TL;DR [HOW TO BE PRODUCTIVE]: I get it. Sometimes being productive isn’t fun and you’d much rather do something a lot more exciting like spending the night out with your friends or binging the latest season of your favorite TV series. But you know the saying: “Work hard, play hard.” Getting important things done like homework or household chores and feeling relieved is what makes those exciting experiences even more worth it and anticipated. So, today I’m going to share with you some of my tried-and-true productivity tips!
Let me guess…
You’ve been staring at your computer screen for the last 20 minutes hoping to mark a few things off your to-do list but, in reality, you haven’t completed a single task. And no matter how hard you try or how much motivation you seek, you still can’t seem to get anything done.
If you find yourself in this situation fairly often, this post is exactly for you. I consider myself a productive person — arguably even more productive than the average individual because I work like crazy on my company, The Self Discovery Project. I won’t get too into it but just know that I will happily spend over 12 hours on TSDP doing all kinds of things like designing Pins for Pinterest, doing competitor research, and figuring out what my next blog post will be.
But none of that is possible without some of my absolute favorite productivity tips. These are essentially the things that allow me to be as productive as I am (like staying up until 5AM making Pins and having to go to work at 8AM).
Rambling aside… in this post, I’m going to show you how to be productive. I’ll teach you what productivity is and why it’s important, and give 16 of my favorite tips to stay productive without burning out, feeling uninspired, or heavily depending on motivation.
Are you ready, Star? Let’s do this!
This post is all about how to be productive.
What is productivity, and why is it so important?
Before we go any further, I wanted to quickly “address” something. I know my introduction makes it seem like I’m this productive monster who never gets tired of working, but the truth is that I only feel that way about my OWN business. When it comes to my day job and other responsibilities, I really have to rely on the productivity tips that I share in this post — especially the infamous beast known as self-discipline.
Now onto the definition of productivity.
Psychology Today (one of my favorite psychology blogs) defines productivity as the ability of an individual, team, or organization to work efficiently within that time in order to maximize output.
I can already see you reading that and thinking, “Oh, that’s not what I thought productivity was!” And frankly, I’m with you on that one because until I searched for the real definition of it, I thought being productive simply meant keeping yourself busy and getting things done. Which, as both of us just learned, is only partially accurate.
But that right there makes for the perfect mindset shift (which we love on TSF). Instead of looking at productivity as this dreadful, grown-up, uneventful thing… try to see it for what it actually is: optimizing your time and resources to complete a reasonable & healthy number of tasks in a given period of time.
Now that we have that out the way… why is productivity important?
Being productive is important for a number of reasons, but it’s especially imperative because it prevents prolongedboredom, allows you to complete important tasks, and teaches you to be a more efficient person.
Reasons You’re Struggling with Productivity:
Before we jump into how to be productive, I think it’s crucial to tackle some of the things that are preventing you from being productive in the first place. This is, by no means, a full or exhaustive list, but it’ll hopefully get you wondering why you’re struggling with productivity and address the root cause before trying some of the productivity hacks in this post.
Here are a few reasons you might be struggling with productivity:
1. Your to-do list is too long or vague
I actually talk about this pretty soon in this post so I’ll keep this concise. Chances are you’re struggling with productivity because your to-do list is either way too long or isn’t descriptive enough. And if both happen to be true? No wonder you can’t get or stay productive!
Try to make your to-do list short and sweet, only including tasks that you can realistically complete in one work session or one day. That way, you don’t overwhelm yourself with 10+ different tasks and end up not starting them or only partially completing them.
2. Your tasks aren’t interesting enough
Of course a to-do list isn’t always going to be fun, per se. I wouldn’t exactly consider filing your taxes or getting your car serviced to be the most enjoyable activities in the world.
However, the less daunting a task feels, the more motivated (we’ll talk about motivation later in this post because she deserves her own segment) you’ll feel to complete it.
3. You have a neurodivergent brain
I have to be particularly careful and cautious when I mention a topic like this because I’m not a medically credible source. But I will share everything I know based on personal experience (yes, I have a neurodivergent brain) along with intentional research.
I’ve noticed that I often struggle to not only stay productive but, more interestingly, to get productive. That naturally drew me to do some research, from which I learned that neurodivergent individuals — and even people without neurodivergent conditions, like perfectionists — sometimes struggle to start a task due to task initiation, which can be further impacted by perfectionism, fear of failure, and overestimating the effort or discomfort involved.
