Life Hacks to Increase Productivity at Work

If you've ever worked in an office, you're probably well aware of the 2 PM slump. If left unchecked, that minor slump can lead to a day-long burnout, or be one of many contributing days to a career-long burnout. In a world where competition is at an all-time high, being unproductive is unacceptable.

Let's face it: some people out there seem to have inhumanly high levels of productivity. You might wonder how they do it, and it's not surprising to know that many productivity hackers have tricks they rely on to get work done quickly - and well.

If you're sick of having days where you just can't seem to get anything done, use these eight tips. You'll be amazed at how productive you'll become.

Look at funny pictures of cute kittens - or give yourself a similar quick break away from the serious stuff at work.

No, really. Go online, and look up photos of adorable cats, dogs, rabbits, and mice for a while. Don't they look so sweet? Go ahead and indulge for a couple of minutes a day.

Studies have shown that watching cute cat videos and similar internet fodder can actually help you become more productive at work. The reason why is because that small break of fun allows your brain to recharge - which in turn makes it easier for you to focus on work-related stuff for longer periods of time.

The end result is that the small mental break that you're giving yourself ends up making it easier to work longer, be more focused, and also stay more relaxed at work.

Cut yourself off from distractions.

Most of the biggest CEOs will put their phones on silent, stop all meetings, and partially quit social media when they really want to get things done. They may even take their computers offline while they work on things.

The reason why this works is because it stops anyone and anything else from grabbing their attention and forcing it away from the task at hand. Of course, they also take breaks every so often - but that's to be expected. No one can power through things nonstop without taking a mental break once in a while.

Do that one task you hate the most, first.

One of the most common mistakes people make is they save the worst task they're assigned for last. This often makes it way too tempting to just put other things off, or prioritize the wrong things, just to avoid doing it.

And, if you put off that one terrible task for too long, it'll start to stress you out, or even cause problems at work. This obviously causes a morale issue, and since morale is contagious, that never bodes well for anyone.

If you want to keep your morale high and make it easy to power through the rest of the day, do the task you hate the most as soon as you get into the office. Everything else will be way more pleasant, and you'll feel like it's a reward for getting stuff done the right way.

Learn to delegate tasks.

The easiest way to get a lot of tasks done easily and quickly is to delegate tasks that you want to have done to people you trust to do them well. After all, if you have people who are willing to help you and are capable of doing so, why not ask for them to help out?

If you're a manager, this is basically what you're being paid to do anyway. If you're not a manager, then consider delegating housework out by hiring a housekeeper. At the very least, this allows you to stop worrying about housework when you come home.

Take time out of your day to stay in shape and get healthy.

There's really no financial excuse you can make when it comes to avoiding getting healthy. Being physically fit doesn't cost money. Some of the most effective forms of exercise don't cost anything to do, and frankly, gym memberships don't even cost that much if you do decide to indulge in one.

Time-wise, a good exercise routine can take as little as 20 to 30 minutes to do. In terms of eating healthy meals that don't make you feel like death warmed over, many food options can be bought that take minimal prep time. In fact, eating raw salads won't take longer than than the amount of time it takes to shove salad in a bowl.

Studies show that people who exercise and eat good food are much more productive throughout their days, earn more than their unhealthy colleagues, and also have better morale. Need we say more?

Don't announce the plans that you intend on doing.

Did you ever notice how rare it is to hear people who are up-and-coming fully announce their plans to the world until those plans are well underway? There's a couple of reasons for this, and much of it deals with productivity.

Studies have shown that telling people your plans makes you get similar feelings to the ones you'd get if you've already done them. By already getting that psychological reward, you're losing out on motivation that actually would make you do the task ahead.

Worse, it can actually trick you into behaving arrogantly when you don't even have the clout to have it be acceptable. And, if you fail at those plans or delay them for long enough, you may also get a reputation for being "all talk, no walk." This, too, tends to be very bad in terms of productivity because it can ruin your ability to network.

Stay away from people and places that lower morale.

Most people have noticed that misery loves company, and that, like a disease, misery is contagious. The funny thing about misery is that it's also very counterproductive on both a business and social level. When you've got low morale, it's really hard to be focused on something that can actually benefit you - and it's even harder to actually do something to improve your situations.

Having a negative workplace, studies have shown, has an extremely high cost in terms of being able to produce, and may also cause people to burn out from their careers.

If you notice people who drag you down, either in your personal life or your professional life, you need to cut them loose. Otherwise, you will risk becoming just as miserable as they are.

See productivity as a lifestyle change rather than just a work thing.

A lot of a person's ability to be productive at work comes from having an orderly home life as well. Take a look at your home life. Is it draining you? Is it a hassle to just find your pants at 6 AM? If so, you may want to consider taking time out to improve the way your entire life is run.

It will impact your workday in a great way if you do.