13 Productivity Hacks We Can’t Live Without
In an 8-hour work day, the average worker is productive for only 3 hours. Three! I’m not surprised. There are so many distractions and interruptions throughout the day, from too many meetings and email overload to childcare challenges and necessary brain breaks, that it can be difficult to get deep work done. As an investor, entrepreneur, and mom, my plate is constantly full (in a good way!) so I’m always looking for productivity strategies that help me create time and space to do more of the work that matters.
I surveyed my network, inviting the awesome women in my life to share productivity hacks they couldn’t live without. My network did not disappoint! These hacks help them focus or crank out quality work more quickly and range from recommended apps to behaviors and habits. Check them out below:
1. Automate Your Schedule
“I couldn't live without my TimeTrade scheduler. It generates a Google-calendar-synced link and sends it to anyone who is interested in meeting with me. It takes away all of the email back and forth. Additionally, it gets the meeting on both of our calendars, and it sends a reminder about the meeting to both of us.” - Nancy Sheed
2. Set Alarms
“I divide small portions of time and dedicate them to tasks. I set an alarm anywhere from 5-15 minutes. When I know I only have a small amount of time to do the task, it keeps me focused. When the alarm goes off, I can stop--or continue, if I’m now feeling motivated. I do this for everything--folding laundry, writing proposals, whatever.” - Deborah Munies
“The Pomodoro Technique is the only thing that works for me when I feel the itch to procrastinate. I hate timers that tick too loudly, so I use the Time Timer MOD.” - Annie Werner
3. Keep running lists
“I keep a running list of things I need (like groceries) in my Notes app, using the checkbox functionality. All of my staple items are on there, and I add new items whenever they come up. When I realize I need something, I uncheck that box, then do a quick run-through before going shopping.” - Carolyn Levine Lanzetta
4. Rely on Your Senses
“One day during quarantine, I sprayed on the perfume I used to use for work and school pre-COVID. The scent propelled me back to those hyper-productive days because smells are strongly associated with memories and emotions. When I put it on in the morning, it puts me in work mode.”- Joanne Chen
5. Own Your Google Calendar
“Google Calendar has a built-in to-do list that can pop out as a sidebar or be minimized. You can set specific deadlines, add subtasks, and more. All your important tasks and meetings can be housed in one convenient place.” - Sarah Ratner
6. Clean Your Desktop
“I use the Chrome Extension, OneTab, to keep my work separate from presentations and to-do lists. All open tabs fall into one browser which declutters my screen, keeping a clean environment for my back-to-back digital presentations.” - Amy Pavia
7. Hang a “Do Not Disturb” Sign
“When I'm trying to focus on a project, I click the ‘Do Not Disturb’ setting on message notifications to eliminate distractions. It's a small thing, but it makes a huge difference when I need to focus because it lets other people know (nicely and professionally) that it’s not the best time for interruptions.” - Briana Link
8. Set Realistic Goals
“I have more than 200 items on my to-do list, so setting a specific goal for the day (or week) works much better for me. I still keep my running list of goals, so I don't forget them, but honing in on something that is 100% achievable in the set time frame makes me so much more productive.” - Briana Link
“I live by the ‘rule of one.’ Rather than spreading myself thin, trying to accomplish everything at once, I focus on one thing each day--adding one healthy item to my breakfast, reading one article I saved from last week. Every morning, when I wake up, I choose one task that will make me proud. Completing it gives me a massive confidence boost and makes me feel ready to tackle my other tasks too.” - Claire Ferrara
9. Put a Pin in It
“You don’t need a fancy task management tool: just pin a Google Sheet to your browser bookmark bar. After you assign all your tasks (and all their nuances) in the sheet, you’ll have easy access to it.”- Alice Yang
10. Set Boundaries
“I only book meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are for thinking and producing only. It’s much easier for me to switch contexts and stay focused during those scheduled productivity days.” -Genevieve Ryan Bellaire
11. Be Mindful
“A few months into quarantine, my productivity lagged dramatically. I decided to log what I did each hour to see where the time went. I don't have to do this every day anymore, but taking an inventory every so often really helped me get back on track. After identifying where I spent too much time, I made adjustments to be more mindful with my time the next day.”- Gretchen Tarrant
12. Color Code
“Each person in my family is assigned a certain color on my online calendar. All appointments for my daughter are green; my son, blue; my husband, orange. I color code different projects, small tasks, or personal meetings on my work calendar too. The different colors help me shift mindsets from one task to the next more easily.” - Anonymous
13. Come Back Later
“I use the Boomerang Chrome Extension. If I read an email but don't know what to do with it (or simply want to defer making a decision at the moment), I can specify a certain date and time that the email will return to me. This streamlines my inbox and saves me from reading the same emails over and over! Boomerang also allows me to draft an email and send it later. And if I send an email asking for a response but don’t receive a reply, I can have the email returned to me on a specific date, which prompts me to send a follow-up email.” - Fran Hauser
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