This all ultimately leads to an absurd amount of overthinking and avoidance.
4. You’re using the wrong planner
In the most general sense, there’s really no such thing as the “perfect planner.” Different planners have various features and pages that cater to specific people. And that right there is worth noting because if you’re subjectively using the wrong planner for the kind of planner you are, then you probably aren’t making the best use of a planner in general.
I realized that while those massive Notion planners on Etsy are really nice and functional, they aren’t the most practical for me because I get overwhelmed by how many sections there are. In fact, I’ve purchased several in the past and have never consistently used any of them.
To fix this, spend some time thinking about and analyzing the kind of planner you are.
Do you need to jot down every single task or idea that comes to mind? Do you prefer an hourly schedule or a simple list of tasks to complete for the day? Do you need yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily views? Or do you just need a monthly and daily view? Do you prefer a digital or physical planner? Do planners even work for you at all?
There are so many things to consider when buying a planner, and I can’t really fit them all into this post, so I’m planning (all pun intended) to write a full guide on how to choose the right planner. I’ll let you know when it goes live!
5. You have the wrong idea about productivity
Once again, I mentioned this in the previous section, so I’ll save your ears and keep this brief.
Just to recap, if you think that being productive is all about having this long, drawn-out task list that you’re unrealistically ambitious about completing in one day, you’ve unfortunately got the wrong idea. And until you shift your mindset,you’ll likely continue to struggle with productivity.
You need to learn that productivity is simply using your time and resources efficiently to get things done!
Now that we’ve covered some of the reasons you may be struggling to be productive, we can finally get into the main topic of this post: how to be productive. Get cozy because I’m about to share 16 productivity tips that make me my most productive self and get things done.
How to Be Productive:
1. Start your day early
C’mon… in a post where I talk about using your time efficiently, I think it’s pretty smart to maximize your time by, well, getting up early.
The only problem is that this is slightly complicated. Why? Because depending on your sleep habits and daily routine, this may or may not be feasible.
I know it sounds logical to get up at 6AM and get an early start on the day, but if you didn’t go to sleep until midnight, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You need a healthy amount of sleep so you can actually, you know, function throughout the day. The exact number of hours you need will depend on a number of factors (like age, sex, sleep history, and underlying health issues), but as a general rule of thumb, you should aim for seven hours at the very least.
Once you figure all that out, you can (finally) get a head start on your day so you’ll have more time to be productive. I know people share this productivity tip all the time but, I mean, hey, they share it for a reason: it works!
I’ve found that when I wake up even just 2 hours earlier than usual, I have a lot more time to do things, which ultimately reduces stress and the number of days I have to stretch a list of tasks.
RELATED POST: 32 Tried-and-True Tips for Better Sleep: Things to Do to Get 8 Restful Hours Every Night
2. Work in a well-lit environment
I think it goes without saying that you probably won’t feel too productive if you’re working in a dark office, coffee shop, or some other dark space. That just doesn’t make for the best work environment.
Instead of working in the dark like you’re some top-secret FBI agent, you should open up those blinds and let the sun shine through. And if that isn’t an option for whatever reason, you should at least use artificial lighting. At the end of the day, it essentially serves the same purpose anyway… just slightly less natural.
Don’t believe me? Test it. We’re going to to a quick (but easy) experiment. I promise it won’t be as boring as it sounds.
Spend 30 minutes doing your typical productive things like responding to emails or doing household chores in a well-lit room. After the 30 minutes are over, I want you to briefly assess how you felt during that time and how much you were able to get done. Then, perform the same tasks in a poorly-lit room. Repeat that analysis and compare it to the original one.
Which one was more effective? Actually, I don’t even have to guess; I already know the answer!
3. Make to-do lists strategically
Of course I couldn’t make it too far into a “how to be productive” post before mentioning a to-do list. I just couldn’t. What kind of personal development blogger would I be if I didn’t? Let’s get serious (okay, I’m done with the humorous tangents… maybe).
While you don’t absolutely NEED a to-do list to be productive (I personally only make one when I’ve been procrastinating certain things for too long), you’ll find that having one can make a significant difference — especially if you love the satisfaction of crossing off a task every time you finish one. Why? Because you’re usually able to focus better (and, in turn, get more done) when you have a specific list of tasks to complete.
