Tips & tricks for top-notch productivity

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the temptation to ditch the desk and explore the outdoors is real. If you read our earlier blog post about managing work-life balance, you know we don’t see the outdoors as a bad thing. So let’s get you working smarter, not harder, to maximize your time inside so that you can spend your free time as far away from your desk as possible.

Here are three ways to increase your productivity.

No email until noon

Impossible, right? Would you believe me if I said that email was a distraction in your day and not helpful? That it prevents you from starting your day off on the right foot? According to New York Times bestseller James Clear, he spends the “morning pursuing my own agenda rather than reacting to everybody else’s agenda.”

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How do you want to spend your morning? Finish a bookkeeping task you didn’t quite get through the day before; write your next blog article and social content to support it; write everything down you need to do and prioritize as needed.

Figure out when you’re most productive

Some people are early birds (with or without worms), while others are midday warriors or night owls. In short, there is no generally correct right answer for when society is most productive. Studies have found that our circadian rhythms and biological clocks run our lives, so we have to accept them and use them to our benefit.

Optimizing your days based on when you’re most alert will help you complete tasks and make you feel more accomplished. If you find yourself lagging through the day and then feeling like you’ve hit an energy bomb in the late afternoon or early evening, you’re likely a night owl and need to find other things to occupy your mornings with; maybe check your emails!

Take breaks

A big workday can sometimes feel like a 10-course meal, cumbersome and just too much. But the only way to get through it is to approach it one bite at a time.

Every time you complete a task, take a break.

Get up and stretch.

Refill your coffee mug or water glass.

Take a quick walk around your block.

Clear your mind and mentally prepare for your next task.

Dividing up your day with little pauses throughout will make it feel more manageable, maybe even enjoyable. Treat your breaks like rewards, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in a day.

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For more helpful tips read 7 productivity apps to level up your game.