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3 Tricks That Will Make You More Productive Instantly

TOTE || SWEATER (*) || JEANS (*) || SHIRT (*) || SHOES (*)

Ahh productivity. It’s a tricky thing, isn’t it? These days, I’m distracted by just about anything and everything, and I sometimes find myself wasting the day away on miscellaneous tasks, only to be forced to stay up late at night in order to get actual work done. It’s terrible! 

As they say, “Do something instead of killing time, because time is killing you.” A bit morbid, but accurate — right?

Lately I’ve been implementing a few strategies to get my head back in the game, and they’ve been working so well that I just had to share with you guys, too. 

And as an aside before we dive in, do ya’ll LOVE these pics R. and I took at The Strip District in Pittsburgh a few weekends ago, or what? I snagged some five dollar pink roses [ and we all know how much I love the color pink 😉 ], so the rest of my day was pretty much made. It was also a lot of fun just exploring that area, since neither of us had ever been before!

AND…For those of you looking for outfit details, I can’t link to all of the exact products since some are out of stock (but you CAN snag my exact pink tote here). However, I’m putting lots of similar options below, which are marked with a “*”, indicating that the item is not an exact match. If a link is not marked that way, lucky you — the exact same item pictured is still available!

TOTE || SWEATER (*)|| JEANS (*) || SHIRT (*) || SHOES (*)

Now let’s get down to it, shall we? Here are my best tricks for being more productive…instantly.

1. make a To-Do List

I know, making a to-do list is an age old method. That being said, there’s a reason for it. It’s functional, and it actually works. I’ve also found that nothing makes me feel productive quite like crossing items off a physical list. I’m sure there are some great apps you can download too that serve the same purpose, but I find that I’m more inclined to actually get sh*t done when I have a hard copy of my goals for the day. 

2. Time Block

I hadn’t heard about time blocking until this year, but I’m officially obsessed. Basically, you set timers for everything you want to get done. Need to finish a blog post? Set at timer. Have to tidy up your room? Set a timer. Want to get yourself to read more? Set a timer. The idea is that you focus on just the one task at hand for the allotted time, and you end up getting a lot more done than if you were multitasking or allowing yourself the entire day to work on the project whenever. Focus is everything when it comes to being (and feeling) productive. 

3. Unplug

Last trick? UNPLUG. We’re so connected to our devices these days that sometimes we don’t even realize how much time we’re spending scrolling through feeds, updating statuses, responding to group messages, etc. This becomes even more of a problem if you’re an Apple customer, like me, because messages from your phone will come through to your computer as well. It’s best to put your settings to “Do Not Disturb” if you really want to get down and get some real work done. 

Do you guys have any tips for increasing your productivity? What do you get distracted with the most? For me it’s social media for sure! Let me know your kryptonite in the comments 🙂 

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Holly Habeck

Holly is a millennial travel and lifestyle writer based in New York. With ten years of experience in digital publishing and photography starting with her work writing for College Fashionista and Her Campus at Ithaca College, Holly has been featured in publications such as Southern Living and Lonely Planet. She enjoys sharing her travel expertise as well as lifestyle inspiration in categories such as home décor, DIY beauty, and fashion. More importantly though, Holly is a true Hufflepuff, and her Starbucks order forever remains a grande Iced Sweet Cream Cold Brew. When she's not writing or editing photos for this site, you can find her reading anything in the Sarah J. Maas universe or cuddling with her chihuahua x pomeranian pup Pixie.