartphone is a great tool. To be precise, it’s a great servant but a terrible master. While you can train and tame a smartphone, […]

The biggest enemy of productivity is, without a doubt, the newsfeed. Yes, the newsfeed, not social media, is the enemy. The newsfeed is based on […]

If you’re on the journey to productive use of the internet and you don’t have a framework yet, start by tracking your web activity. You […]

DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. This is really the key to remembering your mistakes, learnings, and experiments. Document what didn’t work. Document what worked. Document what got fewer results. Document what got more […]

It’s easy to get distracted on the internet. One of the best ways I’ve found to maintain a habit of productive browsing is to: Step […]

You should always keep learning something new. Learning doesn’t necessarily have to be about your work. Learning something new about a random topic works as […]

Break down your work into deep sessions with short breaks in between. Usually, the work session is 25 minutes and the break is 5 minutes. […]

Whenever there is a change, get a massage. Self-massage with oil daily. Massage is a recovery tool to recover from both deep work as well as physical […]

80% of your outputs come from 20% of your efforts. Here’s a list of areas in your life and business you can audit, find the […]

Learn a new language. Understanding how a new language works helps you think in new ways. Keep a daily habit to learn some new words, […]

Classical music helps you go deep. Instrumental classical music helps you create an environment of consistency. I usually listen to any one track on repeat. […]

Change your surroundings to boost productivity. Inner circle: Clean your workspace Clean your room Keep distractions away Make it hard to access what you don’t […]

The best feature on a mobile phone is the one that makes it less of a mobile phone – The Airplane Mode. Use Airplane mode […]

Get rid of energy monsters. Keep only the positive ones and the purposeful ones. Remove those who consume energy without giving energy back, remove the […]

Do any kind of exercise. Practice movement of any kind. It is said that your brain only works when your feet are moving – Movement […]

 Stop consumption and input. All the information you receive as input needs to be processed by the brain, thus taking up processing space and bandwidth […]

 Include brain-optimization foods in your daily meals. Some food sources are known to optimize your brain. Here are some foods to include in your eating […]