Boost Your Productivity with these Simple Hacks

Some days you wake up feeling like a million bucks; your mind is clear of all the noise, ideas are flowing, and you feel like you can just take on the world. 😌

But then you hit a wall and start feeling the 2 PM slump—right when you need to keep going to hit your deadline. (Of course, right?)

So what do you do when there are just not enough cups of coffee and motivational podcast episodes to help you get through your workday? That's when you need another approach!

Here are 22 of the best tips and hacks you can use to boost your productivity and mental battery, especially on days when you need the extra push to the finish line!

1. Start categorizing your work by priority and execute accordingly

• Use the Eisenhower matrix to organize your task by priority; assign urgency and important levels to each task to help you identify tasks that need to be prioritized, delegated, and disregarded

• Then use the Eat the Frog method to maximize your brain power and focus; get your most important and biggest tasks done first thing in the morning

2. Use effective time management strategies

• Try the Pomodoro Technique; work in intervals of 25 minutes to maximize attention and focus
• Start time blocking; block out time for specific tasks and focus solely on that task instead of multitasking
• Dedicate power working hours and be present; block out ‘focus time’ on your calendar to ensure you have sufficient time in the day to get done what you need
• Batch high-focus and low-focus tasks, use email organization best practices like the OHIO method (only handle it once), and avoid multitasking to optimize brainpower, attention, and focus

It’s easy to fall into endless Zoom meetings when in remote and hybrid working environments. Your calendar quickly fills up with meetings that could easily be carried out asynchronously. Frequently switching between heads down, individual work, and meetings can be highly disruptive to your productivity.

—Nick Churcher, Head of Growth at Scribe

3. Choose the right work tools

• Consolidate your work apps; use an all-in-one project management and productivity tool to streamline your workflow by bringing all your work together in one centralized place
• Use a website blocker to help eliminate distractions and the urge to check anything else but what you're currently working on

4. Work smarter and save time with AI tools

• Reduce time-consuming and repetitive tasks with project management tools with custom automation features
• Beat writer's block and speed up writing time by using copywriting AI tools and features to assist with writing, editing, brainstorming sessions, and more
• Make quick and informed business decisions with tools that incorporate predictive analytics and real-time reporting

5. Break down complex tasks into manageable subtasks 

• Keep your to-do list manageable and actionable by breaking down your work into smaller tasks

This method is more likely to work better as each team member has a specific thing to do, and they’ll give their best and better time to complete the tasks. Plus, it won’t feel like a burden when working collaboratively as a team.

—Daria Maltseva, Head of Product at KeyUA

6. Get movement breaks in throughout your day

• Boost your "awake" hormones. Moving your body in the morning before work spikes brain activity, preparing you for mental stresses and complex situations for the rest of the day and increasing retention of new information
• Allocate short movement breaks throughout your work day to help refresh your mindset
• Get a standing desk; try using a height-adjustable office desk to break up long periods of sitting and to remind you to move your legs for better blood and oxygen circulation, which powers up your brain

7. Change your environment from time to time

• Switch up where you work or go outside to get natural light; the effects of natural elements and sunlight exposure helps boost mood and reduce anxiety

8. Plan the following workday before you close the laptop for the night

• Clear your notifications and emails, and create a to-do list for the next day to prevent feeling overwhelmed in the morning

Before I go to bed, I note down the tasks to do the next day, so when I wake up in the morning, I don’t have to worry or look to do anything new that could disrupt my productivity–I already have ‘work’ to do.

This way, you sleep well knowing what you will do the next day, and the morning feels welcoming.

—Adam Connelly, Software Engineer at spacelift.io

Productivity Hacks and ClickTips from the ClickUp Crew

1. Get a goal-tracking app and start setting weekly goals 

• Setting weekly goals with measurable targets will help keep you on track by giving you a structured approach 

2. Take advantage of task templates to save time and move your tasks quicker

• Use the task templates in ClickUp to create reusable templates for you and your team

3. Automate your work

• ClickUp Automations do the busy work and create consistent processes so you and your team can devote your productive time and energy to other creative and important tasks

4. Organize your tasks by urgency

• Label your tasks according to importance or urgency with priority flags in ClickUp

5. Stop tab fever and use ClickUp Task Tray

• Minimize a task from any view to keep your important tasks in a visible line-up and to avoid toggling through multiple browser tabs

If I can do it in five minutes or less—I do it and clear the notification.

If it requires a longer set of time or is a bigger project, I put the task in my Task Tray and close it out when all the action items in the tasks have been completed!

—Holly Peck, Sr. Coaching Manager at ClickUp

6. Create shortcuts and short actions

• Remove unnecessary clicks and get to the right pages more quickly with Favorites menu bar in ClickUp

I keep the Calendar pinned from the Quick Actions button so that I can quickly view my calendar from anywhere in the platform without having to leave the current page I’m on and go to the Home screen where the calendar lives.

Jonathon Popphan, Associate Training Specialist at ClickUp

7. Save important tasks in one view

• Create your favorite lineup that is unique to your workflow and preferences, and find your favorites in your Sidebar or pinned to the top of your Workspace

If you’re using pinned favorite views, change their name to an emoji or abbreviation—it allows more favorite views to be visible.

About 90% of my day-to-day ClickUp navigation is through the favorite bar.

—Jeremy Galante, Sr. SEO Manager at ClickUp

Maximize Your Workdays: Work Smarter with the Right Tools!

There’s always more work to be done than there is time in the day to do it.

We all know that feeling of being overwhelmed by the number of tasks on our plate and the looming sense of dread that comes with them, and it’s easy to get sidetracked (or unmotivated), especially when we’re trying to focus on a task that we don’t find particularly interesting or inspiring. 

It’s a great thing there’s a hack for everything these days!

Try these productivity tips out and use the features in ClickUp to help you work smarter, beat procrastination, train your brain to increase your attention span, and tap into your productive mode—on demand! 

Read the full article and access all other productivity blogs here!