The productivity crunch is real.

We've all been there. You have a week to get a huge task done, along with everything else that's floating around in your inbox and to-do lists. We've compiled a list of 5 awesome tips to help you get the most out of your time ⌚.

😅 Take a break, honestly

You're probably in overdrive, trying to get as much done as you possibly can.

Take a 10-minute break, compose yourself, grab a drink and reset your mind. Come back to your work with a fresh outlook.

A small break can massively reduce stress.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but a small break to help you recollect your thoughts and reprioritize might be just what you need to get back on track.

🤏 small goals = bigger wins

Break your work into consumable chunks. Clear your plate and focus on smaller parts of a bigger task.

You're less likely to feel stressed when there's less on your mind, and it's easier to understand what needs to be done.

Working on a large task or project can feel demoralizing when you're not "ticking off" your work. Smaller chunks make for more wins, and a better workload.

🤝Share your work

If you're in a team, try to split your tasks with the people around you.

If someone else can do a task 2x faster than you, it only makes sense, right?

It makes perfect sense to play to the strengths of your team, and it helps you to reduce your concurrent workload, reducing stress and ultimately improving your wellbeing alongside getting stuff done on time.

❌ Stop Multitasking

"To do two things at once is to do neither" - Publilius Syrus.

Multitasking is a lie. It's tempting, but it will only cause stress and actually reduce productivity.

You'll be context-switching and consuming that valuable brainpower for no real reason.

Did you know that the term "Multitasking" was coined in the 1960s to describe a computer's ability to manage tasks concurrently? Sure, you can "multitask" by doing two things at once, but you can't focus on two things at once. The workplace is a busy fast-paced environment that is constantly fighting for your attention, each problem competing to shout the loudest in order to get your attention - and when there's so much on, it's only human for us to make an attempt to juggle tasks, but researcher David Meyer suggests that multitasking will cause your primary task to take 25-100% longer due to the context switching you have to undertake.

🤩 Focus on the biggest impact

Do the things that make the biggest impact first. The Pareto rule dictates that 20% of effort causes 80% of impact.

Todo lists are written in the heat of the moment, jotting down jobs and tasks that all seem just as important as the job above - but are they? Creating a todo-list will trap you in a list of unorganized tasks that inherently do not have any form of priority, it's just a list with endless tasks.

Instead of creating todo-lists, create success lists. Focus on the tasks from your todo-list that will deliver the largest impact. With the Pareto rule in mind, focus on the tasks that require the least effort to make the biggest impact. Take that 20% and get running, or, take 20% of that 20%, and continue until you find your most impactful task.