Simple Productivity Tips to get Stuff Done

Ninay Desai
Jul 4
7 min read

What’s your idea of a good day? Wait… for all those who will say - laying on a deck chair and sipping fruity drinks, let me rephrase… what’s your ideal day when you’re not on vacation or enjoying a chill day?

If you’re like me, it’s a happy mix of productivity, some form of exercise and enjoyable and restful downtime. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But only until procrastination, laziness, lack of motivation and sloppy time management crash the party.

A desktop computer displaying the text Do More in bold white letters against a black background. The computer is placed on a desk with the usual office paraphernalia next to a shelf with notebooks, boxes and a plant.

The areas I struggle with are ending the work part of my day at a reasonable hour, going to bed on time and being realistic about how many hours there are in a day! At the start of almost every day, I regularly overestimate how much I can get done. It’s a heady cocktail of early morning optimism and daily delusion!

Dear Reader, please consider all this information as fair disclosure going into my tips for a productive day. I follow most of these hacks, while there are a few I know I should practise but don’t, and wish I would.

GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

For me, that means eight hours between 11 pm to 7 am. However, I’m a reformed night owl who often lapses into her old ways so sleeping on time is a constant challenge. Yet, I recommend it whole-heartedly because it is the most essential element of a healthy, productive day.

A yawning baby with a knitted cap tucked into bed with a teddy bear.

WAKE UP AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY

That has two advantages – one, your body starts to wake up naturally at the time after a few weeks. That feels so much better than waking up to an alarm. The second positive is that it’s easier to plan your day when you know when you’ll up and moving.

MAKE YOUR BED

Start tidying up your bed within five minutes of getting up, if not immediately. It’s an old military rule and works like a charm—giving you the boost of a task tackled right at the start of the day. Additionally, your space feels neater and the temptation to crawl back into bed is fended off.

LAY OUT YOUR WORKOUT OUTFIT

This may seem pretty pointless but don’t knock it till you try it. Spending a minute the previous night to lay out a pair of trackpants, a t-shirt and placing a fresh pair of socks on your sneakers can often be the difference between going to the gym or for a walk and slumping into a chair, doomscrolling. The logic is to reduce barriers, no matter how tiny, between you and healthy and productive choices.

A young man dressed in black and a polka dot scarf.

DRESS FOR THE DAY

I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying, “Dress for the job you want”. I’m amending that. Dress for the day you want.

For me, taking a quick shower, dressing in comfortable clothes presentable enough to run errands in has me feeling productive. Teaming that with a pair of moccasins or better still, trainers just adds to the ‘up and running’ vibe. The rest of me just follows through.

EAT BREAKFAST

The brain and body need some fuel to function. Eating a nutritious breakfast allows you to focus on work. Also, it will help you avoid the mid-morning crash followed by a hunt for snacks.

MUCH ADO ABOUT TO-DO LISTS

I consider To-Do lists a stepping stone on the path to productivity. There’s something calming about listing every small task you want to accomplish in the day. It frees up your mind from the weight of remembering them. And checking off of an item on your list generates a satisfying dopamine high, encouraging you to keep up the good work.

A planner with extensive notes, a cup of tea, and a couple of pens on a cobalt blue surface.

It also helps to designate one task as a 'Must-Do'. I think of them as the sort of tasks that even on a day when I’ve done nothing much, completing that one task gives me a sense of having achieved something.

In recent months, I have also taken to making Weekly To-Do lists. That way, I have a place to jot down the tasks and errands I want to get around to in the near future but not necessarily today. This keeps them visible when I make each day’s to-do list.

TIME BLOCKING TO AVOID OVERCOMMITTING

Assigning blocks of time to specific tasks is a hack I’ve tried sporadically so I know it works but don’t follow every day. I should. Making a list longer than China’s Great Wall leaves me feeling anxious and like I’m constantly playing catch-up. What’s worse is it leaves little or no time for relaxation making me a very dull girl indeed. And worst of all, I often end up working way past my bedtime and wake up groggy the next day.

The solution to all of this is to block off parcels of time to accommodate each task. The crucial aspect is to be realistic both when making your list and allotting time. Also, please keep 10-15 minutes as a buffer between major tasks.

