There are countless excuses for putting tasks off. But what do you do if you NEED to get “in the zone” and get stuff done?
People online are sharing the “weirdest productivity hacks” that actually have worked for them. And, anything is worth a try. Here are a few:
1. “How much can I get done before this song ends?”
2. “The 5 Minute Rule: ‘If a task should take less than five minutes, do it now.'”
3. “Listening to the RIGHT THING: Generic white noise, classical music, something instrumental like a video game soundtrack, or ‘movie music from spaghetti Westerns.'”
4. “I switch rooms depending on the task . . . Writing? Kitchen. Emails? Bedroom floor. My brain thinks it’s a new job each time and stays alert.”
5. “Burn a candle with a certain scent every time you do a certain task.”
6. “I have a resistance band around the legs of my work chair and do leg extensions if I’m getting distracted.”
7. “What works for me is hating someone and wanting to do better than them.”
8. “A former boss of mine would say, ‘Before you start anything, think for 10 minutes how you’re going to do it.'”
9. “Tidy as you go. Train yourself to look around before leaving a room, and pick something up that you can put away where you’re going.”
10. “Every time I need to make an important phone call, I put on red lipstick. Something about it makes me feel more confident and professional.”
11. “Give me a deadline and I’ll make it. Don’t, and I won’t.”
12. “I put all my tasks on slips of paper in a jar. Then, I draw one randomly and do it. It’s like a game, and it makes things seem less overwhelming because they’re broken into small chunks and not all in one long scary list.”
13. “It’s easier to start writing in Comic Sans. It doesn’t seem as serious.”
14. “The entire roll of garbage bags goes in the garbage can. It’s much easier.”
15. “Pretending to be incompetent, so someone will step in and do it for you.”
