The morning kicks off on a positive note, but before you know it, it’s already 6 p.m., and you only completed a fraction of the work that you wanted to do. You’re likely tired of hearing the same old advice: “write a to-do list” or “get up early”. The truth is, maintaining productivity isn’t always easy, especially when we’re constantly facing distractions. Strap in and check out our top 5 weird productivity hacks that won’t drain your focusing energy; we promise they actually work ✍️!

1. The Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro may be the Italian word for tomato, but it has nothing to do with fruit 🍅. It’s a time management method developed in the 80s that is used to boost your productivity. It works by breaking your workload into 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks between. It's long enough to get a little work done, but not so long that everything could feel overwhelming. Unlike trying to have your head down for hours, it’s going to feel easier stacking small sessions on top of each other.

2. Office plants

Adding one of these green-leafed friends into your working space has some amazing scientifically proven benefits! Think of office plants like your new zen co-workers, helping you to de-stress your day 🧘. Studies have shown that office plants can improve concentration and productivity by up to 15%. They also reduce stress levels, boost your mood and remove up to 87% of air toxins! It’s time to meet your newest green sidekick for a more productive day 🪴.

3. Visualise success

Before you roll up your sleeves and get to work, try this visualisation technique. The idea is to create a strong mental image of a future event 🧐. Multiple benefits come with visualisation, such as increasing your confidence, as you are “seeing” yourself succeed 💪. There are multiple ways to try this method, such as journalling in the morning or setting intentions on your drive to work. Once you have a clear image of what your day will bring, it becomes easier to understand an action plan that works best for you.

4. Try the 2-minute rule

Don’t waste time deciding whether you should do small tasks! Instead, ask yourself “Can I complete this in 2 minutes or less?”. If the answer is yes, start doing it straight away. Before you know it, you are speed-dating your tasks ⏱️. The pesky stuff can’t pile up anymore and suddenly you are ticking stuff off that to-do list!

5. Eat the frog

Now we aren't talking about the French cuisine, frog legs. In a work context, the ‘frog’ is the most important task of your day. The idea of “eat the frog” means to tackle that task first thing each day. That way, you’re less likely to procrastinate and use up mental energy fretting about that same task, while working on other things. So, frog legs anyone? 🐸

Sources: https://www.hoppier.com/blog/office-plants