The key word here, though, is specific. If you can’t seem to cross anything off your to-do list, it’s possibly because each task is painfully vague. Instead of writing something like respond to emails or clean the house, you should write something more distinct, like respond to 5 emails or spend 45 minutes cleaning the kitchen. As you can see, both tasks are still under the same umbrella but they’re a lot more doable because they’re more specific.
And something that’s almost as important: STOP MAKING LONG TO-DO LISTS. I know life can get hectic and you find yourself filling your to-do list faster than you can fill your mouth with ice cream after a breakup (sorry if that just happened to you, BTW), but you’ve got to stop making those long, unrealistic to-do lists. The longer it is, the more intimidating it will look and feel.
Oh, and one final thing: try to make every task related. What I mean by this is, say you have some schoolwork to complete. Make a specific school to-do list with several school-related tasks instead of including them in a massive, scrambled to-do list (gee, how many times will I say to-do list?). This way, your brain kind of understands that you’re focusing on one particular topic, which will allow you to be much more productive and, well, focused.
That, my friend, is how to make a to-do list that actually WORKS, okay?! I feel like I should write a dedicated post for to-do lists because I’ve got even more advice to give. But I’ll leave that up to future DeMarcus.
4. Focus on self-discipline instead of motivation
You may have noticed in the introduction that I quietly mentioned motivation. And here at The Starform, we have an interesting relationship with motivation. Because while she’s an undeniably great feeling, we can’t always rely on her to give us what we truly need, which is self-discipline. (I don’t think I ever imagined personifying motivation, yet here we are…).
Soon I’m writing a post all about self-discipline, so I’ll save your ears and keep this somewhat short.
You need to focus on self-discipline instead of motivation because motivation is an external factor that you cannot consistently rely on. Motivation comes and goes, and even though that’s also true for self-discipline, it’s much more powerful to be able to rely on yourself to do something than it is to rely on someone or something else.
I often find myself feeling unmotivated to do something as simple as cleaning my room but I have to remind myself that if I relied on motivation to get things done, I wouldn’t accomplish nearly as much as I can or should. Basically I say, “I don’t really feel like doing it, but I should probably do it anyway.”
And guess what? It NEVER ends up being nearly as bad as I anticipate it to be. So it’s really just a mind game at that point. One that’s surprisingly hard to beat sometimes.
5. Take breaks
When I write a blog post for either of my blogs, I’m always talking to you, the reader. Obviously. But I’m also writing to some version of myself, and let me tell you, I am DEFINITELY talking to myself with this tip.
Taking breaks is wildly challenging for me to do because I’m the kind of person who reaches a flow state and refuses to detach myself from a task until I’m done. Or at least until I reach a good, reasonable stopping point that I can return to without my brain feeling foggy.
Soooooo I have to be honest with you and admit that I don’t follow this piece of advice but I know how important and effective it is, so I had to share it nevertheless. Just think of it as one of those, “Do as I say, not as I do” scenarios. I promise that’s not the kind of guide I usually am, though. This is a rather special case, I’ve gotta say.
All that to say… you should take breaks because they give your mind and body some rest. But an even more intriguing benefit of taking breaks is that you typically come back feeling even more creative and eager to finish your task.
Unless that’s just a me thing. Hopefully that’s not the case!
6. Milk TF out the flow state while it lasts
I just mentioned the “flow state” and now I’m going to dive a bit deeper into it. If you didn’t know, a flow state (in my own words) is basically that feeling you get when you’ve got tons of ideas coming to you, you’re ultra productive, and can’t afford to be interrupted. Because if you are, you’ll quickly leave the flow state and go back to your normal working routine. Which is completely fine, but I can’t even begin to explain how much I love being in a flow state.
As much as I live it, I’m not exactly fond of how short-lived it usually is. Depending on what I’m doing, my flow state will last anywhere between a few seconds of quick thoughts and 12-hour work session.
Yes, you heard that right: a whopping twelve consecutive hours.
In fact, I’m actually in a flow state right now (as you can probably tell). It’s currently 5:34PM and I got off work at 3. Since I got home, I’ve been catching up on all the things I’ve been putting off the last few days: cleaning my room, doing laundry, and, admittedly, writing the blog post you’re reading right now. I don’t know how much longer it’ll last (I’ll probably update you later in the post), but I’m definitely enjoying it in the moment.
