Productivity Lifehacks to Help You Be More Successful

Most of us have those days where we just can't be motivated to get work done. Our procrastination levels are sky high and we can't find anything to encourage us to do work — and this is sometimes very tough to get out of. And if we continuously lack motivation and the energy to work, then there might be a chance that the work will never get done, because we'll be so used to slacking off. But this doesn't have to happen, there are definitely ways to pick yourself up and really get down and completing your tasks.

There are forms of productivity that can pull us out of our laziness and right into work, including ways to engage yourself in the job when you lose interest. You just have to discover what strategies and techniques are right for you and what work you need to get done. These strategies don't only push you to get your work done, but it gets you to be more productive as a whole. To get yourself started on completing your work, here are the best productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful.

Keep your phone out of reach for a couple of hours.

Probably the biggest reason for your procrastination is your phone. From the list of productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful is to get your phone out of sight. And I 100 percent understand — it is difficult to put your phone away and not look at social media for a period of time.

If you store your phone in a drawer, on a table far from you, or anywhere else that you won't be able to see or reach it, I guarantee this forces you to actually get up and work on that project you've been meaning to get working on for a while now. And make sure your phone is on silent — if you hear your phone ringing or beep from a notification, then you won't be able to help yourself from stopping to look at it, and this defeats the purpose of putting it away.

Focus on one task at a time and stop multitasking.

For you readers out there, have you ever tried reading two to even four books at a time? It's difficult, right? Unless you're a pro at it, but the majority of the time it's not that easy. When you're reading multiple books at a time, you can't really put your full focus and mind into one book when you're reading three more.

This goes for doing tasks, too. Imagine attempting to complete five tasks in a single day? You'd lose your mind! It'll be so hard to put all of your focus on one task when you have four more to work on at that same moment. That's why you should always balance out your work and focus on one task at a time. This way, you'd have the chance to really put your best work into each task.

Make to-do lists and be organized.

I cannot stress this enough, but always be organized! If you have tons of things to do and you always have that major project you want to work on, balance them all out so you don't find yourself working on eight tasks. For each task and project, list out what you need and need to get done. This way you won't miss anything out while working on a project.

Also, make checklists for goal setting and to really stay on track. If you make a checklist of what you need to gather and what to work on, you'll breeze through your work smoothly. This is easily one of the best productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful in life.

Use your free time to catch up on abandoned work.

A lot of us have free time in our daily lives like eating lunch or dinner. These are the perfect opportunities to catch up on what you left off from the past few weeks... or years (like me). Remember that book you were reading a couple of months ago that was so good but you just don't make time for it anymore? What about learning that language you said you'd get back to once summer is over?

You can actually get back into these with your free times. Say you're driving to work and you hit the usual traffic, why not use this time to listen to an audio book on Mandarin? What about during dinner? Continue reading that amazing novel while eating. Many of us don't make the time to get back on track with certain tasks. With these ideas, you'd finish five novels in a month and even be fluent in Mandarin in no time!

Work somewhere where you’re devoted to work.

As for productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful, you should always have a specific place where you're devoted to work in. The atmosphere in a room can really stop you from doing work, whether it's distracting or ideal working space. Some people can't focus in crowded areas or working in front of a television, and there are also people who can't work when it's too quiet and need to listen to music. Everyone has a certain space that makes it perfect for them to work in.

If you work from home, great working rooms can either be your bedroom, or, if you're lucky enough to have a study/office room. But if you absolutely need the television to be on in front of you, then the living room is just right for you. A lot of people head to their local library or coffee shop to get work done, too, if their home is too distracting. Just know what atmosphere you work well in and devote that space for solely working.

Never push your limits.

Many people tend to do this a lot when it comes to productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful. If a person has a lot to work on, he'll most likely push himself into completing them all. It's understandable why, but your body won't agree with you. Your body can only do so much, so never stress it until you can't see straight anymore.

Not only will pushing yourself affect your work, but it'll definitely affect your body — possibly resulting in burning out. Avoid this by managing your working time. Schedule your hours and break times. Everyone needs a break, or else they'll go crazy. And if you're feeling tired in the midst of working, get up for a little, walk around, eat a snack, something that will get you away from your work for a little.

Say no.

Yes, it's more than OK to say no every now and then. You can't always put people's requests and favors before yours — you have other things to do, too. Sure, when someone is in crucial need of help, then you can say yes. But if you have tons of things to work on and a buddy asks you to help her with something, seriously, just say no. If you're already struggling with your work, don't put more stress onto yourself by attempting to complete someone else's favor.

Plus, if you keep doing favors for a person, then he'll keep coming back thinking you're always up to help. I've learned this the hard way, myself. But let people know that you have your own things to work on and you're not always going to have time for them.

Work on your hardest task first thing.

When it comes to productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful, a great productivity tip is to work on your hardest task first. Because if you focus on your toughest work first thing in the day, getting the easy work done later on will be a breeze. But if you're procrastinating and leaving the hardest one for last, then there's a possibility that there won't be much time to complete it since you've done other tasks in the beginning.

Prioritize your most difficult task first thing in the day — this way you'll take all the time you need, put your most focus on it, and it won't be rushed.

Have time for self-caring.

This is a major one on the list of productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful — take care of yourself. You should always balance out your work life with your personal life. This means have hours for solely working, but always have a few hours to catch up on sleep, socialize, exercise, and everything else that will recharge you and keep your head screwed on straight.

If you're constantly working every hour and day of the week, your body will soon give up. But to be more productive, keeping a healthy lifestyle can affect the way you work. You'd want to get tasks done and you'd want to do more work when you're energized. But try doing work if you're way behind your sleeping schedule or if you haven't eaten a thing in the last six hours... You won't be able to work your hardest on that project in that condition.

Always take deep breaths and slow down.

Whether you're working on a difficult or easy task, always slow down and take deep breaths every now and then. Work should almost never be rushed — it's going nowhere. Whether you're writing a novel or working on a major project, you want to give it your best, right? Which is why you should slow down and take your time.

And always, always, alwaystake deep breaths throughout the day. Many of us tend to even forget to breathe properly when working — so take frequent deep breaths! One of the bigger productivity tips in productivity lifehacks to help you be more successful.