What are some of your unusual productivity hacks?
Andrei Costea
74 replies
Everyone talks about productivity, meditation, cold showers, morning routines and what not. What are some unusual activities that WORK for you and keep you flowing?
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Farooq (SF Ali) Zafar@sfali789
Underrated:
1. Remove all clutter, non-essential stuff from desk/workplace.
2. Non-digital, old-school IRL writing with pen(cil) and paper.
3. Browser extensions/apps to limit/prevent ads/social media.
4. Unsubscribe (i.e., Unroll.me) to all non-essential email/lists.
5. Limit social media following to curate and streamline feeds.
6. Read (i.e., Blinkist, Spreeder) and type (MonkeyType) faster.
7. Browser extension/policies to limit max number of open tabs.
8. Earplugs, earmuffs, noise isolating headphones, binaural beats.
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The good old if something takes less than 5 minutes, do it now. Another clasic is to eat the frog in morning to avoid any anxiety later that day.
@stoica_stefan I've been trying the eat the frog technique, but didn't end uo as expected😅 I'll actually try the hardest task next days; thanks🙏
Hey Andrei! Great question! One unusual productivity hack I use is called "the two-minute rule." Basically, if a task takes two minutes or less, I do it immediately instead of putting it on a to-do list.
@svitlana_palamarchuk Neat! I will incorporate it. Thanks🙏
Launching soon!
A bit tangential, but beetroot juice in the afternoons to combat brain fog.
@uma_venugopal I've heard that beetroot juice is good for all sorts of things, never knew it helps with productivity. Thanks🙌
Some good instrumental music helps - especially when I want to cut off and be 100% focused.
@yogesh_joshi9 I've used classical music before; what kind of instrumental music are you listening to?
During work, I listen to calming music, take a short break every hour or so to clear my mind, and break large tasks into smaller tasks so that I can focus on one thing at a time. I've also found that setting aside a specific time during the day to do one specific task can help me stay focused and motivated.
@antonikozelski wooow! What kind of music are you listening to?
Also, breaking a bigger task in smaller tasks is new to me! Thank you!🙏
@andrei_costea2 mostly with the title "Meditating" You can some great examples here --> https://www.youtube.com/@CalmWhale
I do all my meetings and whatever else that might distract me as soon as I start my day so that I can block out the rest of the day to work on tasks that require more concentration and/or thinking. I still get disturbed once in a way, but at least I’ve minimised the chances of it as much as possible.
@navinpeiris neat! I can't schedule my meetings however I want, but I guess the point would be to separate focused work from admin work, right?
So here are some my tips to you:
1.Take a cold shower - this can help wake you up and increase alertness.
2.Work in 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between (known as the Pomodoro technique).
3.Use a standing desk or exercise ball as your chair to keep your body active while you work.
4.Listen to instrumental or ambient music to help you focus( personally Doja Cat music help me with that lol).
5.Use the "two-minute rule" to tackle small tasks immediately rather than putting them off.
7.Use the "eat the frog" method by tackling your most difficult task first thing in the morning.
And I always every morning drinks some vitamins which I buy here https://www.canadapharmacy.com/ but u can buy it anywhere u want . This really makes me more productive !
@odessa_holland awesomeee!! Already doing the cold showers, never thoughr about using an exercise ball while sitting. Thank you🙏
15-30 mins of video games!
It may seem unusual, but works just fine.
I go to a coffee shop and choose a comfortable spot where others can see what I'm working on.
While no one is particularly interested, I prefer to avoid watching videos, scrolling through SM or doing work-unrelated activities. In a coffee place, there are few distractions, you can just order another cup and sit at your table grinding away.
Chewing gum helps you concentrate apparently, otherwise, I've been living a lie 😂
using your calendar as you to-do. Time does not expand, so when you schedule your tasks two things happen:
1. you are very aware of how much you can accomplish in your day and what you're prioritizing
2. we all live in our calendars, so it's literally impossible to miss your top priority goals.
I play a movie I've watched before in the background while I work. It's like a substitute for music but helps me focus.
Setting visual reminders.
@angel_william neat! Do you use pen and paper or digital visual reminders?
Uninstalling Instagram!
I know that this may sound more like procrastination, but for me, it is going for a walk. When I am stuck and can't squeeze more, I have to switch to another activity.
Taking a cold shower in the morning. It may sound unpleasant, but it helps me wake up and feel energized for the day.
- Grounding mat under my desk. Grounding’s like from walking barefoot in nature, a flow state hack
- Brain.fm has a selection of binaural beats esp for ADD. You can choose genre and adjust settings to maximize neural effects. It’s ambient music and got enough novelty at a subconscious level to keep you engaged.
- Novel sensory stuff that I swap out periodically so gets enough novelty input without leaving the current work eg texture on water bottle
- Not changing stuff in my eye line around my office so my brain isn’t like oh something new let’s allocate some processing to that
- Noting my energy/focus and doing the linear when focus is easiest
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