Okay DeMarcus, get back on track!
Flow states don’t last forever, so you really need to milk the heck out of them while they’re happening. That means trying to get every good idea out of your brain, completing every task you can within reason, and noting every valuable thing that comes to mind (update: not even two minutes later, my flow state has unfortunately ended and I’m about to order Chick-fil-A and watch travel videos on YouTube for the rest of the night… I should’ve known it wasn’t going to last very long).
7. Create somewhat of a work-life balance
The key word here is “somewhat.”
This is probably going to look slightly (or even significantly) different for you than it will for me or anyone else. With me being a content creator — specifically a personal development and travel blogger — my content is directly influenced by my life. I turn a lot of my experiences into content on The Starform and The Solo Solstice, so it’s rather challenging to find that gap between my personal and work life.
Meanwhile, you might have a standard corporate 9-5 job where you’re a bit more able to create a fine line between your work and personal life.
No matter where the heck you work or how you get your money, creating a work-life balance can do wonders for your productivity levels. Taking time away from your job as a whole is just as important as taking a break during a single work session.
Now, when it comes to actually creating that balance, that’s a whole other story that we’ll get into in a different post. I’ll update this post once that guide goes live!
8. Set up a reward system
You’ve probably noticed by now that I’m quite fascinated by all things psychology. And one of my favorite psychological productivity hacks (probably not a true hack, but for the lack of more accurate wording…) is to set up a reward system. This is probably one you’re already doing, so you’re on the right track.
A reward system is, in short, a system that that you create to motivate you to complete a certain task or list of tasks. I know you see Ms. Motivation making an appearance again but just like last time, she’s strategic with her presence. This time, she’s disguising herself as a cousin of self-discipline because it’s more internal.
There’s a wide range of things you can reward yourself with, from an hour long reading session or a relaxing bubble bath to a full-fledged, budget-free shopping spree. Whatever you choose as your reward, make sure that it makes sense relative to the task you have to complete in order to earn it.
For example, if you spent an hour cleaning your bedroom, it probably doesn’t make much sense to reward yourself with the aforementioned no-budget shopping spree.
As nice as that sounds, it’s a little unreasonable.
A more logical reward would be something like catching up on a season of your favorite show or cooking yourself a delectable meal.
9. Surround yourself with other productive people
Have you ever noticed that you feel a lot more productive when working on a group project at school or clocking into your job? Yeah, that’s because you’re more likely to feel productive when you surround yourself with other productive people.
It’s the psychology again. Maybe even a little physiological psychology if you wanna get technical.
Even if you aren’t on the clock or simply aren’t doing anything related to your job, you can still find productive spaces in your area. The best kinds you’ll find are coffee shops, libraries, and similar places where people like to post up at a table with their laptop and get some serious work done.
The travel-obsessed trait in me would also recommend working in an airport lounge. Those folks in there are surprisingly productive considering they’re about to be 30,000+ feet in the air. Obviously this isn’t always the most immediate option, but it’s definitely worth considering when you do **have the opportunity.
10. Eliminate as many distractions as possible
Distractions, distractions, distractions… arguably the most annoying productivity killer.
I’ve personally noticed the number one thing that prevents me from getting or staying productive are distractions — and I mean distractions of ALL kinds. I’m talking loud washing machines, unnecessarily loud conversations a few feet away, the room being too hot or cold, something that’s been lingering on my mind for a while, unpleasant smells, and most distracting of all, my phone.
Depending on what you’re doing, you may have more or less distractions to eliminate. And on top of that, those distractions can greatly vary with the task at hand.
If, for instance, you’re getting ready to sit down for a quick journaling session, some of the main distractions you’ll want to get rid of are your phone and any auditory distractors like a loud washing machine or noisy conversations.
On the other hand, if you’re cleaning your room (I apologize for repeatedly using the same example but, hey, it works!), you’ll need to remove any visual or physical distractions that can keep you from staying productive.
Ideally you’ll want to work in a complete distraction-free environment. I understand this isn’t always possible, so you really should aim to eliminate as many distractions as possible. Even if you just put your phone on DND or crank up the AC just a tad, that can greatly help to increase your productivity levels.
