According to McKinsey and Company, more than 50% of workers say their productivity is down. Productivity matters – on both a personal and professional level. On a professional level, poor productivity can potentially have a detrimental career impact – delaying advancements, damaging professional reputation, and more. And on a personal level, being unproductive can be unfulfilling – especially if it stems from a lack of focus or motivation.

What’s the secret to becoming a productive person? As the new year approaches, it’s time to take your workplace productivity by the reins: here are 5 research-backed productivity habits that work.

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1. Take a Break

We’re used to seeing sustained focus as a sign of “productivity.” The truth is, taking breaks can actually help you re-focus and concentrate better at the task at hand – especially if it’s something that’s going to take you several hours (like getting through workday tasks). 

According to the Harvard Business Review, this is because we all have a limited pool of psychological and physical resources. Inevitably, our batteries run low. Trying to push through this feeling can result in a negative spiral where employees try to keep working, which results in making mistakes, which can mean even more work in the future. 

Not all breaks are considered equal, though. It’s a good idea to have a break away from screens – and that means your phone. Instead of scrolling social media (which can lead to feeling emotionally depleted), take a short walk, go get coffee, call a friend, or even daydream while staring out a window for a few minutes. 

You can use the pomodoro technique for a structured approach to breaking: more on that here.

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2. Set Focus Hours

In a recent survey by Reviews.org, 75% of survey respondents admitted to looking at a notification within five minutes of receiving it. When you consider the sheer volume of notifications that are being pushed to our phones each day (the Business of Apps puts this number at around 46), the potential for distraction is clear. 

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Rather than trying to re-focus 46 times a day, instead use the minimalist phone app. Many of us have essentially trained ourselves over the years to view our phone as a constant source of entertainment and distraction – without an app to override your habits, it may be incredibly hard to break them. This app has numerous features that allow you to eliminate notifications from apps, and prioritize productivity in the workplace. 

Over 5 million people worldwide have downloaded minimalist phone app because it’s one of the few apps that allows you to take back control of your phone without having to completely disconnect – which often makes it the right choice for someone who is looking to improve productivity while at work, but may still want access to apps like Netflix, Instagram, etc. while off the clock. 

If you need access to some apps but don’t want to be bothered by notifications, opt for the Notification Filter, which allows users to allow important notifications while suppressing others – instead redirecting them to a separate notification folder that allows you to check notifications when you want to, rather than being constantly bombarded and distracted by them.

minimalist phone also has flexible app blocking options that can allow you to stop mindless app openings for a set period of time – whether that’s two hours, or two days.

It’s a good idea to use an app rather than simply putting your phone on silent because this often has the unintended side effect of encouraging people to check their phones more, just to see if any notifications have appeared.
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3. Set – and Review – Your Goals Weekly

PWC conducted a giant survey of work-related goal setting of more than 12,000 employees from various industries. They discovered that individuals who set at least four achievable goals each week were 34% more likely to reach their key performance indicator (KPI) targets than those who didn’t. Also important: when people set goals for themselves and made at least half their goals, they felt better about their work – and had a better mood.

Breaking down your overall goals into manageable week-sized goals allows you to better measure and control your movement toward your larger productivity goals. 

If you make a goal of hitting $300,000 in sales every six months, it can be difficult to really measure your day-to-day success – in week two, you’ll be very far away from the goal of $300,000. If you make one of your weekly goals hitting $12,000 in sales, however, and making at least 25 cold calls to help create future sales, it will be easier to track your progress and motivate yourself to perform better. 

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4. Improve Work Efficiency by Identifying Your Productivity Hours

According to a Slack survey, over two thirds of desk workers – 71% – find that the last few hours of their workday is the worst for their work, meaning they prefer the mornings or early afternoons for getting tasks done. In other words, productivity is not linear – and your strategy may need to shift throughout the day in order to get the most done.

Rather than trying to slog through difficult tasks at a time when your brain is least capable of focusing on them, instead orient your tasks and workload so that you can best utilize your productivity hours. If you’re more of a morning person, save the repetitive, easy tasks for later in the day when your brain has started to disengage, and work on the meatier problems earlier.

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5. Truly Prioritize Sleep and Recovery

While there are plenty of productive work habits that take place in the workplace, great productive habits always start with good sleep. Without good sleep, even the most focused and productive employee will struggle to perform to the best of their ability.

Although most people want to get a good night’s sleep, plenty of things – and bad habits – often get in the way, with more than a third of workers reporting that they get less than seven hours of sleep a night. There are so many potential variables that contribute to poor sleep (such as late-night caffeine ingestion, outside noise, children, phone scrolling, etc) that it’s difficult to address them all here. 

What we can recommend, though, is focusing on eliminating as many of the threats to your sleep as possible – and make a plan to follow through on good sleep for at least 18 days straight. Why? Research suggests that this is the minimum number of days it takes to form a new habit. If you can really commit to putting your phone away after 10pm, or turning on white noise, or taking a magnesium supplement for at least 18 days, chances are it’s a habit that will stick.
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Productive Work Habits Review

So: what habits could you change or develop to be more effective at work?

1. Take a break
2. Set focus hours (use an app like minimalist phone if needed)
3. Set and review your goals weekly
4. Identify your productivity hours
5. Prioritize sleep and recovery

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