Almost no matter the situation, if you want to get ahead in life, you need to be productive.

And it took me a long time to figure out that being productive is hard.

Have you ever stepped back and looked at your day? Or tracked it with a time tracker app?

I mean, genuinely accounted for every minute in your day.

It’s surprising.

No, it’s disheartening. Disappointing. Upsetting.

But it’s true — our workdays that stress us out so much are really just a whole lot of distractions.

When it comes down to it, we just get little done.

But we all want to, right?

So let me show you how to be productive with these productivity hacks that will help you rule your day and crush your goals.

First, a little background.

Counterproductive – The Distraction Formula

To prove this out, let me throw a simple formula your way.

Time and time again, it’s been proven that it takes 25 minutes to refocus on our task after a distraction.

25 FREAKIN’ MINUTES!

That’s not just work-related:

• A work call
• An employee walks into your office
• A client calls and is unhappy with something you’ve done
• An urgent email

No, this is any distraction. Even the short ones that we often do to ourselves.

Let me throw a few your way:

• Checking your text messages
• Social media alerts
• Personal email notification
• Your Ring doorbell distracts you with a visitor

While you’re at it, you may as well check Twitter and Facebook, too, right? And there’s a link to a YouTube video, so…uh oh. Down the YouTube rabbit hole, you go…

How often do you check your email in a day, anyway? The average person checks their email over 70 times per day.

You get my point.

Try this one day; track your distractions. How many did you have today?

And, just for fun, how many are self-inflicted?

Here’s the equation you’ve been waiting for:

[number of distractions] x 25 = The number of minutes you’re distracted in a day.

Note: To avoid confusion, I understand you may take only 30 seconds to check Twitter, then shift back to work, but the point of the 25 minutes is that you take that long to regain focus on the task at hand, to your pre-distraction levels.

I mean, dang my friends, we are not very productive.

But it’s no surprise; this is the Age of Distraction after all.

Did you ever take a walk around your office (wayyyy back in 2019, when we all worked in those things) and count how many were NOT on their cell phones: responding to a text, updating Facebook, or sharing a picture on Instagram?

And here’s something worse, a study found that distraction not only leads to lower productivity but higher stress and a bad mood.

And higher stress interrupts our focus.

It’s a low-down, dirty, vicious cycle, folks.

So How do You Get Out of that counterproductive Cycle?

If you want to tackle your goals, start your new side hustle, or make your dreams come true, it’s hard work.

And if you’re going through life distracted (squirrel!), you will not make it very far.

You’ve probably noticed, but life does you no favors when it comes to working in distraction-free zones.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was to focus even amongst chaos.

I’ve always been a life hacker, anything to help me achieve my goals easier.

At the moment, I unexpectedly live with kids (not mine) who are…well, you know how that plays out (did I tell you about the time I woke at 5 am to kids hitting my face with pillows? On a Monday, no less.)

Half the house I’m living in is gone, construction work constantly. I’m talking the equivalent to banging pots and pans right outside your peripheral. All. Day. Long.

And — yeah — your phone: Text messages, phone calls, social media, any other mobile app, really that alerts you.

And that’s just some of the distractions the world can throw at you at any given moment.

So you have to be prepared. You have to figure out ways to remain productive and on track, even through the chaos.

Be productive with these Productivity Hacks

I’ve become a productivity hack junkie. I don’t know why other than possibly it’s just been a solution to one of my significant problems:

Constant goals and dreams on my plate, but never enough time to do them.

Everything from bio-hacking (thanks Dave Asprey) to productivity hacking, to calming the body and mind.

I’ve done them all and still do.

It all works for you in different ways, and I’ve found all of them are needed to remain focused, be more productive, and ultimately be successful.

1. It’s Time for You to Take Accountability

I’m a sucker for hacking my life in any way that I can.

But a sizeable portion of getting ahead in anything you want to is taking personal accountability.

And your time is no different.

Grab a time tracking app and honestly track your time. It may be challenging; nobody wants to see the harsh truth about wasted time.

You’re going to be shocked. You may be a little ashamed. But you’ll gain a new perspective.

The great thing about being shocked about how distracted you are every day? Think about how much more you can get done when you’re not…

So take accountability for your time, see where the heck it all goes.

Then, use some of these other hacks to become a productivity ninja.

2. Become Bulletproof

Anything to get my brain going in the morning is a plus for me.

And I love fasting, especially with bulletproof coffee.

When someone asks me how to be productive, one of the first things out of my mouth is fasting with bulletproof coffee.

Not only does it tick the ‘health’ box, but it also gets my brain firing on all cylinders.

Just MCT oil, grass-fed butter, and a little coffee (and a non-caloric sweetener if you must — I use Truvia).

I don’t do it every day, but I break out the bulletproof coffee if I know it’s a big day.

3. Get Your Coffee with Nootropics

Whether I’m making it bulletproof or just straight, Kimera Koffee gives me a little extra kick.

Kimera Koffee has nootropics.

My second favorite coffee is Four Sigmatic — it gives you a mental and physical boost from none other than…mushrooms.

4. The Pomodoro Method Will Keep You On Track

Want to get down to basics and focus on something?

The Pomodoro Method was groundbreaking.

Not familiar with it?

It goes a little like this:

• Set a timer for 25 minutes while you do nothing but focus on a task — that is a Pomodoro.
• After your 25 minutes is up, take a 5-minute break (go to the bathroom, check your email, etc.)
• Then do another 25 minutes of focus.
• After 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes).

I use a $15 timer I bought on Amazon.