TAKE BREAKS

A macchiato with a straw next to a lightbox with the text Have a Break.

Speaking of buffers, take a 15-minute break to make yourself a drink, walk around or return a call. It helps to take your mind off the to-do list once in a while, preferably between tasks.

Not just breaks between tasks. Don't feel guilty if you want to take a few days off work or chores. We all need breaks and they are best enjoyed without guilt.

QUANTIFY YOUR GOALS

The more specific you are when listing your goals for the day, the more likely you are to complete it. ‘Go for a 20-minute walk’ somehow feels more doable on a day when motivation is low than an ambiguous pointer like ‘Exercise’. The same logic holds true for breaking up bigger tasks into smaller chunks, making them less daunting.

For instance, I often break up writing and posting a blog post into a 5-day extravaganza spread over a week:

Research topic
Jot down pointers
Draft post
Edit post
SEO work
Upload and publish

Tackling one or two of these tasks each day leaves time and space for other things I need to do as well as some breathing space for my mind to problem-solve unconsciously.

A man dressed in black taking his dog for a walk along the crashing waves of the sea.

GET SOME MOVEMENT IN

I know I sound like a fitness guru. In truth, I’m far from it. I love sugar and pastries. That should prove my credentials as belonging to the dark side!

I do, however, like to get in some form of exercise every day even if it is only a 30-minute walk with our dogs in the evening. It makes my day feel more productive and happier.

An evening walk is also a great way to shift gears from work to winding down especially if you work from home.

BANISH DISTRACTIONS

Keep your phone in another room or at least more than an arm’s length away. Reaching for your phone unconsciously when you should be working or getting sidetracked by constant notifications is something we all can relate to. And it’s an absolute productivity-killer. Put that phone away and you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done.

JOT DOWN PASSING IDEAS

A top angle shot of a desk with a couple of loose pages with writing on them, a pair of spectacles, a wrist watch, and a pen. Also visible is the hand of someone typing on a partially visible laptop.

Keep a paper or post-it handy for ideas that float into your mind while you're doing something else. Jot down the idea and deal with it later, rather than getting side-tracked by a thing that may or may not be important and certainly isn't urgent. Like paying your phone bill. It’s important but doesn’t need to done right this minute. It can wait till you finish the task at hand. Writing it down means you won’t forget it and will get to it by the day's end.

GO FOR GOOD-ENOUGH

Often, we tell ourselves a particular task can only be dealt with if a particular condition is met. The ‘only if’ condition could be – ‘I should do this only if I have the time to complete it’ or ‘I will do this when I’m ready to do it really well’ or something along these lines. This may feel like perfectionism speaking. It really isn’t. It’s procrastination using a ventriloquist’s dummy. Some may say the dummy is you, if you fall for it! I know because I’ve been there.

Instead, just get started. Completing 40% of a task is a lot better than zero. What’s more, it boosts the motivation to finish the job the next day given that it is already half-way to completion.

HAVE A CUT-OFF TIME

This is something I struggle with – sticking to a time when I power down my computer or close my notebook. It should ideally happen just before I leave for my evening walk but it doesn’t. Quite often, I return and get back to work. Even after dinner. That’s a bad idea because I don’t rest or connect with family and friends. Often, I go to bed late and wake up groggy the next day. It’s practices like these that lead to burnout.

Please be better and follow a pack-up time religiously. Making time for rest and relaxation is essential. It’s the difference between toxic and happy productivity.

MAKE TIME FOR LITTLE TREATS

Let there be time in your day for something that brings you joy. It could be a chat with a loved one, a quiet drink after dinner, or a warm bath with all the trimmings. One could argue that they take up time that can be used more productively elsewhere. Sure. Except that whatever else you do won’t recharge you the way your little treat will.

A productive day is one where we get stuff done while making the necessary allowances for pleasure and leisure.

CONCLUSION

Productivity is valuable only when it helps you build a better life, not for its own sake. I’m guilty of forgetting that myself. Perhaps, I should put that on my to-do list! Drop me your suggestions, if you have any, on how to stick to my cut-off time. Or any other productivity hacks and tips that work for you.