18 Unconventional Productivity Hacks to Save You Time!

We have all heard the idiom, “take a cold shower” and most of us associate it with getting rid of physical and sexual arousal. In fact, the Cambridge dictionary contains the phrase and defines it as “an expression used when someone needs to calm down when something has made them feel sexually excited”. I must admit that I am a big fan of cold showers! But surprisingly to some, not for the reason that the esteemed Cambridge dictionary refers to. Yup, it’s true, I actually use cold showers as one of my go-to unconventional productivity hacks. More on how I use cold showers to increase my productivity in a bit. Before we get to that, let’s discuss some unconventional productivity hacks that you may want to try out.

I say unconventional because some of them may seem a bit different than ones you have heard before. Some of these I have used myself and some I have read about over the years. What is true is that no productivity tool or method works for everyone. So, the idea is to go through the list, see if any of these make sense for you and then try them out. Even if you get 1 or 2 ideas it will be time well spent.

Alright, enough talking, pitter patter let’s get at ‘er and look at 18 unconventional productivity hacks that can hopefully save you time and possible aggravation:

 (1)  A Different Slant on the Pomodoro Technique

We have discussed the Pomodoro technique many times on this blog. Recall the Pomodoro technique alternates 25-minute work sessions with 5-minute rest periods to supercharge your productivity and increase the amount of focused work you get done.

There is no international law (that I know of) which says you need to stick to 25-minute work sessions. So, if you prefer 45 minutes work sessions, go for it! Figure out what works for you! Personally, I often use the Pomodoro technique just to get me going, then I may go for a couple hours straight.

(2)  Crank Up Your Podcast Speed

Are you as big a fan of podcasts as I am? Wanna listen to your podcasts more efficiently? Try increasing the speed. I tried setting it to 2x but got a headache after a while as it sounded like the Chipmunks! Now, I listen to mine at 1.5x but see what works for you. It wil help you listen to more in less time.

(3)  Have a ‘Napuccino’

We have discussed the benefits of napping in a previous post. Something else you may want to try is a ‘nappuccino’. Yup, that’s right, a coffee THEN a nap. According to Daniel Pink, author of  “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing”, having naps between 10-20 minutes has you waking up more alert with better mental function than before.  And caffeine takes over 20 minutes to kick in, so it takes effect just as you wake up.

(4)  Experiment With Doing Tasks at Different Times of Day

According to Pink, there is also a best time of day to do things. There are 3 stages we all go through doing the day: peak, trough, and recovery. The peak is the start of the day when you have the most energy and are most vigilant and focused, this is when he recommends scheduling your analytic work. The trough is right after lunch where you have energy and feel sluggish, this is when to schedule your administrative work. The recovery stage is later in the afternoon where he recommends working on tasks requiring creativity.

If you are a night owl (who me? – bad joke, never mind!), simply reverse the stages. Check out our previous post on this topic to learn more.

(5)  Use Your Alarm Clock To Go To Bed!

I use the alarm clock on my phone to not only remind me to get my butt out of bed but also to remind me to shut things down for the night. Sleep is important and you will be much more productive after a good night’s rest.

(6)  Switch up your location!

If you are an entrepreneur or have flexibility at your job, think about changing locations, perhaps working from a coffee shop. Some say that ambient noise can help us think more creatively. Personally, I get some of my best work done in these types of environments.

 (7)  Use noise-canceling headphones or earbuds

If you are someone who gets distracted by ambient noise, or if the noise level is too loud grab some earbuds or noise canceling headphones.

(8)  Be ok with switching to something else

We are all human and sometimes we aren’t in the mood to do a certain task. When this happens, think about doing something else on your list and coming back to the other task later. As long as it isn’t urgent.

(9)  Check!

When you finish a task, make sure to check off the task on your list. The simple act of checking off a to-do will give you a nice little shot of the feel-good hormone dopamine!

(10)  Turn on some music

There are a ton of studies out there that show the positive psychological benefits of playing music, so crank on some tunes!

(11)  Drink water to hydrate upon waking

Before you reach for a cup of coffee in the morning, grab a glass of water. It’s important to hydrate after a good night’s rest.

(12)  Turn phone over

Get distracted by your phone? Putting it in airplane mode is great but those notifications can still distract you. So, turn it over! Better yet, put it in another room or hide it – if you can!

(13)  Do Not Disturb!

What about those times where you don’t want to be disturbed but still want certain calls to get through? For example, you still want calls from your spouse to get through. No problem! Utilize the “Do Not Disturb” function on your phone, then add people you want to into your favorites. Then simply go into “Do Not Disturb” and allow calls from favorites, like this for iPhone and this for Android.

 (14)  Close Your Blinds/Curtains

This one all depends on how easily you get distracted and what is going on outside your window. If you find yourself getting distracted often by what’s going on outside, try closing your blinds/curtains.

(15)  Stop When You Are on a Roll

An interesting piece of advice for writers comes from Ernest Hemingway, “The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.” ²

(16)  Check in with your goals mid-week

Nothing ever goes as planned in terms of planning your week. One thing I do is check in mid-week to see where I am and make adjustments as necessary.

(17)  Organize your workspace at the end of the day

Nothing kills productivity more than clutter and disorganization. A good habit to get into is to clean your workspace at the end of the day. That way, when you get into the office the next day you are set up for productivity!

(18)  Download Grammarly for typos!

This one has been a game-changer for me. I have downloaded the Grammarly extension which helps catch typos, grammar mistakes, and spelling mistakes both for emails, the blog and whatever else.

Why I Have Cold Showers!

Instead of taking cold showers to cool down my libido, I use it to supercharge my productivity. One of the numerous benefits of cold showers is that it increases your alertness by increasing your heart rate and overall oxygen intake which gives you a nice shot of energy for the day. ³  So, if you are feeling a little sluggish and need to jolt yourself into a different state, try a cold shower!

As an added bonus, it helps teach you a different mindset in terms of mental toughness and resilience. It sucks, it’s not fun, BUT if you keep doing it you will build mental toughness.

On that note, time for me to go take a cold shower!

Until next time, try some of these productivity hacks and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use It or Lose It – Productivity Hacks

Try any of the productivity hacks we just discussed above as mentioned and see which ones work for you.

When to Use It

Use these productivity hacks anytime you want to supercharge your productivity!

What Do You Think?

Have you used any of these unconventional productivity hacks?  Do you have any other unconventional productivity hacks that we didn’t discuss?  Please share in the comments below!

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References

1 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/take-need-a-cold-shower

2 http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/seven_tips_from_ernest_hemingway_on_how_to_write_fiction.html

3 https://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-cold-showers-7-reasons-why-taking-cool-showers-good-your-health-289524