The question of productivity gets increasingly complex as we navigate remote work, multiple lockdowns, economic crest and troughs, and the psychological/physical impacts of COVID-19. Over the last 12 months, Google Search trends indicate that interest in the term “productivity†has been consistently high and has rarely dipped below the 50% threshold.
                     Source: Google TrendsOpens a new window
So, it makes sense that we turn to productivity hacks to try and “game†the system – eager to find hidden efficiencies. Unfortunately, this is often counterintuitive. If you aren’t careful, the quest for optimum productivity can take up a disproportionate amount of the workday instead of the work itself! That’s why it is so important to keep your hype-detector ON and take productivity tips and tricks you might find online with a grain of salt.Â
Here are seven hacks that are mostly hyped and aren’t as effective as they might seem. And if you have tried utilizing them as part of your workflow, we also discuss how to get it right.Â
Learn More: Building a Culture of Organized Serendipity in the Remote Work EraÂ
1. Creating (and endlessly adding to) to-do lists
To-do lists are a commonly recommended way of starting a day, jotting down your tasks and responsibilities into manageable buckets. But there are two reasons why to-do lists may not be as productive as you think – first, you might be noting down small tasks that are better completed in real-time. Second, there is a chance you will add to the to-do list faster than you check items off.Â
Instead, switch to scheduling or even project management apps. This will block specific chunks of your calendar (also called timeboxing) for you to complete a mid-sized to elaborate task within a manageable timeline.Â
2. Getting a super-early start to the day
The internet is full of articles listing incredibly successful professionals who wake up at the crack of dawn. But this isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula – there is a similar number of equally productive professionals who start the day at 10 am or even later. The truth is that early risers comprise only about 20%Opens a new window of the population, and others would be more productive if they chose a schedule in line with their genetic predisposition and the respective time-zones of their team members.Â
Instead, plan your workday around mandatory collaboration hours (both personal and professional) when you have to be available. Apart from this, make sure to get 6-8 hours of sleep at a time of your preference.Â
3. Clearing out your inbox
This is a commonly recommended productivity hack meant to help you catch up with pending obligations before you start real-work. However, responding to emails that are irrelevant to your work or won’t lead to any real business outcomes is a waste of time, something that can occupy several hours of your workday. In many ways, this is a byproduct of an always-on culture in the digital era.Â
Instead, use an email plug-in like DragOpens a new window or Gmail’s built-in prioritization mechanism to quickly glance through your inbox in the morning, responding only to the essentials and leaving the rest for EOD.Â
Learn More: Beyond Virtual Meetings: 6 Popular Collaboration Tools to Boost Productivity Â
4. Starting with unpleasant or longer tasks
How many times have you heard that it is best to get the difficult stuff out of the way first? In reality, starting the day with a complex or challenging task sets the tone for your remaining productivity routine. Any hurdles or frustrations you face will bleed into the next task, diminishing your productivity across the day. Tasks that take longer than expected could delay other, more important obligations.Â
Instead, create your schedule according to business or stakeholder needs. Ensure that there is an objective justification for why you have allocated a timeslot, apart from the perceived difficulty or unpleasantness of a task.Â
5. Insisting on real-time communication
This has become a major challenge due to remote work. Companies and teams often insist on real-time communication as a way to maintain transparency and engagement. But being available at the exact moment when a colleague is also online requires realigning your schedule. Large-scale real-time conferences can block a disproportionate chunk of your available hours, forcing you to stretch into overtime.Â
Instead, consider asynchronous communication tools for whiteboarding, collaborative document creation, pair coding, and other similar activities. The tool will capture your work using timestamps and version control, giving team members the freedom to contribute when convenient.Â
Learn More: Cloud Collaboration Tools: Risks vs. Rewards Â
6. Prioritizing collaboration to an unhealthy degree
While collaboration is undoubtedly central to our workflows, too much of it can hold back productivity. The expectation to collaborate shouldn’t eat into your independent work time, and there has to be a balance of both. Prioritizing collaboration was an inevitable fall-out of the sudden switch to remote work, which rendered in-person presence impossible.Â
Instead, learn to say no and value your colleague’s private work time. Respect for solo work is a two-way street, so you need to check with a colleague’s calendar and ask for their opinion before scheduling a collaboration session.Â
7. Holding on to a “There’s an App for that†mindset
It’s tempting to look for an app/tech tool that could solve a productivity challenge. You might want to find the perfect time tracker. You might insist on the best chat app available in the market. You might have adopted a complicated and feature-rich whiteboarding tool. You might be using separate video conferencing software for team members and customers. This arises from a “there’s an app for that mindset,†leading to a lot of clutter and a lot of effort in managing the apps.Â
Instead, look for integrated tools that can provide you with all or most of the functionalities you need. G-Suite and Microsoft Teams are among the most easy-to-implement, even if they don’t promise the best in each category. And don’t shy away from analog tools (like an old-school timer) for basic utilities!Â
At the end of the day, there is no straightforward and guaranteed recipe for productivity.Â
What works for you on day one might not be as effective the next day. Hacks that sound great on paper can turn out to be much more laborious and resource-intensive than expected. So, while it is useful to simplify work wherever possible – using behavioral changes and digital technology – the focus should be on the work.Â
Have you been disappointed with the outcomes of a productivity hack? Comment below or let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!