Avoid These 3 Productivity Hacks At All Costs...

You feel lost and hopeless when it comes to staying productive.

No matter what you try…you just can’t get focused and are constantly procrastinating.

So naturally…you go to Youtube and search “How to become more productive”.

Countless creators bombard you with all kinds of hacks and tricks.

You try one and…it works!

“This is awesome”, you say to yourself.

Then after a week or so…it fizzles out. The trick that you were relying on no longer works.

You go back to your old habits of ‘unproductive living’.

This used to be exactly me…

I would try a new productivity hack, find it doesn’t work after a few weeks, and repeat.

As a result of all this trial and error, I’ve been able to find the hacks that work consistently and have also come across some really terrible hacks.

If that sounds like you, this breakdown of productivity hacks is going to save you hundreds of hours of productive time…

Let’s get right into it!

The 3 Worst Productivity Hacks To Avoid At All Costs. (And What To Do Instead)

These are the 3 worst productivity hacks, but I’m not going to leave you hanging…

I’ve also provided alternative hacks that I use regularly in my day-to-day life.

#1: The Pomodoro Technique

You’ve probably heard about this concept before…

If not from the name, you’ve definitely heard this…

“Work for 25 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes. Then repeat”

Here’s why this is absolute BS.

To get into a focused state of mind, it takes the human brain 10 minutes.

Now, getting to work when you don’t feel like it is tough….

So why would you want to do it 10 times over every time you take a ‘break’ to go on your phone?

Alternative: The 90-30-90 Technique

90 minute work block. 30-minute break. 90 minute work block.

I’ve hit countless personal, professional, and academic deadlines using this strategy - it is the lifeblood of my routine.

Dr. Andrew Huberman of Standford University says that working in 90-minute blocks is the optimal amount of time to work.

He also recommends 30 minutes of ‘defocusing’ which is completely different from the 5-minute breaks used in the Pomodoro Technique.

These breaks are intentional and strict. This is 30 minutes of…

• no phone

• no computer

• no music

Just you and a journal if you’d like it.

The purpose of this is to keep your brain in an ‘elevated state’. (now you know how we named the podcast haha)

Try this out for yourself and watch as you get way more done in less time.

#2: The Two-Minute Rule

This is an extremely popular technique in the productivity space where you tell yourself you are only going to work for “2 minutes” and hope and pray your inner resistance breaks.

While taking action is important, lying to yourself is not the right way to get to work.

Instead, here are some alternatives that I use… especially when I don’t feel like working AT ALL.

Alternative One: Change Your Environment

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been able to get into a work session simply because I went to a coffee shop.

I’m actually writing this in a coffee shop right now…

You may think this sounds ridiculous…but give it a try before you knock it.

Changing your environment will change the way your brain perceives the work you're doing.

You could be working on the same thing that you usually work on…but for some reason, it seems interesting and new. 

Alternative Two: Change Your Language

“I’m going to get this done, then I can do whatever I want”.

Set the expectation that you are going to get this one thing done and just do it. It sucks, but sometimes you’ve just got to push through it…

And remember, you are probably more productive than all the guys running in circles for 12 hours a day if you can sit down, focus on one task, and get it done.

4 hours of deep work = 12 hours of unfocused work. Remember that.

#3: “Build Momentum By Starting With Your Easiest Tasks”

I used to wake up and immediately jump into my emails and messages…

Which was great, if I didn’t have any writing or recording to do.

By the time I was finished with my easiest tasks, I had no energy left to complete my hard tasks.

This mindset shift changed my perspective: “You only have so much energy in the day.”

Alternative: Fundamentals

The Productivity Paradox: More time you work doesn’t necessarily make you more productive or have a higher output.

As soon as I…

• cut down my to-do list to 1-3 important tasks

• Focused on those tasks first

• Rewarded myself for completing tasks (and not working a lot)

I was finally able to get my to-do list done by the end of the day with ease.

Thanks for reading,

-Matt “Hacks” Harriman

PS:

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

1. Grab my FREE self-reflection guide to break your burnout & make consistent progress in life & business easy.

2. Book a 1-1 Strategy Session to gain clarity on your routine, habits, and systems.