Every year, as summer (especially the break) approaches, the human populace sorts itself into two categories–the over-ambitious, productive people with laser-like focus and the lazy, can’t-move-to-save-my-life lot. While some lucky homo-sapiens fall into the former category, majority of the people (myself included) find ourselves in the latter one. We procrastinate, make excuses and always blame the weather. It’s common to hear statements like, ‘Ah, it’s too hot. I cannot get out of the house. I cannot get out of this room, I need air-conditioning. How can you possibly expect me to work in this weather? Let me watch TV and eat cheeseballs.’ Trust me, there’s no end to it.
We do everything except actually doing what we are supposed to do – WORK. Some very ambitious dreamers even go to the extent of making promises to themselves. (I’m going to start working tomorrow. I’ll finish this and that and complete everything in one go. Tomorrow’s the day…*falls asleep midway*) But there’s one thing we all know–tomorrow never comes. We work (if ever) at the speed of a tortoise and the burden of work turns everything into a major drag. But as soon as summer is halfway through and we all know it’s high time for us to stop putting off tasks and start working. Dedicated to all the uninspired and lazy souls out there, here’s a list of 10 totally bizarre(-ish) tips to boost productivity:
1. Smell some lemons
Go to the kitchen, grab a lemon and sniff it. Yes, you read that right. Studies reveal that smelling scents like lemon, jasmine and lavender decreases the number of errors a person makes (lemons being the most effective and lavender being the least, out of the three). Known for being quick de-stressors, lemons promote concentration; lavender helps soothe your nerves and jasmine produces a feeling of confidence and optimism.
2. Chew a piece of gum
Benefits of chewing gum go way beyond making your mouth smell fine; it increases alertness and helps you stay focused on the task at hand. Chewing gum affects as many as eight areas of the brain, making reaction time 10 percent faster. So stock up some bubblegum and chew away.
3. The Pomodoro Technique
This time management philosophy comes in handy for completing bigger tasks. This is how you follow the Pomodoro technique: Break your time into 30 minute chunks- work for 25 minutes, then take five. As tempting as it may sound, don’t let yourself stretch the break for any longer than five minutes.
4. Let the sun shine in
Keeping your mind focused can be easy for some time. But after a while, distractions easily take over. Research shows that ample amount of sunlight can act as a natural rejuvenator for the human body. This affects us in two ways: in the form of affecting how well we’re able to see and in the form of affect it has on our mood and behaviour.
5. Go green
Investing in landscaping your home and work space with plants will not just make the environment soothing, but also increase your productivity levels by more than 38%. Plants provide psychological comfort and according to a study, can even improve your health, productivity and creativity.
6. Stop multitasking
While reading this article, chances are that you‘re probably also listening to music or texting someone. Multitasking is productivity’s enemy- it breaks a particular flow of thought and decreases the quality of your work. Switching continuously from one task to another can cause mental blocks and slow you down. Try to tune out distractions and focus on one task at a time.
7. Take a nap
Probably the only thing that lazy people can do effortlessly-is taking naps (and frequent ones). The bad news is, frequent naps aren’t ideal here. Instead, one should take a 10-20 minute power nap to boost alertness and energy.
8. Have a snack
Binging on junk food can slow you down and make you feel spaced out. On the other hand, snacking on healthy food items like berries, dark chocolate, watermelon, nuts and yogurt can enhance cognitive abilities and increase your efficiency. So ditch the fatty-sugary treats and munch on something wholesome and nutritious.
9. Turn up the music
While distraction of any kind while learning something new is a big no-no, listening to music while performing defined and repetitive tasks can increase your productivity. The trick is to choose your music carefully. For cognitive boost, opt for instrumental music or familiar melodies with a steady rhythm.
10. Avoid social media
You waste more time on social media than you think – an average person spends 1 out of every 4.5 minutes surfing the internet. It’s the same old story- One Facebook post leads us to another and the never ending stalking session begins. Avoiding social media is going to be a little (read: very) difficult, but with practice, I’m sure you’ll be able to avoid some distraction.
Fellow lazy people, say goodbye to the summer slumber and sloth. It’s time to pull up your socks and be productive. We can do this. Yes, we can.
