Productivity Hacks for an Organized Mind and Life
As neuroscientists have done studies on the effects of what’s called choice overload, the information we’re being fed constantly lessens the chance to make any choice at all. While we do believe variety is important and useful, especially with technology aiding us to know more, when making choices our brains can only take so much as 8-15 at maximum and that’s pushing it.
So how do we create the space we really need to boost productivity in a culture that finds it challenging to believe that less is more? The answer is rituals to productivity, or better yet, productivity hacks.
What are productivity hacks?
We’re talking about rituals that are implemented in our daily life so that we’re showing up prepared to do our best for each responsibility, task, relationship, and our overall life. Productivity hacks also aim to create a stable foundation so that when anything unexpected shows up we’re able to tackle it with as much energy as needed without exerting ourselves. Let’s face it: nothing gets done with exhaustion taking the front seat.
These hacks can look at how we spend our mornings to how we structure our businesses to our family dynamics. But truly, for any type of positive professional or organizational development; it begins with your own productivity rituals becoming an integral thread in the fabric of your lifestyle.
Let’s take a chance to see what that looks like and how to use productivity hacks to add value to everything you do.
Get in Touch with Your Habits
Do you ever get the chance to really know what your habits are and how they play a part in your decision-making? We’d like to believe that everyone is mindful in this way but we are realistic enough to know that this isn’t always the case.
Habits are involuntary actions or ways of being that have been reinforced time and time again by our behaviors. These can include the way we speak to others, what we eat, our routines, the tasks we prioritize at work, and so on. They can make or break us and that’s why it’s incredibly valuable to understand your own habits so that you can determine where adjustments need to be made.
Take a chance to do any or all of the following 4 hacks and see what comes up:
Make a list of the good and bad habits you’re conscious of. Think of them as habits that cost you unnecessary time, energy, money, or pain. You can write down 2 columns in a journal with Good Habits on one and Bad Habits on the other for an easier way to jot down your list.
Notice your reactions to the behaviours that weigh heavily on you and the ones that motivate. What’s the difference between each in the way you feel?
Sit every day for at least 5 minutes in a quiet environment to get acquainted with your thoughts and how you’re feeling. What are the most common thoughts that bubble up in your mind? Notice what themes are taking up a lot of mental space, without judgment.
Become aware of how your day usually goes. Is there room for improvement? Start small and make a realistic plan to implement something new that’ll benefit your day.
Change Your Relationship with Multitasking
We hate to break it to you but multitasking isn’t really as productive as the hustle and bustle culture makes it seem. In this Lifehack article, they share how recent neurological studies simply say, “multitasking itself is impossible” and we completely agree.
Think about the last time you had to focus on a task and someone nearby began sharing important details or asking specific questions of you simultaneously. How much were you able to pay attention to either activity?
Ever run into the issue of a slow computer when you have too many tabs open or programs running? If it’s helpful, think of your never-ending list of responsibilities as tabs or programs.
There’s no way you can execute all tasks with full attention if you’re switching from tab to tab without completing the one that was first opened. That action causes your energy to be zapped and the wonderment of where the time has gone, or wishing there were more than 24 hours in a day, kicks in.
Attention is the most essential mental resource for any organism. According to Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind, it determines which aspects of the environment we deal with.
Our brains have evolved to focus on one thing at a time, allowing only the necessary information while tuning out the background noise. Yet so many of us battle with the ability to focus because of the sheer volume of information we consume on a daily basis and the mass chain of decisions we're expected to make as a result.
This takes up so much mental and physical energy, which forces us to have to multitask even more!
Here are some hacks you can implement to be fully present with each activity rather than having to switch from task to task without feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Have a morning routine, afternoon routine, and evening routine
Set time blocks
Do 1 task at a time
Lessen all distractions—the tangible and intangible
Clear your space before tasks and after they’re completed
Start Your Morning to Set the Tone with Self-Care for Higher Mind Functioning
The practice of self-care improves every single thing in your life. Without it, we are more susceptible to being influenced and driven by our day-to-day activities and sensory inputs rather than being mindful of how we’re able to show up where we’re most needed.
Think about self-care as cleaning out the clutter that fogs up our minds time and time again. No mind can function well when it’s filled with tons of information that’s not properly digested. And this is not simply a one and done practice. Decluttering is a muscle that needs to be strengthened and becomes more effective and efficient with consistent practice and your full attention.
To set the tone for a productive day, we love to begin with self-care practices early in the morning to create a structure for the first activities you do or decisions you make in any given day so that you can access your higher brain functioning throughout the day. These practices can be added before a day at work, before your kids wake up, before you start running errands, or before anything really.
Our minds function best when we have structure and we find that by doing the same thing each morning makes a difference in how much extraneous information we consume throughout the rest of our waking hours. These hacks we’re about to share are from our founder’s own rituals that can come in handy whenever you feel overwhelmed or want to try something new.
Start the morning with breathwork, meditation, and intention setting. This allows for space to be with feelings, thoughts, emotions, and staying present with those around you. Check out our Instagram post about how meditation can support productivity and success.
Morning yin yoga stretches to move circulation through the body and support spine health.
Herbal tea or Cacao with breakfast to limit daily caffeine intake and no caffeine after 3pm.
Set a time for a daily 30-minute walk.
Schedule up to 1 hour of uninterrupted productivity time in segments.
Play or movement breaks throughout the day. This can include actual playtime for people with children or movement with some music. There’s also writing a haiku, taking some photos, visiting a cafe, shop, or gallery.
Write out a meal plan for the week and a corresponding grocery list.
Read and/or journal before bed.
No screens 1 hour before sleep.
If you don’t work from home or have a set schedule during the day, you can still implement similar rituals when it’s accessible to you.
We hope that what we’ve shared throughout this post has made an impact on the way you see your daily routines. Try all or any of our productivity hacks in the areas where you need it most and we promise you’ll see improvements. Always remember that in order to change your actions and thought patterns, awareness is the first step and the rest is done by sticking to the small changes time after time.
What will you start with on your journey to a more well-adapted life? Feel free to share some of your productivity hacks!
