7 effortless ways to be more productive

Do you feel super sluggish at work lately? Has your brain been working on overdrive and you feel you’re borderline burnt out. Worry not because we have a solution! As compiled from Daily Mail, Huffington Post and Reader’s Digest, here’s a list that will help you discover how to power through more tasks before lunch than you usually complete in one whole day.

Take breaks early in the day

Research suggests that the most beneficial time to get out of your work zone is in between when you arrive at the office and when you break for lunch. A study found that frequent short breaks were better at replenishing mental resources, such as energy, concentration, and motivation, than infrequent long breaks. “Unlike your cellphone, which popular wisdom tells us should be depleted to zero per cent before you charge it fully to 100%, people instead need to charge more frequently throughout the day,” explains Emily Hunter, PhD, who worked on the study. Therefore, that 11 am coffee break (and 1 pm and 3 pm mini breaks) — totally officially justified!



Look at photos of baby animals

As long as you don’t get too carried away with those adorable kittens on social media, glancing at photos of cute animals could be just what the doctor (or your boss) ordered. One study found that people who looked at pictures of baby animals before they completed a task performed far better than those who observed photos of adult animals or neutral subjects. A wallpaper of a puppy can definitely do the trick if you’re pressed for time!

Grab some gum

Chewing gum is not a bad habit if it makes you more productive. And the good news is that researchers are beginning to think it totally does. “People who chew gum report increased productivity at work, which fits in with what studies show in the lab,” shares Andrew Smith, a professor at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, who specialises in health-related behaviour. The practice of continual chewing stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which in turn stimulates the part of the brain associated with alertness, explains Smith.

Give yourself a time limit

Yes, it’s okay to play boss with yourself! Make it a daily habit to break your workday down into 25-minute segments, with short breaks in between. During each segment, set your focus to one particular task (say, outlining a report or organising your inbox) and don’t allow any distractions. Doing this will force you to identify that tasks that are most important for you to complete first, as well as inform you as to how long it actually takes you to complete certain assignments.

Follow the two-minute rule

Time management consultant and bestselling author David Allen pioneered this time-saving technique: If you determine a task can be completed in two minutes, do that task as soon as it comes onto your radar. “It’ll take longer to organise it and review it than it would be to actually finish it the first time you notice it,” notes Allen. “If you don’t avoid the question about what’s the next step, lots of two minute items could be done right then.” Simply put, stop piling on work and get stuff done as soon as it creeps up.

Eat the frog

Don’t sweat it, it’s not a real frog! Complete the task that you’re dreading completing the most as soon as you get to the office each morning. Time-management expert and author Brian Tracy calls this “eating the frog,” a phrase that was derived from an old saying that says, “if the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day.” Don’t allow an annoying task to hang over your head for an entire day. Make it a rule of thumb to accomplish it while you’re still full of energy first thing in the morning.

Curb chaotic colours

If your goal is to focus, colour psychologists advise against bold colour schemes. “Colours that are very saturated and not very bright — like emerald green and sapphire blue — generally promote an energy level that puts people into overdrive if they’re trying to do thoughtful work alone or to collaborate with others. They just can’t concentrate well,” shares Sally Augustin, an environmental psychologist and principal at Design With Science. Instead, limit your office — or at the very least, your personal space — to subtle hues like taupes, tonal whites, and warm grays. If you begin missing your vivid hues, add splashes of colour with desk accessories and personal photos.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2016.

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