5. Use Sounds to Fire Up Your Brain

Brain.FM is now a constant in my life. It has music and sounds for whatever you need.

Recently Brain.FM has even broken it down more; I’m talking:

• Deep work
• Creative work
• Light work
• Chill
• Recharge
• Unwind
• Deep sleep
• Meditate

To name a few.

There’s something to be said about specific soundwaves to help you relax, recharge, sleep, and yes, you named it – be more productive.

Give it a shot.

6. Cancel Out That Distracting Noise

Noise-canceling headphones can be a game-changer.

For those loud days, or those days where things aren’t going your way, and you need to drown out the world.

Those days are unavoidable. Especially now, when working from home is the new normal.

Some of my most productive days, this is my lineup. Try it out when you have a big day:

• Noise-canceling headphones
• Brain.FM
• Amazon timer
• Pomodoro method

7. Ten Crucial Minutes to let it all go Can Make Your Day More Productive

I mention meditation a lot. But it’s because it’s so profound.

Just 10 minutes a day, that’s all you need.

I recently did a 30-day challenge to get back into it — whew. Why did I stop doing it again?

8. Get Rid of Distraction Numero Uno

It’s the Age of Distraction, and our damn cell phones are the main culprit.

They’re too easy!!!

Plus, they alert us anytime someone messages us, emails us, responds to our Facebook post.

We’re just so used to it now that we walk around getting phantom messages all day.

Or we check every few moments to make sure we didn’t “miss anything.”

It’s madness.

It’s time to put your phone down. Facedown.

Turn the alerts off, put it on airplane mode for a Pomodoro, or turn it off.

My newest and best hack yet is getting back to people on my time.

In doing so, I now realize that 99% of what I get — the calls, texts, emails, social media updates — isn’t urgent.

No, now I get back to people on my time. In between Pomodoro’s, after work.

I know it’s hard — these are addictions of the new age. Here are a few tips:

• There’s an app for that! There are apps to shut off notifications for amounts of time.
• Block out time on your calendar for email. Much the same as your phone, how many emails are actually urgent?
• Disconnect your phone from your laptop — it’s just another way to get distracted. You literally can’t get away from it.

Just a funny side note: A funny thing happened when I started answering texts and calls on my own time. People stopped messaging me with nonsense.

Sure I get fewer messages than I did, but how many of them were necessary?

I know my friends will be there when I need them, and it’s not like we don’t talk when we need to.

Maybe you don’t, but I realized that I need fewer distractions in life.

Sometimes, when I need a little time to relax and read or watch TV, I set my phone face-down, alerts off.

It’s peaceful. Try it.

9. How to be More Productive with a Simple List

Everyone’s different; what works for the gander doesn’t always work for the goose, ya know what I mean?

I’ve been through at least eight to-do lists.

I’ve settled on two:

1. Focuster — I love it. It’s an online productivity task list. Within the first week, it showed me the madness of my ways and why I was constantly stressed. I scheduled 12 hours of work per day. No wonder I never ended my days on a cheerful note and worked into the wee hours of the morning.
2. Infinity — Or Trello, if you prefer. I love Trello, but I got Infinity on one of those lifetime deals. This is great for team scheduling and long-term projects.

I integrate both into what I have going on. Focuster for day to weekly tasks, and Infinity for long-term, from social media calendar to content calendar to building my website and working with my virtual assistant.

10. They’re Not just for Fishing Anymore

I stare at my mirror, eyes bloodshot, half-massed, burning; and unable to think coherently or respond to someone in a cohesive manner.

I’m doing my best Walking Dead impression.

I’m not trying — this is what happens on those days that I wake up at 5 am and am still staring at my computer at 8 pm.

The worst part is that I get so fried, and it’s not just that day, often I wake up feeling the effects the next day.

Does that ever happen to you?

Try some blue-blocking glasses.

I find I don’t get as exhausted, my eyes don’t get so dry, and I’m a little more myself at the end of those long days.

And they block blue light (even watching TV), so your body can still produce melatonin, which will help you sleep better.

I’ve tried many; my favorite brand is Cyxus. They have many styles, they’re not absurdly yellow, they’re comfortable, and they don’t look terrible.

11. The New Addition to My Toolbelt

The Apollo wristband. It’s another wearable that can help you focus, meditate, relax, and sleep.

Some people I follow and trust most use it with great reviews.

I love the technology and the proven results. It’s new to me, but so far, so good.

12. Sometimes the Simplest Things are the Best Things

One of my favorite things is also one of the simplest.

Sure, I put most of my notes on my computer. But usually, it’s after I’ve written it down.

I use my notebook to brainstorm, write my to-do lists, journal, gratitude journal, doodle.

You name it.

Even if it ends up on my computer, there’s something about sitting down with a pen and paper at night to map out my to-do list for the next day, scribbling a thought I just had for my website, or grabbing my notebook to brainstorm.

Be Productive through the chaos and conquer your day

We’ve all been there, probably more in 2020 than ever before.

Stressed, distracted, and feeling behind on everything we are trying to accomplish.

And ultimately off-track.

Getting un-distracted and finding ways to be productive is the key to getting back on track.

Use this list to help you avoid distractions, stress less, and increase your productivity 10-fold.

Once you see what works, focus on doing it daily, and soon you won’t even have to think about it. It’ll become a habit and it will be hard for you to not be productive.

I wish you luck on your journey, and if you have any other tips or want to comment on one of mine, feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment right below this article.

May 2021 be your most productive year yet.