It’s Sunday morning and all week you had planned to use this day to catch up on the work that slipped through the cracks. But, now that the day is finally here, you’re lacking the motivation to get up and get started. Maybe you’ll be more motivated on Monday…or Tuesday…or the day after that. But, probably not. Chances are your productivity levels won’t just increase on their own. So, we’ve compiled a list of productivity hacks to help you get the ball rolling and stay rolling.
The Pomodoro timer is probably the most well-known method. The idea is that you set a timer for 25 minutes and work through the interval. When the timer goes off, you take a five-minute break. This cycle is called a “pomodoro”. After every four pomodoros, you are allotted a 15-30 minute break. The goal of this method is to keep you going with small, manageable productive bursts over time.
We’ve all been to brainstorming sessions and meetings where we were really energized during the meeting, but somewhere along the drive home or the walk back to our cubicle, all that motivation disappeared. Well, the Action Method suggests that you leave every event or meeting with a concrete list of “action steps” to reach whatever goals were discussed. The Action Method app by Behance creates “to-do” items out of your lists and organizes your tasks and references to help you complete them.
Mornings hold so much potential for creativity. The goal of the 10-Minute Hack is to tackle your morning head on. As soon as you wake up, pick one task that you need to accomplish and work on it for ten minutes straight. This urges you to jump start your morning. Even if you don’t finish the task, you can feel better that you started.
Created by comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Don’t Break the Chain’s goal is to help you learn a new skill or reach a goal. It’s simple. All you need is a calendar and a marker. Just pick a goal (learn a new language, get better at guitar, etc.) Every day that you work on achieving that goal, mark the date on the calendar with a big X. Hang the calendar somewhere in plain sight and eventually your marks will form a chain.
You know all those ideas floating around in your head that you “should” get to at some point? Well Jay Shirley, creator of The Daily Practice, has come up with a way to help you complete all of those tasks. Every morning, create a to-do list with these three items.
- I must________(a task that needs immediate attention).
- I should ______ (a task that will help your long-term goals).
- I want_________ (something you really want to do).
- This way your goals are prioritized in tiny, concrete tasks.
