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Writer's pictureKarthika DR

Boosting Productivity

We are, in the end, really focused on ideas like creativity, teamwork, and getting things done. But what about the science behind productivity? In particular, from a psychological perspective, what are the different ways you can apply theory to boost your productivity?


While not everything works for everyone, if you find yourself lacking some motivation — give some of these science-backed ideas a shot to see what works. Here are our best tips to help you increase productivity, along with the psychology behind each one.


Eat Before You Work


You probably heard growing up that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s absolutely essential to nourish your brain so it’s working at full capacity. Our brains burn up to 20% of calories we consume at any given time. If you’re not providing it with enough calories, you won’t perform nearly as well. Simple as that.


Starting your workday on an empty stomach can harm your ability to make good decisions. Researchers from the University of Dundee found that hunger greatly affects our decision-making. When they asked people to make decisions, those who were hungry were more impatient and more likely to choose a small reward that came sooner rather than a larger one promised later. Hunger can make us make choices we wouldn’t usually make, affecting all parts of our lives.


It's understandable. Our basic needs, like hunger, must be fulfilled before we can focus on other things. Hunger is at the base of Maslow's Pyramid. We can't aim for higher needs if the basics aren't covered. Even though the pyramid has faced some criticism recently, the basic idea still holds true.


Write Out SMART Goals


In 1981, George Doran developed a system to assist people in setting goals and becoming more productive. You may know it as the SMART goals system. To boost your productivity, the idea is to make sure your goals are:





Specific


Measurable


Attainable


Realistic


Time-Bound


This simple mnemonic is a great way to help you be productive and set clear expectations when you’re goal setting. Today, his SMART goal system is used in all sorts of industries by project managers and personal development coaches alike. While a seemingly simple 5 questions about your plan, what SMART goals have is inherent accountability, because, from the get-go, you’ve done your due diligence.


Here’s the doctor himself explaining his defining acronym.


Break Things Down Into Smaller Tasks


Which one sounds easier: Writing out a 1000+ word blog post or writing an outline? Clearly, the latter, which is how I approach all of my writing.


When you aim to accomplish broad tasks, you’re actually making your life a lot more difficult. That’s because consciously or not, you come to expect the tasks to be more difficult—and potentially harder to drum up the motivation to see it through. In psychology, this concept is known as Expectancy Theory.


To make hard tasks feel less daunting, break them into smaller, easier steps. This makes it simpler to see the rewards and feel like the effort is less, helping you build momentum.


Get Harder Tasks Done First


Breaking tasks into smaller steps doesn’t mean they all have to be easy. It might seem like starting with easier tasks helps you get going, but that’s not always true. A Harvard Business School study found that busy ER doctors who only handled the simpler cases were actually less productive in the long run.


This is known as “task completion bias” because we get satisfaction from checking off many items on our to-do list, even though we might be ignoring more important and challenging tasks.


Instead of tackling many small tasks first, try organizing your to-do list more effectively. One approach is the 1-3-5 rule: plan to complete one big task, three medium tasks, and five small tasks.


Start With a Short Time Limit


Delaying the start of your task is a key difference between procrastinators and non-procrastinators, according to a study in Psychology Frontier. So, if getting started is the hardest hurdle for you to get through, setting a timer and tracking your hours might help. Once you learn how to do this, you’ll be getting everything you need to get done in no time. One free tool I love for this is Clockify.


Personally, this is one of my favorite strategies. If I’ve been putting something off, then I’ll tell myself to only work on it for 10 minutes and then take a quick break. (Every time I start something, I end up working on it for a lot longer than I planned.)


Take More Breaks


That seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Well, it really works.


A study from North Carolina State University found that taking short breaks at work helps people be more productive. This is likely also because it keeps people more engaged throughout the workday. It’s also likely connected to the Expectancy Theory mentioned earlier since it reduces the effort you expect you will need.


You can give the Pomodoro Technique a try to see if it works for you. Their default is to set a timer to work for 25 mins, then you take a 5-minute break after it goes off.


Have Someone Hold You Accountable


Much like a gym partner will keep you on track, having someone keeping you accountable is an easy shortcut to productivity.


This can be effective if you have a friend or partner also aiming to stay focused. In 1920, Floyd Henry Allport discovered that just working in a group, even without speaking, increased productivity. Of course, there is a risk a work buddy is going to distract you, so try to pick someone who is going to keep you focused.


Gather.Town is a web app that brings the office experience online, letting you decorate a virtual workspace, invite your team, and work together in real-time. Using collaborative tools like Slack, Trello, Figma, or ReviewStudio can boost productivity and accountability, especially when working remotely.


Change Your Environment


Have you ever found yourself wandering into the kitchen and opening the fridge without a specific reason?


As many of us are working from home, there are a lot more distractions than before which can derail our productivity.


One reason this is happening is because of a thing called Situational or Context-Dependent Memory. We form our memories and habits based on locational cues that can trigger them.


If you're feeling distracted by something in your space, whether it's a person, pet, or anything else, try moving to a different place to help you concentrate. Change the room you work in at home, office, or moving to a local cafe (where possible of Goals to remove the distraction and keep on task.)


Don’t Beat Yourself Up… Too Much?


This might sound cheesy, but it's backed by research. A study from Elsevier found that when university students forgave themselves for procrastinating before their first exam, they were better at avoiding procrastination before the second exam.


If you find yourself procrastinating often, it might not be entirely your fault. Some personality types are naturally better at staying productive. A study in The Economic Journal found that people who score higher in conscientiousness tend to be more productive and often earn more compared to those with lower scores.


So, beat yourself up just a bit, then forgive yourself and you’ll (probably) get rich.


Reward Your Progress


A great way to boost productivity is by turning your work into a game. I used to struggle with studying until I found an app called Habitica. It helped me break down my tasks, and for each one I completed, I earned a virtual reward, which motivated me to keep going.


In psychology, this is called Positive Reinforcement, and it’s similar to how we train pets. Since 1947, B.F. Skinner’s famous study on operant conditioning showed that by rewarding certain actions in pigeons, he made them more likely to repeat those actions.


Boosting Your Productivity


So, Whether you're working alone or with others, developing strong productivity habits is essential for completing your projects. Productivity largely depends on your mindset. No matter the project, these science-based tips can help you stay focused and on track.


Boosting productivity has many benefits, whether financial, professional, social, or otherwise. However, remember that even though the brain isn’t a muscle, we are still using it and need to avoid overworking it. Too much productivity can lead to burnout, affecting both your mind and body.


Hopefully, we can all learn to stop right before we are too productive.


Boost your productivity with science-backed tips! Need more personalized support? Connect with our Malayali psychologists for online counseling.




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