The Real Productivity Hack
The Real Productivity Hack: Doing the Hard Stuff (Even When You Don’t Want To)
Productivity advice is everywhere—planners, apps, fancy techniques. But here’s the bit no one really says out loud: it’s about discipline. How often do you actually push yourself to do something you don’t want to do? Be honest. How many times do you catch yourself thinking, “I should do this, but it’s too hard”—and then not doing it? The trick is simple: every single day, do something you don’t feel like doing. Say no to an easy, bad habit. Say yes to something challenging. The more you do it, the easier it gets. And that’s the goal—making hard things feel easy.
Cut the Noise: Digital Detox is Your Best Friend
Sometimes, it’s not even about willpower. It’s just that the distractions are too loud. You can’t say no to something that’s constantly pinging for your attention. The real move? Make the choice before the moment of decision. Put your phone in another room. Don’t rely on some habit tracker to guilt-trip you into focusing—just remove the thing that’s pulling you away. You’d be surprised how much easier it is to resist checking WhatsApp when you have to physically get up to do it. And let’s be real, whatever that message is—it’s probably not that urgent.
Slow the Hell Down
We’re addicted to quick wins—clearing notifications, replying to emails, checking messages. But deep work? That’s a different beast. If you’ve spent your morning speed-running through 30 WhatsApp chats, a couple of emails, and an Instagram scroll, your brain is not in a state to focus. You need to slow down. One of the best ways to do this? Get outside. Take a walk. Do some exercise. Let your brain breathe before you throw it into something intense. That kind of calm makes it easier to drop into deep work without feeling like you’re dragging yourself there.
Know Yourself (and Trick Yourself Into Enjoying Work)
Work doesn’t have to be miserable. What do you actually enjoy? Music? Play something while you do your tasks. Like visuals? Sketch out your ideas. If something feels unbearable, change the way you approach it. Ali Abdaal talks about the power of play—turn your work into something engaging. Take your laptop to a café, treat yourself to a coffee while you get through the grind. The main thing? Just do the thing. However you get there, whatever tweaks you need to make, it’s better than not doing it at all.
Batch Your Work, Stop Context-Switching
Jumping between tasks is a productivity killer. Cal Newport talks about treating different kinds of work like different mindsets. Writing an article and answering emails require completely different mental modes—so why do both in the same hour? Instead of scattering your focus across the day, batch tasks. Do all your emails at once. Block out whole mornings for deep work. Stop bouncing between different types of tasks like a pinball machine—it’s only making things harder for yourself.
The Bottom Line
Productivity isn’t about finding the perfect app or system. It’s about training yourself to do what’s hard, making it easier to focus, and designing your work in a way that feels bearable—hell, maybe even enjoyable. Cut out distractions. Slow down. Find ways to make work not feel like torture. And, most importantly? Just start.