10 Ways to Massively Increase Productivity

If we told you that you could make just a few small changes and exponentially increase your efficiency and productivity, would you be interested?

Most likely, right?

Seriously, nobody really likes being inefficient and unproductive, do they?

Well, good news, massive increases in productivity are very possible with just a few simple changes to either your habits, your routines, and/or your mindset.

Here are 10 of our favorite ways to massively increase your productivity...

Notifications

TURN THEM OFF!

Every bing or ding that is not absolutely pertinent must be off.

You do not need to know about every piece of Breaking News, every email that comes in, etc.

Bad news, very little that we get notified of is actually useful, much less important.

Stop killing your efficiency with these unnecessary  noises. Show your devices that it is you, in fact, that is in control.

Before we move on, we must be brutally honest. If you can't fix the notifications  issue right now, you really shouldn't even bother moving further into this list.

This is your easiest fix, but indecision here, or an unwillingness to make the change pretty much tells you just how serious you are about making changes.

Now, if you're serious and you've dealt with notifications, ONWARD

Email

NEW FLASH, email is not URGENT!

Urgent things are not sent via email.

If they are, you will most likely receive a phone call as well, letting you know something is on its way to your inbox.

If no phone call comes, the sender simply doesn't understand the meaning of the word urgent.

Remember, urgency requires IMMEDIATE ACTION or ATTENTION.

Since it is highly unlikely that you are sitting with your email platform open, staring mindlessly, waiting for the next inbox message to appear, it is safe to assume, whatever is sent via email, can be dealt with  in a little while, if at all.

Close your email client. Resign yourself to check it every couple of hours if you absolutely must.

Phone Calls

STOP TAKING THEM!

Well, to be more clear, stop taking MOST OF THEM.

You, nor I, are that important. No offense, but 99% of the time, those calling aren't either.

Taking every phone call is a surefire way to absolutely kill your productivity.

Even if you intend to say I'll call you back later, you stopped, took the call, and killed whatever productive momentum you had. You most likely did so for no valid reason.

Not answering a call is not rude! You are not required to be, nor should you be, that attached to your phone.

Auto-reply via prewritten text messages'll call you back as soon as I can! And keep plugging along.

Text Messages, Chats, etc

And, just as soon as we suggest you send a text to callers, we will now suggest you stop texting unnecessarily as well.

Yes, text is convenient for sure. But with that convenience comes a lot of pain.

Text, Messenger, WhatsApp and the like, have literally turned most of society into Pavlov's Dogs.

As we previously alluded to, that little sound, telling you that you are momentarily important or wanted, turns your brain into mush, eliminating your ability to be as effective as you could be.

When it is time to work, WORK! Whatever the work is.

Stop allowing your chain to be yanked by these almost always unimportant interruptions.

Social Media

The Internet's version of UNREALISTIC Reality TV.

Have our own lives become so boring, so dreadful to live, that we must marinate, for hours on end, on the lives of others?

More importantly, how much of what you are seeing is truly beneficial or even real?

Come on, social media is filled with unnecessary white noise and false reality. STOP! Or at the very least, put a limit on it! Quickly!

The World Wide Web

Honestly, this goes hand-in-hand with the Social Media issue!

Surfing the internet accounts for more lost time than any other single activity in the workplace.

To make this even worse, very few are surfing for educational purposes.

Some say society could actually getting dumber due to all the web surfing being done. Unfortunately, we might be starting to agree.

There is really no need for us to dive any further into the endless Web surfing. If you're going to do it, at least make it truly productive surfing, please.

News

Turn it off! Especially local news!

If you haven't figured this out by now, almost all local news carries a negative bias. This is because it makes for better headlines. 90% of everything covered by local news is a downer.

This is not what you want to fill your head with and you certainly don't need it.

Yes, bad things happen. All around us, every single day. But very, very rarely do those bad things directly affect us. So why allow yourself to even briefly worry about them?

Imagine, just for a second, replacing all your news time with something constructive. An audiobook, an educational podcast, a motivational YouTube video, etc.

Do you think there would be a change in you? Honestly?

