We live in an age where productivity has one of the most important aspects of our daily lives. So much so that we have hundreds of apps to help you become more productive and thousands of blogs and articles on the internet telling you the same thing – plan, prioritize, set goals, etc. However, the truth is these tips are either outdated or are specifically designed by employers or societies to keep us on track.

Finding productivity can be like looking for a unicorn in a haystack under the ocean. That sounds a little exaggerated, but you get the gist of it. To help you boost your productivity, we offer some not-so-typical suggestions that might help you get things done efficiently and effectively. Don’t worry! We won’t bore you with tips like getting more sleep, trying yoga, eating a salad, etc.

So, in the post, we’ll share five unconventional ways to improve productivity in everything you do, from work to running errands and other daily tasks/activities.

The Rise of Unconventional Productivity Enhancement

Unconventional is a growing buzzword in the post-pandemic digital age, with hundreds of activities, concepts, and ideas thought of as unconventional becoming popular in the last two years.

Everything has changed drastically. As a result, it’s safe to say that the things that made us productive in the past might not work anymore. Similarly, things that were frowned upon in the past might be embraced by millions of people worldwide. Therefore, unconventional productivity enhancement can be defined as the process of increasing efficiency using unorthodox methods, tools, or strategies.
In some contexts, it could mean making the most of your time doing things that keep you active or occupied.

Boost Productivity With These 5 Unconventional Tips

1. Work Less

That’s right. For years, we’ve been told that being productive means getting more things done in less time. In most cases, this usually entails overloading your to-do list, which drains your energy and alters your mood. Therefore, to keep yourself working at a productive rate consistently, you need to slow down, take a break, and reduce the cognitive load.

Even if you work a demanding job where a lot is expected from you, there will come a time when you’ll feel like you’ve hit a wall and your brain can’t take it anymore. Therefore, it’s more efficient to stop working altogether rather than working on fumes, which usually leads to errors and more overtime.

2. Procrastinate

“Wait, what?” is what you’re probably thinking after reading this. Allow us to explain.

Many things in life are bad for us. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t use them to our advantage and get something good out of them. Imagine you have a list of things to do. Ideally, most people start with the most challenging task and spend most of their time on it before moving on to the next.

Procrastination prevents this from happening. In other words, you should put your most important task at the top of your to-do list and put it off till the end. This will make you dread not doing it first and help you complete everything else faster. With this approach, you can reduce some of the burdens off your shoulders and focus the rest of your energy on that one last task.

Of course, this won’t work all the time, especially if you’re working on tight deadlines. However, if time isn’t an issue, it works like a charm.

3. Play a Game

Most people spend their free time at work taking a break, relaxing, eating lunch, and recharging. While there’s nothing directly productive about these activities, they don’t always help us decompress or eliminate some of the stress and worries. More importantly, they don’t let us release anger or frustration.

This is where games come in to solve these problems as long as you don’t get addicted or let them do more harm than good. For instance, if you’re at the workplace, you can play board games with coworkers. If you’re working remotely, an hour of Xbox or PlayStation is more than enough to wipe the slate clean and get you back to work fresh and energetic.

4. Be Kind to Yourself

No matter what anyone says or does, always remember to be kind to yourself and remember you’re human. You’re going to make mistakes, miss deadlines, or take more time than expected, especially when multi-tasking.

Think of yourself as a valuable asset that needs protection because there’s nothing worse for your productivity than negativity during bad times, self-hatred, and failure. So, give yourself more time to ease the pressure. This race will never stop, so you need to make a pit stop once in a while.

Contrary to what people want you to believe, we work best when we’re not under pressure. So, taking on more workload or responsibilities just to get ahead can and does turn out to be counterproductive.

5. Find Your Peak

Many people claim waking up early is a great way to improve productivity. Undoubtedly, this is true for many people. However, it’s not definitive. Some people find their rhythm after lunch, while others find it an hour before clocking out. The fact is everyone peaks at different times of the day.
You just have to pay attention to the time your performance is optimal and use it to handle all routine tasks so you can make more time for analytical tasks that require more attention to detail and critical thinking.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it – 5 unconventional ways to improve productivity. Undoubtedly, most of the tips above may sound a little unorthodox or experimental. However, that’s the beauty of them. Sticking to conventional advice is like following the herd and missing out on the chance to explore new ideas or strategies.

For years, we’ve been forced to believe that productivity enhancement is about getting more things done even if what needs to be done surpasses our capabilities or mental capacity. As a result, we experience stress, fatigue, and burnout much quicker than anticipated, leading to poor performance.