One of the biggest mistakes we can make when trying to be productive is keeping everything stored in our mind. When we try to remember everything that we have to do, our brain constantly reminds us of these tasks, which creates constant uneasiness.

So when you have a big project to complete, you’re going to constantly be thinking about it, consciously or not, until it’s finished. What we need to leverage is productivity systems or apps that store this information for us (i.e. a checklist).

Remember, our brain is not a hard drive, even as much as we push for it to be!

Here’s a quick momento to what our brain commonly is capable of:
“We retain 10% of what we read. We retain 20% of what we hear. We retain 30% of what we see. We retain 50% of what we hear and see. We retain 70% of what we say. We retain 90% of what we do.”

As we would expect, doing is the most memorable. The key is remembering what to do and when to do it. Throughout the day we have so many micro interactions that draw our attention it’s common that we lose track of time, and thus of our productivity. How many times has your productivity been interrupted by a web or mobile notification? Or others talking close to your desk? Or a Spotify ad?

So a quick and simple implementation to your daily routine should be a ‘goal-oriented task system.’ Write down the most important specific-tasks you aim to accomplish today. These are things that can be completed in full to get you closer to your goal. Something as simple as an index card that you carry around in your pocket will work. Now, try to think more clearly, and only focus on that specific task for half an hour.

If you need to find that ‘moment of clarity,’ control your breathing and breath in for 7 seconds, then exhale for 7 seconds.

By blocking out ambient work distractions and focusing in short bursts throughout the day, you will be surprised by how quickly your list gets completed.

There are to-do list apps available to, but it is so simple to pick up your phone, see a new notification and navigate away from your to-do list. That is why good old pen and paper will be your best friend when starting out. We aren’t all going to become productive overnight. Some people try to change too many things at once and burn out, but small-daily tweaks can add up:

“Taking 5 minutes per day, 5 days per week to improve one’s job will create 1,200 little improvements to a job over a 5 year period.”

The lesson here is to just be cognizant of your personal productivity. From their small life hacks, and productive implementations will build up and eventually create better habits. You just have to start.