Design Your Own Productivity Hacks

When I don’t eat breakfast, my productivity plummets. But some mornings I have so much to do that there isn’t time to stop and make a decent breakfast. I’ve found that this is a short-term strategy for me. I might gain an extra 30 minutes before 11am, but by noon I’m crashing, I’m not thinking straight, and my productivity has plummeted. 

There are certain actions and habits for each of us that have a bigger effect on productivity than they seem. If I know I need to have a big, productive day, I’ll make sure I’m up early enough to have water, coffee, and breakfast before I begin working. 

What are those things for you? Some people get a lot of energy and motivation from exercising. For others, making a list really helps. I have friends who are most productive at night, when everyone else is asleep. 

There’s a world of traditional productivity wisdom out there. What I’ve found is that everyone is a little bit different. Each person needs to figure out what brings the best results out of them, and then try to design more time in that space. 

The best place to start? Documentation. 

Write down what increases and decreases your productivity as it happens. Once you start finding a few hacks for yourself, the effects will snowball. You’ll always know how to kick things into high gear when you need to. 

Good luck out there.