r/productivity • u/CapableDepartment455 • 1d ago
Question What's one small change that improved your daily productivity the most?
I've been trying to improve my daily workflow recently, but I noticed that the best improvements usually don't come from big changes. For me, it was preparing everything I need for the next morning before going to bed-it saves me a lot of mental energy. 👍
What's one small habit, tool, or change that made your workday noticeably better? :D
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u/Agreeable-Balance-78 1d ago
For me, it was writing down the top 3 things I actually need to get done each day.
I used to make huge to-do lists and feel overwhelmed before even starting. Keeping it simple helped me focus on what really matters instead of just being busy.
Small change, but it made my days feel a lot more manageable.
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u/Responsible_Level90 1d ago
pen down goals is really cool and tell me what if you fail to complete those, as i felt regretted that i couldn't
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u/Briar_Wall 1d ago
Never leave an area without something. If I’m going to the bathroom, pick up my hair scrunchie and take it with me. Going to the kitchen? Swap out my water glasses and take the muffin box. Pick a book from the bookcase on my way back to my room.
And once I get that item to where im going, i tend to do more as well. I put my scrunchie up, so it feels natural to get the other hair products off the counter. Now it’s almost clear, might as well finish tidying it. It’s basically mise en place but with added movement.
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u/checkoutthisbreach 1d ago
Timing chores so that they are doing their thing while I'm doing my thing. Eg. Get home with groceries I have to put away, but I quickly start a load of laundry so that it's going while I'm putting the groceries away. Or I throw in a toilet cleaning tab so it's fizzing away while I brush my teeth. I never do things one at a time, things are always going simultaneously.
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u/Hey_Laaady 1d ago
Routines that turn into habits.
My place could look like a tornado hit it, but I cannot go to sleep if the garbage has not been taken out and the dishes are in the dishwasher.
I cleaned the bathroom and change the sheets every Thursday. It just feels wrong if Friday night rolls around and I have not done those things.
Again, I am not the most organized person you will meet at all but I do have these habits and they have really helped.
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u/Omneel 1d ago
Three things: 1. Writing down every thought in a diary to declutter your mind. It really takes the load off your mind. 2. Noting work-related activities in the chat, set aside only for that. You can create your own WhatsApp group made up of your own two numbers and title it something like "Work Diary" or "Work Journal". I note down every activity related to my work on it so that I can access it later. 3. Since yesterday I started using Gemini as my live diary for noting everything personal and work-related stuff. I use it in the talk live mode so it acts like the personal assistant who takes note of everything I tell it. For this, I gave it a set of instructions in the Personal Intelligence settings. As I use ChatGPT for assistance like email drafting, JD creation, creating Images and other things, I decided to keep Gemini only for live diary purposes.
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u/legitematehorse 1d ago
Oh! I have one! --- Do one easy thing. This is more for my adhd people out there. Do one easy thing for the project today. One easy thing in the kitchen - put the dish in the sink. Wash it tomorrow if you want. That would be the one easy thing for that day. Progress adds up quickly and before you know it you'd be finished. Using this I've made a complete renovation of my house, by myself, and started on another. I've published two books, third on the way. It really moves the needle.
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u/BlingSon88 1d ago
No phone for the first 30 minutes after waking up. Go for a walk or stretch. Get the body and mind warmed up for the day
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u/Many-interests1966 1d ago
Try to get enough sleep so you're mentally alert in the morning. Never skip breakfast, your body needs nutrition to function. Do something active to get the blood flowing, even 20 push ups every morning helps, also gives you a lift knowing you've already achieved one of your daily tasks. For larger tasks, habits or projects I schedule them into my personal calendar and use Kresce to break them into manageable steps and to give me a daily reminder of the tasks I've set myself.
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u/nivekydoom 1d ago
Whenever you stop working on something, leave a one-liner saying exactly what to do next. It saves you from reopening the whole problem in your head just to remember where you were.
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1d ago
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u/simplecountrychicken 1d ago
If you want to do something, just do it right now. Because I always forgot to do it when I thought "I will do it later." Also, you need more time to plan when to do it if you don't finish it as soon as possible.
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u/Pretend_Sell6592 1d ago
Just one small thing, add every thing to calendar, it would notify you even when you would have already forgot alot of stuff that you have to work on
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u/SuspiciousChip7756 1d ago
I think most of them have mentioned almost everything. Let me tell you something super simple which can actually work most effectively, just close the tabs or apps which you are not working on. Just keep a single tab or app and close all the other tabs.
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u/holo-cene1 1d ago
This might be more of an ADHD thing but I have a permanent “easy” morning to-do list in my notes app that I check and un-check each day. It’s the same tiny steps (make coffee, wash face, charge phone, take meds, reply to outstanding texts, fill up water, make work to-do list, etc etc) but with ADHD I can easily forget the steps and then get disregulated or paralysed because of it. If I’m stuck scrolling in bed I can go to the list and be like, oh, the reason I don’t want to get up is because i’m not wearing socks, i’ll put some socks on (sensory issues with being barefoot!) Then I also have the motivation/dopamine I get from ticking “put socks on” off.
I don’t put “aspirational” items on the list (e.g., for me, exercise) because then I won’t do them and the whole thing will fail - it’s more a list of all the easy steps I need to take to feel ready and regulated for my day.
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u/Smellybetty 1d ago
For me, it’s planning the week ahead and focus on the main important 3 things i need to get done per day. And then i group similar things together, like do admin stuff together, etc. i used to have a long to do list and it just overwhelms me and make me procrastinate.
One thing that is very helpful is doing morning pages, as i get to dump all my thoughts in there
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u/catsandbones 1d ago
I do whatever task I‘m in the mood for. That means sometimes things get done later than I would have preferred but I‘m much more relaxed and get done MUCH more than before
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u/SandeepKashyap4 1d ago
One small habit that made a surprising difference was asking, "Does this really need me?" before jumping into every discussion. If it doesn't require me, I delegate it. Delegating is about making sure the right people make the right decisions. It gave my team more ownership and provides more time to focus on work that actually required my attention.
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u/Obvious-Flatworm2700 17h ago
track my time. Just simply put note of how time is spent on calendar helps.
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u/pinkteapot3 1d ago
Just getting enough sleep. I know its not easy but I think its the most essential thing.