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We all want to be more productive, but it can be a slippery slope.
Productivity is a popular topic in our perpetually busy lives. With so much to absorb in a single workday, and so many decisions to make, we all want to ensure we're making the best of our time. We can't be productive without a handle on time management.
Aiming towards working hard and working smart, as Michael Moroney suggests, is ideal for the modern-day professional. Combining the two can keep us motivated, protect us from overworking, and allow us to recognize when a change of pace is needed (equally as important as putting in the hours).
So, how do we figure out how to create at maximum efficiency without losing our minds? What do the most productive people do differently, and how can we learn from that? Let's start at the top and work our way to 24 specific ways you can increase your productivity today.
What Is Productivity?
According to McKinsey & Company, productivity "measures the amount of value created for each hour that is worked in a society." In more simple terms, productivity is the bang for your buck. The "buck" could mean your actual dollar, or it could represent your effort, time, energy, etc. The "bang" is the value you're creating.
Real Examples of Productivity
How I'm Productive, from our CEO, Lauren McGoodwin:
What: I create a weekly schedule that I put on the fridge for my family.
How: It takes me about 15 minutes each week to set up. I color-code the tasks, the family members involved, and any other pertinent details. The impact this small exercise makes far outweighs the time it takes.
Outcome: Because I set up a weekly calendar, I spend less time all week trying to remember appointments, checking my calendar, or communicating with my spouse about what's coming up.
What: I create a weekly schedule that I put on the fridge for my family.
How: It takes me about 15 minutes each week to set up. I color-code the tasks, the family members involved, and any other pertinent details. The impact this small exercise makes far outweighs the time it takes.
Outcome: Because I set up a weekly calendar, I spend less time all week trying to remember appointments, checking my calendar, or communicating with my spouse about what's coming up.
What Is Toxic Productivity?
There's another type of productivity that isn't so great. It's toxic productivity.
Toxic productivity is when your desire or obsession to be productive becomes unhealthy.
As Danielle Doolen writes, "This looks like being productive to the point where your physical health, mental health, relationships, sleep quality, and overall well-being are impacted.
Toxic productivity makes you feel like a failure when you’re not doing something to accomplish a task or meet a goal. People who experience this type of toxicity go above and beyond in all aspects of life, which can lead to fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and depression."
Before you reach the tipping point with your productive ways, it's important to know that there is such a thing as taking it too far.
11 Characteristics of Productive People
I remember I went to college with a girl who was pre-med, ran 10 miles every day, and volunteered for everything.
It was tempting for me to write her off as being a superhuman wizard, but really she was a great example of what separates highly productive people from the rest of us.
Here are just a few common characteristics of productive people.
- They focus on a few important things
- They proactively plan their day to avoid interruptions
- They pivot and adapt quickly to distractions
- They delegate tasks often
- They know how to say "no"
- They set healthy boundaries
- They set small goals and celebrate milestones
- They don't let their inner critic control their thoughts. They defer to self-compassion when things don't go according to plan
- They cultivate the right resources, tools, and support to help them make the most of their productivity peaks
- They are hyper-organized and schedule their breaks
- They are accountable, practice self-discipline, and have a growth mindset
These common characteristics allow productive people to overcome common challenges that we all face, such as:
- Procrastination for tasks big and small
- Routine or boring work that needs to be done but we don't want to do
- A nonstop inbox, social media alerts, and online messages from work
- A lack of motivation or energy during specific times of the day or specific parts of our work
- Working hard but not working smart, or glamorizing busyness and wearing the badge of busyness
Productivity Habits to Try at Work
Inspired by the list above, here are some specific habits you can try at work to increase your productivity:
- Start with the most important task first, or start with the task that will be the hardest for you
- Learn how to get into a deep flow state—deep work helps you create your best work
- Lessen distractions by closing tabs, setting an online status, turning off notifications, and even trying to use a timer
- Use a prioritization matrix—we like this one called the Eisenhower Matrix
- Take breaks or use the Pomodoro Technique (you can also try the two-minute rule)
- Make a plan for when things go wrong
- Create buffer time in your daily schedule
- Break tasks into smaller assignments
- Delegate and use online tools like ChatGPT to consolidate repeatable tasks
- Don't multitask—complete a task before moving to the next one
- Take notice of your energy and schedule appropriate tasks to match your energy
- Eliminate unnecessary meetings and extra communication
- Say no and stay focused on the things that really make an impact on your work
- Go for a walk at midday
- Take your PTO and don't check your work
- Create a daily to-do list
- Check in at the end of each week to determine what got done and where to start your week on Monday
- Use your calendar to schedule everything—including time to work on just your projects
- Reflect and check in with your boss to make sure you're working on the biggest priorities regularly
- Learn how to pivot, adapt, and learn from mistakes
24 Ways to Be More Productive
Don't call them productivity hacks! We're all about building a more productive lifestyle.
Here are 24 easy-to-put-into-action tips for increasing your personal and professional productivity. Rather than try to tackle them all at once, pick a few that resonate with your personal and professional life!
1. Get Some Natural Light
We all need a daily dose of vitamin D.
Yes, you can even get it on the cloudier days. Early-morning exposure to natural light can help stimulate serotonin production (which is great for feeling great!).
