12 Productivity Tips Real People Swear By

Unique Tips From People That Use Them

When you ask yourself, “how do I increase my productivity at work,” you probably follow it up by reading articles with techniques and methods for accomplishing it. But as you go from one to another, you likely find the articles offering the same ideas for how to be more productive.

For realistic time management tips, advice for stopping email overwhelm, and suggestions for energy management, here, you’ll find productivity tips for work, and even home life, from real people.

📌 I went straight to Reddit to bring you suggestions for boosting your productivity from people who actually use them. You might just see something here that will work for you too!

Getting Started Can Be the Hardest Part

Whether it’s a big new project or just an ordinary Wednesday, getting started can often be the toughest part. You might feel intimidated by the size or number of things on your plate. This can cause reluctance in getting started and/or that feeling of not knowing how to begin.

Let’s look at some productivity tips from Reddit users on the best ways to get started.

💡 Tip #1: One user suggests writing down everything you have to do. And I’ve seen this same advice on many blogs as well. It allows you to break things down into smaller chunks, may show you that you have less to complete than you thought, and frees your mind from juggling it all in your head.

💡 Tip #2: Another idea is to force yourself to work on the task for 5 minutes. If you want to stop when time’s up, then stop. But in many cases, you’ll find that you have the energy and focus to continue. This can make those large or difficult jobs that you think will consume a ton of time feel less overwhelming. You may just end up thinking “it’s not so bad after all.”

💡 Tip #3: One more suggestion is shared by many people, and that’s to do the hardest task first. This not only gets that task completed but makes the rest of your day, and the tasks that fill it, feel easier.

Another user suggests the opposite, which is to do the quickest and easiest task first. The thought is that this gets the ball rolling, and you’ll feel accomplished and have momentum to tackle what’s next.

Mindsets and Mental Framing to Combat Overwhelm

Sometimes in order to work on a task or accomplish a goal, especially a difficult one, you have to sort of trick your brain. Whether this means telling yourself things as motivation to start tasks, keep working, or finish what’s on your plate, it’s about mental framing.

💡 Tip #1: One Reddit user tells themself what I’m doing now is how I finish the task. This is a good way to encourage yourself to keep going because when there’s an end in sight, you’ll want to reach it.

💡 Tip #2: For some solid inspiration, another user quotes author Joe Abercrombie, “Once you’ve got a task to do, it’s better to do it than live with the fear of it.” This is something I can relate to in that I’d prefer to get the task done and over with than continue thinking and stressing over it.

💡 Tip #3: This last tip is from a user who decided to stop pursuing motivation and start chasing momentum instead. This advice goes with the second part of Tip #3 in the previous section, where if you do a fast and simple task first, it builds momentum. You can then continue that momentum to the next task, and so on — it’s the snowball effect in action.

It May Sound Silly, But It Might Just Work

How many times have you heard something that sounded crazy, but it actually worked? Think of eating a teaspoon of sugar to cure the hiccups or using a potato to remove a broken light bulb.

Yes, many Reddit participants have a great sense of humor. However, for productivity, their unusual ideas work for them and might just work for you too. Let’s take a look!

💡 Tip #1: One thing that may sound odd if you work from home is to dress for the office. Many experienced remote work for the first time during the COVID pandemic in 2020. And unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as easy as anticipated due to distractions. By getting dressed each morning as if you’re going to a physical office, you can get yourself into work mode.

💡 Tip #2: Another Reddit user gave the humorous advice to stop being weird about the dishwasher. Trust me, I scratched my head at first too. The lessons to be learned are to 1) not get bogged down by perfection and 2) not waste time on unimportant stuff. Taking time to fit and reposition every cup, dish, and plate perfectly isn’t necessary or important.

💡 Tip #3: One more comical but potentially effective suggestion is to draw a bee. If while you’re working on a task, you are tempted to do something else instead, draw a bee. When you finish, put that drawing on your “completed” pile, pat yourself on the back, and get back to work. Not only does this satisfy your need to do something other than the task at hand, but hopefully returns you to that task with better focus.

Routines, Hacks, and Tools That Actually Help

For a little more help getting you on that journey to being more productive, here are some routines, hacks, and tools to check out.

Routines

You read a lot about making lists for the tasks you have to do and how good it feels to mark off those you complete. But a Reddit user suggests tracking what you’ve done, not what you have to do.

The idea is that you already know what you have to do, but often forget about what you’ve completed. Set a daily routine, use a whiteboard or similar to track completed tasks, and log an entire week or month. You’ll not only feel good about what you’ve finished but may also spot patterns for your productive versus non-productive days.

Hacks

This next tip is one of those simple productivity hacks — use boredom as a trigger. People from Reddit suggest practicing a bit of digital minimalism by not reaching for your phone, but instead, letting your mind wander.

The thought is that letting yourself be bored gives your brain a chance to recharge, allows you to be more creative, and lets you come up with new ideas or solutions. When you’re bored, your mind wanders, which can spark creativity, motivation, focus, and problem-solving.

Tools

While some may think that tools and apps can’t improve productivity, there are others that believe they can if you use them to your advantage. Personally, I’ve tested and tried many productivity apps and have found that only a couple really do help me work more efficiently.

✅ With Clean Email, I get smart features and automations that ease the burden of mailbox management (and can help achieve inbox zero if that’s the goal). The app offers the Unsubscriber feature for unsubscribing in bulk, Smart Folders for filtering related emails, Screener for reviewing messages from unknown senders, and Auto Clean for automated inbox rules. It also works seamlessly across Mac desktop, as a web app, and mobile platforms including iOS and Android.

✅ With Smart Tasks, I get just what I need without distracting features I don’t. The app offers categories, color-coding, due dates, reminders, routines, and calendar integration. It also syncs with Mac, iPhone, and iPad with helpful desktop and Home screen widgets.

Final Tip

The final tip for you today is to experiment. Remember, not every tip or suggestion works for everyone. Take one or two of the ideas you see here and simply give it a try. If it works, then awesome! But if it doesn’t, scrap it and try something else.

And keep in mind that using tools and apps that work well for you really can improve your productivity. Check out Clean Email to help reclaim digital focus by reducing distractions, filtering noise, and decluttering your inbox for an email productivity boost!