Last week I talked about my quest for discovering productivity hacks and improving and developing my work strategies. I’ve shared some of the things I learned in part 1 of this 3-part series. I talked about morning hacks last week. This week I would like to share the strategies I learned to make you more efficient at work for the rest of the day.

So, some of the things I talked about last week were morning rituals and techniques to start the day right. This time, let’s talk about the hacks I use throughout the rest of the day to help keep myself on point.

All Day Hacks
I have this phone app called “Fabulous” (I’m not paid to advertise this, but I use it because I find that it works for me). It is an app that helps you build healthy rituals into your life using science-based methods. It’s kind of like a gamified habit builder. I’ve set it up so that it reminds me to do things that can impact my productivity. Some examples are: drinking water, eating a healthful lunch, and creating the next day’s action plan.
● Drinking water – everyone knows it is best to stay hydrated. We can easily forget to drink water when we’re knee deep and too focused on work, but did you know that drinking water can make the brain work 14% faster? That’s something to think about.
● Eating a healthful lunch – notice I said healthful. If we’re mindful of what we eat, we can avoid the brain fog that comes after eating too much processed food.
● Creating the next day’s action plan – this is my “wind down” activity for the day. It signals that my work day is done and that the next step is rest and relaxation. I usually jot down 3 (maximum) priority tasks on my office whiteboard. Prepping for the next day also gives me a head start for tomorrow’s activities. It gives me peace of mind to know that I have a battle plan for the next day and won’t be running around like a headless chicken.

Speaking of apps. I use a note-taking app that helps me immensely with little things that I remember during the day. I don’t rely fully on mental notes. I take actual notes – I write down little things that I remember, like “check the status of print proof delivery” in a note taking app on my phone. These little reminders could easily slip through the cracks. I remember most things as soon as I finish my first cup of coffee, but I don’t like leaving anything to chance. So, I commit small reminders to paper, or in this case a phone app and do this for the rest of the day.

But I find that the best strategy for not forgetting the “things – to – do” that pop up randomly in your mind is to just take immediate action the moment you remember them. If it’s a task that you can do in less than 5 minutes, then go do it. Some examples are sending a follow-up or a thank you email or correcting a spelling error on a document.

What apps help you become more productive throughout the day? We’d love to hear about your productivity hacks. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by Jaie O. The Help