10 Ways to Boost Your Productivity in 10 Minutes (or Less)

The time for productivity is…just after this one thing. Kidding!

Sometimes we need a kick in the pants when it comes to getting a project moving towards completion. These quick productivity tips aren’t complicated, and they may be the fix you need to get yourself in gear.

1. Meditate

In just 10 minutes a day, you can use meditation to increase your mental focus and productivity. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not! You can take a quick meditation break with your headphones at your desk. Try a website for guided meditation like Calm.com (or its companion app) or Headspace for a quick tutorial.

2. Clean up your desk

Tidy those piles, son. It can be the worst thing to sit down with a ball of stress in your head and no place to even bang it because your desk is covered in last week’s trash. Take a minute or two to organize, file, clean and get yourself straight before you truly get going. And while a “messy” desk doesn’t directly correlate to increased productivity, if your desk is keeping you stuck, you need to act before it’s a quagmire.

3. Prioritize your to-do list (or start one)

Whether you bullet journal, post-it note, or just scribble a list somewhere, a To Do list reprioritization can show you how to get it done. If you make a list of what needs to happen to take care of an open task, you can be sure you have all the ingredients needed before essential colleagues leave for the day and you’re stuck alone (or it affords you to see that you don’t have a connecting line between “collect underpants” and “profit”). Having a list gives you a simple guideline for accomplishing your goal. Yes, sometimes the simplest methods are still the best.

4. Answer an email you’ve been putting off

Rip that band aid of procrastination off and answer that email to your manager, coworker (or even your mom). Just do it. You’ll feel better having that part of your list (see above) crossed off, and you can close another door on your productivity journey.

5. Make a coffee date with a contact

You don’t have to be unhappy at your job to need to network. Upward mobility, learning new skills, or just reconnecting are all valid reasons to want to chat things over with an old (or new) colleague. But, the first step to networking is actually talking to people. If you’ve been putting off that big cocktail social gathering because it seems to overwhelming, you’re not alone. Making a one-on-one coffee date can be a great step in your career journey.

6. Wash your face

Splashing some cold water on your face can be a great quick way to wash out those cobwebs and start fresh. Don’t dive in to the sink or anything, but having some time to clean and dry your face, and take a few good bracing breaths, can wake you up and signify a time to change gears.

7. Do some office yoga

While you might be tempted to slip out to a quick class to boost all sorts of things like focus and cardio health, yoga at your desk can help fight off the dangers of sitting all day, too. Try a few easy yoga poses you can do at or by your desk (that won’t look weird, we promise) or even grab a couple of co-yoga-spirators and get to bending together.

8. Eat some superfoods

Chowing down on a big bowl of pasta and some warm cream isn’t going to do a lot for your motivation, except towards a nap. Try some superfoods to get that mind rolling — like blueberries, nuts, bananas, or avocados.

9. Try a “monotask” app

Remove the temptation of that little Facebook tab or that cute bear webcam by using the power of technology to…keep you safe from technology. Apps like SelfControl, Focus and Freedom block access to certain tempting black holes online, so you can get some work done.

10. Hydrate hydrate hydrate

Water: key to life and your productivity. And this isn’t an excuse to head to the gossip corner by the bubbler. Make sure you’re hydrating yourself throughout the day, so you can keep on task when it counts (and boost your memory, skin, and healthy body, too).

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