11. Keep everything organized
I’m not saying you need to be this crazy Type-A person who has a dedicated space for every single thing. But the more organized you are, the more productive you’ll be because you don’t have stuff scrambled all over the place and won’t find yourself spending ten minutes looking for that important file you saved during your work meeting a few weeks ago.
If you have trouble staying organized or simply want to get even more organized, I have a full post on how to organize your life. It’s coming soon, so stay tuned!
12. Indulge in entertainment while being productive
This might seem a little counterintuitive because what do you mean I should listen to music while I write a 10-page essay that’s due at the end of the night? (First of all, you shouldn’t be writing that long of a paper so close to the due date, but I digress).
It turns out that doing something productive while indulging in entertainment (like listening to a podcast or playing some low-volume acoustic music in the background) can actually work pretty well.
Spotify has thousands of great playlists specifically for studying or working, so I recommend searching for some on there. Also, YouTube has a wide range of videos for you to play in the background. Oh, and finally, you can specifically look for some of those videos where people complete their task list and serve as motivation (👀) for you to complete your own to-do list.
13. Stop trying to multitask
I don’t know what’s up with jobs demanding you to be able to multitask because, quite frankly, multitasking is physically and mentally impossible. You can’t, by any means, complete two tasks simultaneously. You might think you can, but what you’re really doing is quickly switching between tasks which, according to the concrete definition of multitasking, isn’t actually multitasking.
So stop trying to be this productive beast and just focus on one task at a time. And besides, you’ll be far more successful doing this since you’re dedicating all of your time and energy one one specific task rather than trying to divide it and disperse it among several different tasks.
14. Don’t change immediately when you get home from work
This one is slightly niche, so stay with me.
I’ve seen a few TikToks where people come home from work and intentionally avoid changing so they can complete a few tasks before relaxing for the rest of the night. And I couldn’t help but to think, “Wow, that’s a brilliant idea!”
Because truthfully, it is. Wouldn’t it make sense to get a few things done before you even think about changing out of your work clothes? Let’s be real: most of the time, the sooner you get it done, the better.
15. Accept that you won’t be able to finish everything in one session
Last but certainly not least: accept that you won’t be able to finish everything in one session. I know you want to be this productive beast who can knock out every thing on your to-do list in one day or one session. But you have to ask yourself if that’s realistic. I’m gonna save yourself the time and assure you that, no, that is NOT realistic.
This is another one of those tips where I’m targeting myself because I struggle with this a lot more often than I’d like to admit. I often sit down at my desk with this unhealthy mindset that I’m going to finish everything on my to-do list in one session. And guess what happens? I get upset when I realize I can’t do it all in one sitting. So I’m definitely working on that.
16. Make one to-do list and stick with it
Have you ever made a to-do list, thinking that’s all you’re going to tackle for the day, then suddenly you’ve got at least five more tasks on the list?
Yeah, I just did that and realized how harmful it is. The problem is, when you do this, you’re almost putting yourself into this situation that’s seemingly impossible to get out of. You start with a set number of tasks and progressively add even more as you complete the original ones. And it just keeps on happening until you realize you simply cannot finish everything because you keep adding stuff.
That said, you need to make one to-do list and stick with it. Come up with stuff while you’re working on that one? Just write it on a sticky note or jot it down in your notes app on your phone, and come back to it when you’re actually ready.
Recap
Today, we talked about how to be productive. I taught you all about what productivity is, why it’s important, and 15 of my BEST tips for being productive.
Time to Take Action
We’ve reached my favorite part: it’s time to take action. Once you’ve read the entire post, I want you to pick ONE productivity tip and tell me how you’re going to implement it into your daily routine. Please just choose one for now and slowly work it into your productivity regimen rather than trying to do it all at once. That’s a quick, surefire way to burn out — and that’s exactly what we try to AVOID in this post.
Feel free to share your response in the comments. You can even email me if you’d feel more comfortable doing that. I can’t wait to see what you plan on doing to be a more productive individual.
As always, if there’s something I didn’t describe something enough or there’s a topic you wanted me to explore, don’t hesitate to ask! Leave a comment, email me, or shoot me a DM on Instagram and I’ll be more than happy to share everything I know.
Until next time, keep shining, Star — one day at a time.
