Nine Productivity Hacks

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

You know what isn’t useful? Cookie-cutter, stock image-adjacent, tale-as-old-as time advice, especially when that advice relates to work. No productivity hack will help you if you aren’t able to tolerate the work you do. So, step one is having or getting a job you don’t hate, or engaging in work that is at least somewhat worth the hours you’ll inevitably put into it.

1. Develop A Routine.

Jordan Peterson is a renowned clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, and author who happens to be a huge advocate of schedules, routines, and lists. First, he says, you need to have a higher vision or goal for yourself and build your routine backward from that. My daily routine is this: wake up, workout, shower, coffee, breakfast, work. The items on my working to-do list are forever shifting but I know that I will dedicate a certain chunk of my day to work, and my lists guide my most relevant tasks. The most important thing is to plan your days so you aren’t floundering from task to task. Dr. Peterson says, “Aim high, and then concentrate on the day. What do you need to attend to, in order to be in a better place tonight than you were in this morning?” Watch a video from Dr. Peterson about routines and schedules here.

2. Time Block.