We can guarantee there would be and it would be a positive one too!

Analysis Paralysis (AKA Overthinking)

An argument could be made that nothing kills growth and productivity more than overthinking things.

Let's be honest, if you are not one of these very people who suffer from analysis paralysis you certainly know someone close to you who does.

While we are all required to make decisions all day long, day in, day out, not all decisions are life-altering. In fact, most decisions really aren't that impactful at all, in the overall scheme of things.

However, to those poor souls who suffer from this overthinking dilemma, the majority of the choices they are faced with cause some form of anxiety.

This is not only obviously very inefficient and unproductive, but it may also, in fact, be more unhealthy than anything else.

Find ways to force yourself into action, into a decision. Try something as simple as a time limit the next time you are forced to make a decision.

Remember, we aren't talking about those major, potentially life-altering choices. Just pick something small that you will deal with today. What to have for lunch? For dinner? Should you exercise or not, etc?

The next time you are faced with such a decision, pause, set a timer for 1 minute, then quickly analyze your choices and PICK ONE!

Challenge yourself this way as often as possible. You are, after all, capable of change if you are willing to do what is necessary to create said change.

Schedule Breaks

This may sound a little counterintuitive, but we promise you, this is one thing that can make a very big difference in your ability to focus and get stuff done.

In short, when you make the decision, in advance, that you are going to work your tail off on the task-at-hand for the next 50 minutes, then force yourself to take a 10-minute break, no matter what, you will be amazed at how much changes.

Research has shown that taking such breaks while attacking your workload will help you maintain a more constant level of performance, whereas, those who continued to work, without such breaks saw a steady decline in performance.

If you have never heard of the Pomodoro Technique, this might be a good time to introduce yourself to it. We highly recommend it as a means to increase your output and overall productivity.

A clock, when applied properly, can be very beneficial.

Use Nootropics

This is absolutely not some shameless plug!

Nootropics are the VERY REASON 3D Labs Nutrition exists. True statement!

In November 2018, when 3D Labs Nutrition was born, the plan was nothing more than a three-product nootropic line, starting with MommyMode, to help expecting and new moms combat the well-known  mommy brain dilemma.

BoostMode, the most powerful nootropic blend on the market, was next to follow.

Needless to say, we ended up far above and beyond the initial plan, which we are extremely proud of. But, truth be told, our belief in, and love for, nootropics, is the only reason we exist.

Just in case you are unaware, nootropics (in our context) are supplemental ingredients that provide greater mental calm, clarity, energy, and focus.

FYI, you might enjoy reading A Real-World, Simple Definition of Nootropics.

While the term nootropic is new to most, they have been around for a long, long time. In fact, there are currently 85 supplements listed as nootropics.

This list includes things you are most likely not aware of, as well as, many you are familiar with such as Ashwagandha, Creatine, Caffeine, CoQ10, Glutamine, MCT Oil, Nicotine, and more.

Honesty, most people are shocked to learn that so many of these well-known supplements are considered nootropics and can have profound effects on their cognition and cognitive health.

The shock always seems to increase once they put a good nootropic plan into place as well.

Who knows, you might be shocked too!

Pick One Way to Increase Your Productivity

Needless to say, it would most likely not go too well if you decided to try and implement all of the above suggestions at once.

This is not meant to be  shock in awe. Quite the contrary.

We want your improvement in productivity to be seamless. We don't want you to feel a thing, but we do want you to see a difference.

So, our suggestion is simple. PICK ONE! Just one of the above-recommended changes.

Whichever one you choose to start with, own it! Completely! Once you decide, no excuses.

We are quite confident, after just a few days, you will begin to wonder how and why you wasted so much time to date.

Please, by all means, let us know how it goes!

Always Remember...

We would love to hear your thoughts on this, or any other article we write, so please, drop us your comments, ideas, input, and suggestions in the comments below.

And, by all means, if you think anyone in your world might like something we write, use the share buttons below to help us spread the word!

Until next time...PROGRESS, not PERFECTION!

Don't forget, always consult your physician before making any changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Live a 3D Life...Decisions Determine Destinations!