8 Weird Ways to Increase Productivity at Work

In today’s world of distractions, working productively from nine-to-five is hard. Our lives are clouded by phone calls, lists of important tasks, social media notifications and the incessant urge to check emails. So how can you increase productivity at work – for both you and your team?

Our nine-to-five work-life was popularised in 1905 by Henry Ford. At the time, it was dubbed a “newsworthy move”. Centuries on, many of us abide by it, though not all. Disruptive startups – and even a handful of big players like Microsoft have had success in implementing a four-day workweek, and it’s not uncommon to hear about a 'work hard play hard’ business finishing at three on a Friday. 

Whatever your working hours, you will have come face to face with a productivity slump – perhaps several in a single day. To help you work smarter, not harder, we’ll run you through some weird and wonderful hacks to increase productivity at work. 

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1. Let yourself procrastinate

While this sounds counterintuitive, procrastination is an important part of productivity. In fact, ‘productive procrastination’ is now a recognised term. It’s the art of traipsing through the small boring tasks on your to do list while you avoid that one dreadfully mountainous task.

But if your procrastination looks more like watching planes fly by, looking up your dream house or drawing an undefinable doodle, don’t worry. Clinical psychologist Nick Wingal says that “The initial urge to procrastinate is not the problem. It’s all the other negative emotion that we heap on ourselves by thinking of procrastination as a bad thing.” Accept it, feel no shame and let it run its course. Then get back to your to do list.

2. Eat your greens 

If you’ve heard any of the chatter around Netflix’s documentary The Game Changers, you would have learned that a plant-based diet has its fair share of strength-building perks. While we’re not here to get political about food (and recognise that other lifestyle factors are at play), a lot of anecdotal data says eating more vegetables and eating less meat can boost your mental clarity. 

In an article by Entrepreneur, Scott Putnam, founder of Whole Living Nutrition, recalls his afternoon office slumps where he wanted to melt into his office chair and drift off to sleep. Sound familiar? As coffee did little to sustain any burst of energy, he began researching a plant-based diet. He found he had an improved ability to focus, lower stress levels and more energy. 

3. Get moving

There’s plenty of research that shows exercise improves productivity, with clear links between being active, improving brain function and lowering stress levels. John Medina, author of Brain Rules seconds this, saying that people who exercise perform better on cognitive tests compared to people who don’t. 

You can reap the rewards of an active lifestyle both at home and in the office. One study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that average creative output can rise by a grand total of 60% when you go for a walk. When you find yourself in a slump, it’s a comfort to know that you can quite literally shake it off. 

Did you know?

Standing at your desk for three hours a day is equivalent to running 10 marathons a year, according to research by the BBC.

4. Find the right office space

Despite what you might think, an office isn’t just a place to work. It’s a space that changes your mood, your productivity and your sense of community. It’s a strategic device that can help you and your business grow.

If you’re coworking with like-minded entrepreneurs, you can bounce new ideas back and forth. If your office has sleep pods or meditation rooms, you can take five when your brain needs it most. If your office features biophilic design and purified air, you’ll be more energised and less stressed. When it comes to increasing productivity at work, your environment matters.

There are hundreds of flexible offices in London you can call home with the help of our team of London experts.

5. Be realistic

An easy way to increase office productivity is to set realistic expectations around what you can achieve in a day. This might sound like reducing your workload or moving the goal post to feel like you’ve completed your to do list, but the stress induced by impossible priorities can act as a mental blocker. Being honest with yourself is crucial.

Try keeping a time-sheet for a week to truly understand how long your average workload takes you, so you can safely say your workload is achievable, rather than trying to power up a mountain, burning out then feeling like you’ve failed.

6. Leave on time

The UK has been dubbed the “unpaid overtime capital of Europe.” On average, we work a staggering 42 hours a week. But research by the Trades Union Congress has proved that longer working hours don’t equate to increased productivity. People in the Republic of Ireland work just 39 hours a week and are 62.7% more productive than those in the UK, whilst people in Denmark work 38 hours a week and are 23.5% more productive than those in the UK.

It’s not uncommon for fast-growth startups or scale ups to ignore the end of play cut off point. When you stay late or take your laptop home, the lines between life and work quickly blur. But to avoid burnout and improve your productivity, try rethinking your overtime.

7. Carve out time for distractions

We instinctively pick up our phones the second they ping or buzz. We even pick them up when they’ve been too quiet, just to check we’re not missing out on anything. The apps we love to download are designed to keep us coming back for more, with push notifications quickly filling our lock screen.

While most of the content we consume is interesting, a lot of it can be meaningless noise. Try carving out specific times of the day to be more intentional with your scrolling. That way, you can respond rather than react to your world on the web.

8. Meditate

Meditation has historically been reserved for monks, hippies or people pursuing enlightenment. But since making its way onto our smartphones in apps like Calm and Headspace, mindfulness has become mainstream. Tim Ferriss, the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, says it’s one thing the world’s most successful people have in common. 

In an interview, he explained, “Meditation [is about] decreasing emotional reactivity so you can proactively create your day and create your life; versus, just being a walking reflex that sometimes screws up.” Meditation flexes the muscle that brings you back to the present moment once you realise you’ve been distracted, whilst teaching you the value of setting intentions. Sounds like a productivity hack to us.