5 Proven Psychological Ways to Improve Your Productivity

Sep 23, 2021 | Operation Excellence

Nicco Heng

Nicco Heng

Marketing Executive

You can increase your work productivity in many ways, like delegating various tasks, time management apps, etc. But there are also a number of psychological tricks that don’t get nearly enough recognition.

– 2 mins read

5 Proven Psychological Ways To Improve Your Productivity 01
Do you ever finish your workday feeling like you weren’t able to accomplish everything on your list? With our busy schedules and never-ending to-do lists, we are often under pressure to get things done. Being more productive at work isn’t rocket science, but it can sometimes be hard to know where to start.

Hence, that is the purpose of this read: to share with you 5 psychological ways that have been proven to boost your productivity effortlessly. Let’s jump right into it.

​

1. Stop Multi-tasking

5 Proven Psychological Ways To Improve Your Productivity 02
It can be tempting to want to take care of a few tasks at once, especially if they seem small or easy. But it simply doesn’t work. The problem with multi-tasking is that our brains cannot actually focus on multiple things at one time. When we attempt to multi-task, our brain shifts back and forth between tasks very quickly, giving the illusion that we can focus on multiple things at one time. Focus on one task at a time, and you’ll actually end up completing it faster.

2. Create Mini-Tasks

5 Proven Psychological Ways To Improve Your Productivity 03
First, take large tasks and break them up into much smaller tasks. Creating smaller tasks will giving you perspective into the scope of the master problem and allowing you to strategize before jumping in. Then, executing those small tasks one by one will dramatically increase your motivation in continuing. The end result is that you’ll be able to work more efficiently, and you’ll be more motivated to keep working hard once you get going.

3. Follow the “two-minute rule”

5 Proven Psychological Ways To Improve Your Productivity 04
According to entrepreneur Steve Olenski, finding and immediately completing tasks that take 2 minutes or less actually saves you time. So, if it takes less than two minutes, do it now. The other aspect of the two-minute rule is that any goal or habit can be started in under two minutes. This doesn’t mean you’ll be able to complete every task in 120 seconds, but starting new goals is the first step to accomplishing them!

4. Reward Yourself for Accomplishing Significant Tasks

5 Proven Psychological Ways To Improve Your Productivity 05
When you make it a habit to reward yourself after the completion of every significant task, you motivate yourself to work more productively in anticipation of the reward. This is especially useful for completing tasks that you do not get to see immediate benefits, such as drafting a proposal for a client who may or may not take up your services in the end. There are many ways in which you can reward yourself, but make sure that the reward is personally significant to you. Your reward could range from getting yourself a cup of coffee, to buying a new gadget that you have always wanted for yourself.

5. Keep Track of Your Time

5 Proven Psychological Ways To Improve Your Productivity 06
When you keep track of your time, you become intimately aware of the time you are losing through doing unnecessary things. One of the most effective ways to get more productive is to simply track your time. Know what you are doing each 15 minutes, and over time, that awareness will yield additional results.

Not all of these tricks will work for everyone because everyone is different, with different preferences, and different strengths and weaknesses. In order to figure out which strategies work best for you, you’ll simply have to experiment. Don’t just sit here and read this article without doing anything. Put these words into actions, it’s the only way to achieve change in your work habits.

Reference :

  1. https://www.allbusiness.com/psychological-tricks-get-more-done-at-work-134447-1.html
  2. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/the-12-psychological-tricks-you-can-use-improve-your-productivity.html
  3. https://www.sofia.com.sg/psychological-tricks-boost-productivity/

 

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