What is your best non-trivial tip for staying productive?

Long term, I'm guessing probably ergonomic workspace and great bed. Small stuff, but it's like applying sunscreen, you see the effects later in life.

I found reading Cal Newport's book "Deep Work" incredibly insightful. Working few hours with intense focus >> Working many hours with distractions. It is surprising how much stuff one can get done when working 3 x 1.5 hours a day without any distractions.

A few tips that have helped me over the years. Keep Focus on the Outcomes You Want to Create: - have clearly written goals that are measurable at objective - have all of your tasks aligned with those goals, if you HAVE to do something that doesn't align with those goals as yourself-- can you delegate it? eliminate it? automate it? -keep your work prioritized P1 (most important), P2 (nice to have) P3 (honest you could skip it with zero repercussion) Get Your Day Off to the Right Start - Eliminate useless meetings that don't have clear outcomes and agendas. (decline and send thoughts by email whenever possible) - look at the hours you have in your day and plan to accomplish just a few things - Swallow the Frog-- do your #1 hardest task in the morning first thing BEFORE checking your inbox -- even if you just put 30 min toward that task before the inbox it'll make the world of difference -Quick inbox triage- timebox a morning inbox triage to 15 min either archive it, put it down as a task to do later, or reply to it. Doing the Work -Before you start take the time to plan your work into smaller chunks, no chunks longer than an hour. have clear milestones you can hit and chunk up - while working dont get derailed by emails and slacks- snooze whatever you can and give the needier chattier folks a heads up "hey im heads down doing X for the next hour" Truly Disconnect - When you're off-- truly be off. dont be half engaged on your cell phone while you're watching tv that still burns you out over time and youll be less mentally energized to go fast the next day. P.S. i usually don't like to plug my own stuff but given the topic-- but in case it helps anyone an ebook i wrote on time hacking (explains how i save 47 days a year and am 1.8x more productive after implementing some time hacks) Free excerpt here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T76...

Accept that your time is limited and there are only that many things you can do. Acceptance helps me being less distracted and focus on quality rather than quantity of things im trying to do.

Going for a walk and getting sun exposure first thing in the morning. If you're not in a sunny area then I suggest taking breaks after 90 minutes of continuous work.

Making sure what you're doing matters. If you feel like what you do doesn't make any sense, it's hard being productive.

Avoiding notifications and not so important calls while working

Concentrate on one item at a time Although multitasking may sound like an efficient task management method, studies indicate that it may be more of a disadvantage than an asset. The challenge with multitasking is that it is not feasible for the human brain to process multiple things at once. Instead, what's actually going on is a focus change known as "task switching," or quickly switching our attention from one task to another. Context flipping is a further mental shift needed for this quick task transition. Rapid focus and context changes between tasks might ultimately lead to a 40 percent decrease in productivity. Reduce or cut down on distractions Increasing the amount of uninterrupted concentration time is one of the best task management techniques. For workers who have recently switched to working from home or using hybrid methods, this is extremely crucial. Setting aside time blocks for task completion may be one of the greatest ways to handle tasks more efficiently. For instance, block time on your calendar (to prevent others from booking meetings) and reduce checking your email or collaboration channels to once or twice per day rather than multiple times an hour. Disable push notifications When we are at ease and totally concentrated on the task at hand, we are in that state of mind. For efficient time and task management, the flow state must be maintained. Turning off push notifications is one of the greatest strategies for uninterrupted flow state maintenance. Push alerts capture our attention, divert our focus, and require us to switch tasks. Even if each of these interruptions only consumes a brief period of our time, taken together, they might be a factor in the productivity declines mentioned above. While receiving regular notifications from your phone, watch, or applications might seem like a smart way to stay on top of things, blocking out push notifications for periods of time may really help you accomplish more. Let go of perfection Not every task needs to be completed perfectly in order to be successful. Sometimes—certainly not always—getting something done is preferable to perfecting it. Actually, the never-ending pursuit of excellence can result in delays that have a snowball impact on bigger projects. Be realistic Finally, establishing the proper mental state is among the most crucial strategies for managing duties. This calls for being honest about your abilities and limitations. No matter how meticulously you arrange your task management strategy, an unforeseen variable will inevitably enter the picture. The best strategy to handle work when change is present is to plan for what you can control and then adjust to what you can't.

Avoiding distractions and interruptions by muting all notifications and creating a plan of my workday :) I plan when I will be checking all mails/messages/social media messages etc cuz I really like to be focused on one thing at the time without any distracions!

TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS DURING DEEP WORK! Put your phone away / close whatsapp and slack on your computer / mute all sounds on your computer. If you're able to work with no distractions, it heavily increases your ability to innovate and be creative.