Need some productivity hacks to get back into the groove? As you know, many people experienced working from home full-time for the first time last year. Some workers (and companies) adapted very well. Others struggled. But if we put aside the added stresses of the pandemic for a moment, productivity can be a challenge even under the best of circumstances.

Myself, I’ve worked from home full-time for 15 years. I’ve learned a lot during that time about what works (and what doesn’t). And so, I’ve put together this quick list of productivity hacks that just might help you get out of a rut. Let’s get to work.

The Resting Chair

Do you know what’s great about working in the so-called “information economy” (or “knowledge economy”)? I can work from just about anywhere and any time I have an internet connection. Do you know what’s not so great? The entirety of all internet distraction is literally a mouse click away. And the temptation is strong. And, if we’re being perfectly honest, sometimes we just don’t feel like working. So, what’s the solution?

Space allowing, put a second chair in the middle of your home office. If you don’t have a separate home office, you can adapt this strategy to suit your space. If you don’t feel like working, go sit in this “resting chair.” No phone, no music, no book, nothing. Just rest. You can quietly meditate if you’d like. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where going back to work is a more attractive alternative than sitting in your chair and doing nothing.

The Procrastination List

This is similar to the idea behind the resting chair, except it’s perhaps a bit more productive as far as productivity hacks go. When you feel like distracting yourself, when the temptation for procrastination is strong, you turn to what I call the procrastination. Define a list of useful tasks you can do when you don’t want to work. Clean the toilet. Update your resume. “Precrastinate” on something you’ll have to do eventually anyway.

Don’t put anything on this list that takes up a lot of time. Otherwise, you might not ever get back to work. But again, like the resting chair, a procrastination list gives you a bit of a break and distraction. Eventually, you’ll feel like getting back to the thing you should be doing.

The Primed Work Environment

In psychology, the concept of priming refers to the phenomenon where one stimulus influences how a person responds to a subsequent, related stimulus. They’ll often talk about this in the context of memory or recall. Let’s say I show you a bunch of yellow objects and then I ask you to name a fruit. You’ll probably say “banana” or “lemon.” Or at least you’re more likely to choose a banana or lemon than if you hadn’t been primed to think about yellow things.

Productivity hacks can tap into our natural psychology too. There’s a reason why they say you should still “get dressed for work” even if you’re working from home. This primes your mind to get into “work” mode. Decide on a morning routine for getting ready for work. Be consistent. This is the same reason why baseball players might have a routine before stepping up to bat. Or why basketball players might have a ritual before taking a free throw.

The Lo-Fi Music Playlist

One of the more effective ways to “prime” yourself into working mode is with music. This is especially true when it combine it with other priming activities, like putting on your headphones. For my part, I’ve dabbled in a several music genres (along with absolute silence). On some level, of course, it’s a matter of personal preference. Regardless of what music you choose, it generally should not have any lyrics (they’re distracting) and it shouldn’t be too engaging (you’ll focus on the music rather than the work).

Ticking these boxes for me is lo-fi hip hop, of which there are innumerable streams on YouTube. You might prefer baroque or jazz cafe. Depending on the work you do, you might choose something more energetic… but don’t let it distract you. The music should help you focus, but it should also fade into the background.

The Pomodoro Timer

I’ve sung the praises of the pomodoro technique for years. Work for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break. Repeat. The reality of the situation is that we are not machines. We’re human. What this means is that we can’t maintain the same level of productivity and efficiency for extended periods of time. We need to take breaks and the pomodoro timer adds a systematic approach to it all. Because you know that a break is coming up, you get a temporary boost in motivation to stay on task.

I’ve noted that there is a bit of a paradox to the pomodoro approach. If you’ve achieved a state of flow in your work — writing, coding, anything — skip the scheduled break. Take advantage of your heightened creativity and focus while you’ve got it. But, as a day-to-day technique, the pomodoro timer is wildly effective.

The Right Ergonomics

Too many of us, especially when working from home, don’t pay enough attention to ergonomics. It’s different when you can request new supplies from the office manager. And even that aside, a more traditional office will likely already be setup (to some degree) by the time you join the company anyhow. For your home office, it’s up to you. And ergonomics make up one of the most overlooked productivity hacks.

It seems obvious enough when you stop to think about it. If you’re constantly uncomfortable, constantly straining and in pain, you won’t be able to focus on your work. You can’t be productive when everything hurts. So, invest in a decent office chair, pay attention to your desk layout and monitor position, and be mindful about your posture too. They all make a difference.

The False Sense of Urgency

Call this one a last resort as far as productivity hacks go. I wouldn’t recommend leveraging this strategy on a regular basis, because it’d be way too stressful. The idea is that you establish a false deadline. Have you ever noticed that when a teacher gives students a full month to write a research paper, several students will inevitably leave it to the night before? There is nothing more motivating than an imminent deadline.

If you tell yourself that Task X must be completed today by 3 p.m., by golly, you’ll make sure you get it done by 3 o’clock. To add a layer of legitimacy to your false urgency, get an accountability buddy. Then, tack on real consequences if you fail to met this “false” deadline. If you don’t submit this TPS report by 3 o’clock, you’ll have to post a picture of you wearing a rival team’s jersey on social media.

Rethink What Productivity Really Means

Here’s the thing about productivity hacks. Far too often, we think about productivity in terms of an assembly line or a checklist. We just want to tick the boxes. We want to tick them quickly and we want to tick as many of them as we can. But, for most of us, this understanding of productivity and efficiency is far from complete. Not all checkboxes are made alike. They’re not of equal value.

So, as you put together your to-do list for each day and start thinking about your productivity, be mindful about how you’re actually making an impact. A shorter, more targeted to-do list is far more useful and valuable than a laundry list of less important, less impactful items. If you finish nothing else today, what’s one thing you can do so you can look back at your day and be proud of what you accomplished?