The 3 Productivity Methods That Actually Work for Most People

Do you feel productive? According to Demand Sage, only 7% of workers report feeling productive at work. Both at work and at home, potential blocks to productivity abound - preventing people from fully digging into the tasks at hand and focusing.

So how can you hack your productivity and ensure you’re maximizing your time? Here are three trending – but reliable – productivity methods people are using right now.

‍

The 3-3-3 Method

There is nothing more overwhelming than a list of 20 things to do and no idea where to start. The 3-3-3 Method (or 333 Method) is one productivity approach that brings easy, understandable structure to starting in on your task list. Originally conceived by author Oliver Burkeman, it goes like this: 

• Spend three hours on the most important project - while having a clear goal for how much progress you want to get done on it today
• Complete three urgent tasks – the sort of shorter task you’ve been putting off
• Do three “maintenance tasks” – the sort of task required to keeping your life running smoothly 

‍

The 3-3-3 list can be applied to both work and home. A shorter task can be emailing your supervisor to discuss someone handling your workload when you’re off next month – or it can be returning your books to the library before they go overdue. 

This method works for people because it brings balance to your list. It can be hard to tackle the tasks that realistically need days or weeks to finish, but by pairing them with easily-done tasks, you still get the daily “reward” feeling of finishing several tasks. 

Burkeman and other experts on productivity assert that most people are only capable of a few hours of concentrated work – so breaking your day up this way allows you to capitalize on the true focus hours, while divvying up the easier tasks for later.

‍

The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management tool that helps you organize tasks by urgency and importance – allowing you to see what should be prioritized first. 

‍

An Eisenhower Matrix template separates tasks by quadrant. Anything in Quadrant 1 (important/urgent) is something you need to Do Now (before all others). These are the things that are going to cause you stress until you finish them, and there are clear consequences if you don’t do them. Anything in Quadrant 2 (not urgent/important) can be scheduled – these things have hazy or far-away deadlines but are needed for long-term success. Anything in Quadrant 3 (not important/urgent) are things you should delegate – they have to be done, but don’t require you to do them necessarily and aren’t that important to long-term success. And anything in Quadrant 4 (not urgent/not important) – are tasks getting in the way of your priorities and need to be removed entirely.

When using a priority matrix template, one helpful tip is to limit the number of tasks you can put in each quadrant to an equal fourth. So if you have 12 total tasks, only three can be in the first quadrant (Do Now). This way, you won’t be identifying 10 of your tasks as urgent and important – which would limit the usefulness of the exercise.

Why does this prioritization framework work? The Eisenhower Matrix is effective because people have difficulty identifying which tasks are actually important and urgent due to something called called the “mere-urgency effect,” a cognitive bias where people choose to handle tasks that have deadlines, even if the tasks without a deadline have greater consequence to their life.

An example of this would be responding to emailed questions from a colleague about an event happening three months from now. Responding to messages feels urgent, which makes people think it’s important. But actually, working on a major project due tomorrow is urgent and important – making it the higher priority, as there is little or no long-term consequence to responding to your colleague tomorrow.

Looking for a digital version of the template? The Priority Matrix Eisenhower app is worth checking out.

‍

Single Tasking 

A big blocker to productivity is pulling yourself out of the task at hand. According to Wrike, focused work allows the right and left sides of your prefrontal cortex to work in tandem. But when you multitask – or switch between tasks – you end up switching between the two sides, and it will take 40% longer for you to finish.

‍

‍

There are plenty of reasons people multitask. It could be because they have many things to do on their plate at work, and they feel better about tackling a little bit of each task every hour. Or it could be that they’re distracted by a TV show. 

Single tasking – also known as monotasking – means focusing on one task at a time, allowing you to concentrate more deeply before switching to anything else. 

To accomplish this you can determine your priorities with the Eisenhower Matrix, then start by focusing on your most important goal first following the 3-3-3 Method. To help you fully focus on your tasks and not get distracted, try downloading the minimalist phone app. 

The minimalist phone app is engineered to promote productivity without completely eliminating the features of your phone you may ultimately need for work or home. Unlike a dumb phone – which is unable to do much more than text – you can make use of features like Blocking Schedules, which allows you to block off distracting apps for certain hours of the day. Find yourself mindlessly scrolling Instagram for 10 minutes after you went on to answer a single message? Block the app from 9am-12pm so that you can practice the first three hours of the 3-3-3 method and single task without any buzzing pulling you out of deep focus. 

‍

Stop Distractions and Take Control of Your Productivity 

Boosting your productivity doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or complicated. By incorporating strategies like the 3-3-3 Method, the Eisenhower Matrix, and Single Tasking, you can find an approach that works for your unique workflow and priorities. 

Remember, productivity isn’t about doing everything at once - it’s about working smarter and focusing on what truly matters. Start small. Pick one method that resonates with you, try it out, and let it guide you toward a more focused, efficient, and ultimately more fulfilling day.