By Liam O’Brien

Another Productivity Article? Yep.

Productivity has been the topic of many blog articles. Still, I thought I'd take a crack at it since optimizing productivity has always been a focus of mine. In late high school, I discovered the productivity hacking niche on YouTube. I watched lots of videos about how one can boost their productivity, and have tested various ideas throughout my time in college, and running a business.

At Radius CoWork, the environment is crafted intentionally to foster productivity. The atmosphere promotes alertness with all the natural light, an abundance of plants, and monochromatic color with a pop of red here and there. It puts me in an excellent state of mind to be productive.

But no matter how focused someone is, getting distracted from time to time is inevitable. These are a few ways to increase productivity, get less distracted, and ultimately get more done in less time.

1.) Batch Your Tasks

You wouldn't run your washing machine if you only had one pair of socks to wash, right? Work tasks should be treated the same. It takes time for our brain to get into the flow of doing specific tasks. Especially more creative ones like writing social media content or planning a multi-step project.

Next time you clear your inbox, consider how much time you would save if you only answered emails at 2 specific times during the day. Maybe you dedicate time for emails from 11am-12pm and from 4pm-5pm. Tim Ferriss set an auto-reply feature that tells your peers that you're doing this and provides them with a way to get in touch with you in the case of an emergency.

Similarly, why spend time daily creating content for social media when you could potentially make all of your posts in one day or long session? Try batching your content creation to a specific day each month. With all your content planned out, you can now focus on other tasks and avoid the time commitment of “getting in the zone” whenever you make an Instagram post.

kristen flexing her photography skills once per month on content day

matt is a fast writer, and a faster talker

2.) Use Dictation to Write Faster

Typing is a time-consuming activity. Even for people who can type extraordinarily fast, nothing is faster than simply speaking. Most computers have a dictation shortcut, where all you need to do is hit the right buttons and start talking.

Let the computer do the hard work for you. Then, all you need to do is review the dictated text to ensure there are no errors. By eliminating typing, you can let the words flow more naturally, which can help you avoid writer's block and get your ideas out more efficiently. This article by Forbes explains why dictation is a powerful tool for writing more effectively in less time.

3.) Learn How to Speed Read

For most of us, reading emails, documents, news, or blogs can take up a lot of our working hours. Becoming a skilled reader in speed and retention will increase your productivity and save you many hours.

When we read, our eyes are typically jumping from word to word. As someone gets better at reading, they start jumping through groups of words. To effectively speed read, you must train yourself to move your eye between 2 or 3 points along a given line on the page.

You can also start trimming off an inch on either side of the page, allowing your peripheral vision to read the words after the margin. By doing these few things alone, you may be able to double or triple your reading speed.

I was first introduced to the idea of speed reading, again, by Tim Ferriss. He has a blog post on the subject of speed reading that goes into more detail.

nathan can read faster than matt can write

4.) Use Keyboard Shortcuts

A study conducted by BrainScape indicates that keyboard shortcuts can save one up to 64 hours annually, or 8 working days every year. Most people use basic keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste, but there are many more.

For example, if you always have many tabs open in your browser, a good shortcut is Command+Option+Left or Right arrow (Mac), Ctrl+Tab moves left, and Ctrl+Shift+Tab moves right(Windows).

Another great way to use shortcuts when typing is to jump every word down a sentence or skip to the end of a line. Similarly, you can highlight a letter, word, or line at a time, saving you time while typing. This is exceptionally helpful when you need to quickly move through your document to make edits. Instead of picking up your hand from the keyboard, moving your cursor, highlighting the word, and making the change, you can simply use your shortcut keys to get there, all from the keyboard.

Here are lists of shortcuts for mac and windows.

5.) Use Different Locations to Boost Productivity

Classical conditioning is when an automatic conditioned response is paired with a specific stimulus. The classic example is Pavlov's dog being conditioned to expect treats at the sound of a bell.

We can leverage this by selecting specific locations for certain tasks. For example, suppose you always sit in the kitchen to answer emails, and you don't allow yourself to do any other work. In that case, you will slowly begin associating that seat, the lighting, the smells, and the temperature with that task.

You can train your subconscious to enter a specific " mode" whenever you sit in the same place and condition that productivity. Try moving around to do different tasks and be consistent with them. Notice if you find yourself more focused and productive.

erica’s cozy and productive set up in the radius lounge

6.) Maximize Productivity at Radius CoWork

While Radius is a great place to focus, each zone of Radius was intentionally designed to serve different purposes. Headquarters has the most traffic and is a great place for spontaneous collaboration and problem solving. The cafe was intentionally placed at the center of the space to maximize opportunities to collide with different members. The lounge is a great spot to kick up your feet and step away from your desk.

On the days when you need to buckle down and do some deep work for an extended period, the library might be a better work spot. The library is disconnected from headquarters and has limited seating, making it a quieter area with fewer chances of being distracted. Members understand it’s not the place for open chats or phone calls. You’ll see lots of headphones and intense concentration here.

The classroom is usually open during the day and can be an excellent place to sit if you want ample open space. I find it helpful when I am in a creative mode and need to pace around and use a whiteboard.

Isolating yourself a little bit when you need to focus can also be beneficial to train yourself that when you move to a quiet room, it's time to focus. Getting habitual with doing your deep work in a specific place can help your brain get into the flow you need to be most productive.

While isolation can be useful for many people, also consider working alongside others that are being productive. This article by Harvard Business Review explains why working next to others who are being productive can increase your productivity. As they say, “you become who you surround yourself with,” so next time you’re in Radius, look for people who are in the zone, and sit next to them to get into your zone!

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6 Practical Ways to Boost Productivity