2. Eat Breakfast
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” may seem like a cliché, but countless productivity experts say that starting your day with a nutritional meal pays off, boosting your ability to curb unhealthy cravings and maintain an even blood-sugar level throughout the day.
3. Read Daily Affirmations
Try reading daily positive affirmations in the morning before you start your day. When you face an action-packed day, emphasizing your capabilities and self-worth can help you stay motivated. Try even writing them down in a journal and repeating them at times when your day gets stressful.
4. Review Your Schedule
Check your calendar early in the day, either right before or during your commute. This serves two purposes: helping you visualize your day and prepare for what’s ahead, and determining which meetings are “flexible." And make sure you are set up with a schedule that works for you.
When you write things down, you are 42% more likely to remember them.
5. Wake Up Early
Most of us are used to waking up early on weekdays, but waking up early on weekends can give you a chance to cross things off your list—or just be a way to add more downtime into a busy day.
6. Sleep in Late
Or, if you are chronically sleep-deprived, use Saturday and Sunday as chances to catch up and get enough sleep. We all know it’s nearly impossible to do things efficiently when you’re not getting enough sleep.
7. Keep a Master Calendar
Between your work calendar and your "life" schedule, you probably have a lot of different dates and appointments to keep track of. Consider creating one master calendar that syncs up everything. Here are some of our favorite apps for that. We love check our calendar as part of our morning routine.
8. Talk It Out
Many successful people start and end their workdays by speaking with a friend, either via a quick phone conversation or virtually. Chatting about your feelings or just checking in on each other’s lives can help center you.
9. Breathe
If it sounds simple, that’s because it is! If you're overwhelmed, stop, and take several deep, lung-filling breaths. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to inhale the good, and exhale the bad.
Being a successful woman shouldn’t come at the expense of treating yourself right.
10. Prepare for Big Tasks
Simply diving into a big project or task can leave you feeling overwhelmed. It’s often best to take time beforehand to survey what's needed and break the task into smaller, more manageable parts.
11. Move a Little
Like natural light, physical movement creates natural serotonin, which will boost your mood. We know that fitting exercise into a busy day is challenging, but starting small is okay. You can even squeeze in a little workplace yoga! Bonus points if you include a healthy diet along with these things!
12. Go On Silent
While it can be tempting to think that immediately reading and responding to every text, Slack ping, email, and post will help you stay on top of things, that behavior is actually a time suck.
Try putting your phone on silent. Set aside a few minutes every hour or so to see what you’ve missed. This works great for email as well.
13. Make a List
One of the worst things you can do for productivity is to assume that you have to remember everything. Give yourself a break, and write things down. In fact, research shows that when you write things down, you are 42 percent more likely to remember them.
14. Use Different Kinds of Lists
Try different lists for different purposes. You can have a master list for medium- and long-term goals, an ongoing “to buy” list, and then quick lists for the tasks you must complete on a given day. You can even try out specific project management tools like Notion or Asana.
Like natural light, physical movement creates natural serotonin, boosting your mood.
15. Stay Positive
It is a proven fact that smiling can help people get through difficult moments. As cheesy as it sounds, when you allow yourself to assume a positive outcome, you will be better set up to achieve it. So, come on, let’s see those pearly whites!
16. Drink Caffeine (But Wisely)
Caffeine has many benefits for the busy person, including (but not limited to) stimulating your metabolism before a morning workout and picking you up during a busy work morning. But too much of it can cause dependency, make you anxious, and dehydrate you. As with anything, practice moderation when ingesting caffeine.
17. Train Your Brain
Yes, you can train your brain. We'd recommend training it to have a growth mindset. By training your brain to think in terms of growth vs. fixed outcomes, you'll be able to be more creative and more easily pivot when needed at work.
18. Consult Someone Else
Talking to someone else can help you make decisions. Try approaching a friend or colleague with a description of your problem and ask for their help. Many times, two heads really are better than one!
19. Take a Walk
As busy women, we don’t often have the time to take a long, leisurely lunch break. But even a five minute walk around the office or the block can give you the mental pause you need to tackle the next thing on your list.
20. Don't Second Guess Yourself
We have all experienced “analysis paralysis,” where you get so caught up in thinking about a decision that you literally can’t make one. Try being more confident about the choices you make. Spend less time worrying and more time doing.
We have all experienced “analysis paralysis,” where you get so caught up in thinking about a decision that you literally can’t make one.
21. Meditate
Meditation is proven to help you recharge, relax, and re-focus, which are crucial to productivity. Increasingly, more progressive workplaces are incorporating meditation rooms into their offices, and for a good reason!
You can start by writing and repeating a mantra.
22. Look at Baby Animals
That’s right. Japanese researchers found that professionals who took a break to indulge in pictures of kittens and puppies returned to the task at hand more motivated. So, go on—you know you can’t resist!
23. Reward Yourself
Being a successful woman shouldn’t come at the expense of treating yourself right. Whether it’s a shopping trip after achieving a big life goal or a glass of wine after a hard day at work, you should never feel bad about meeting effort with reward. It doesn't need to be a physical gift or cost you a single cent. Just make sure that you are taking the time to celebrate your successes.
24. Make Your Bedroom a Tech-Free Zone
Technology can be a very useful part of a productive, happy life, but experts say it’s best to avoid bright, artificial light for an hour before bed. This will ensure you get better sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day!
