5 Top Techniques to Boost Productivity: A Comprehensive Guide
Productivity can feel especially elusive in the digital age. Here are some ways you can use tools like Kin to chase it down.
Productivity isn’t as simple as it used to be. With the rise of remote work, digital distractions, and increasingly blurred work-life boundaries, keeping focus in one place is only getting harder—especially for neurodivergent people.
As such, understanding and implementing effective productivity strategies has never been more crucial for career success and personal well-being.
That’s exactly why this article will cover some of the most common and most effective, and how Kin can make following them easier.
What is Productivity?
Before diving into techniques, it's important to understand what productivity actually means. It’s not just simply multitasking, or completing tasks quickly.
Productivity is formally defined as “the rate at which a company or country makes goods, usually judged” alongside how much time and effort those goods require, and their quality.1
Essentially, it’s a measure of how much is made with a certain measure of time and resources.
But good productivity isn’t just about making good things fast and cheap. It’s about doing that sustainably.
This is why, according to Harvard Business Review, today's most productive employees don't necessarily work longer hours – instead, they work smarter by managing their energy and attention effectively.2 Regular breaks, deep focus on important tasks, and maintaining clear boundaries between work and personal time often have more impact on long-term productivity than just working more.
Productivity also means different things to different people. Someone with ADHD might measure productivity differently than a neurotypical person, while remote workers often need different productivity metrics than office-based employees—all for reasons we’ll discuss.
Still, understanding your personal definition of productivity is crucial for setting clear goals and choosing appropriate strategies.
Why do People Struggle With Productivity?
Distractions, motivation, and burnout. Though keeping workplace productivity high is a complex task, those are the biggest reasons for its downfall.
The reasons for these three factors vary massively, and some of the most common are discussed below.
Digital Distractions
Email notifications, social media updates, and constant phone calls fragment the workday, making it harder to streamline workflow and focus on one priority task at a time. In fact, the average person now checks their phone as much as 150 times in a single workday.
These conditions can make it tempting to turn to multitasking to manage different tasks, types of work, and notifications effectively, but research shows this can reduce productivity by as much as 40%.3
It’s not as simple as building self-discipline, though—even if that would help. Remote work and digital communication have eroded traditional office structures, leaving team members to set boundaries and practice effective time management themselves. That extra stress can drive people to procrastinate on the internet, or with home distractions like pets and hobbies.
The Procrastination Factor
As implied, Procrastination often stems from emotional rather than time management issues. Research shows that procrastination is frequently linked to anxiety about task performance or external stressing factors like tiredness or financial issues, rather than laziness.4
Thus, overcoming procrastination requires finding the underlying cause, and tackling it effectively. But, as everyone is different, that’s not always easy.
Individual Differences in Productivity
People's natural work productivity levels vary based on numerous factors. Two that are only now being seriously explored are chronotypes and neurodiversity.
Someone’s chronotype dictates when they properly sleep and awake, which directly impacts when and how they need to sleep for peak productivity.5 Forcing someone to work against their natural chronotype can reduce their productivity, and make them feel more physically and mentally exhausted, which can impact their mental health as well as their productivity.6
Neurodiversity refers to the different ways different people’s brains function, and the impacts of that. For example, conditions like ADHD affect how people process information and maintain focus, and can mean they require different routines and even medication to work effectively.
The challenge isn't necessarily about being less productive, but rather about finding methods that work with rather than against these differences.
How To Boost Productivity
With all that in mind, it's essential to develop strategies addressing the above factors to overcome procrastination and boost productivity,
The remaining sections of this article explore how to do this, using achievable tasks, productivity apps to track progress, and productivity hacks, among other things—like Kin.
To begin, here are five research-backed techniques that can significantly improve productivity in the modern workplace:
1. Deep Work Implementation
Perhaps the most powerful productivity technique for many is the implementation of deep work, a concept popularized by Cal Newport. This approach involves dedicating specific time to focused, uninterrupted work on important tasks. No phone, no pets, no email notifications taking 28% of workdays each week.7 Just someone and their work.
For remote workers, deep work can be particularly effective when combined with time blocking (which our time management guide has covered), given their increased lack of traditional routines and work-life boundaries.
This technique is especially valuable for those with ADHD, as it provides clear structure and reduces decision fatigue.
2. Energy Management Over Time Management
As mentioned, the key to consistent productivity is energy management, not time management.
It’s essential to recognize that human beings naturally operate in cycles of peak performance and regular breaks and to plan for that. We’ve already linked to the Harvard Business Review’s demonstration that energy management in this way is the key to high performance and productivity.8
Predictably, it’s then important for someone to identify their personal peak performance times, and then schedule priority tasks and short breaks accordingly. They might do this through their chronotype, or tracking their work habits with something like Kin.
The most important thing in this tip is to ensure proper personal and rest time is scheduled between work times so that a high level of rest can be maintained to minimize barriers to a high level of healthy productivity.
3. Strategic Task Batching
Task batching addresses the costly impact of context switching we mentioned. The method works by grouping similar types of work together and completing them in dedicated time blocks throughout the day.
For example, rather than checking email throughout the day, setting a specific time for email management reduces the cognitive load of constantly switching between emails and different tasks. This streamlines workflows and makes it easier to enter deep work to maintain work productivity, without the impacts of multitasking.
Task batching is particularly effective for remote workers who need to manage multiple projects and communication channels. It's also helpful for those who struggle with task initiation, as it reduces the number of times someone needs to start new types of work.
4. Progressive Overload in Productivity
Perhaps counterintuitively, applying the concept of progressive overload—traditionally used in physical health training—to productivity can help.
Progressive Overload involves gradually increasing workload and complexity over time, which can manageably teach people to work faster. The idea is that the slow increase isn’t noticed, much like how musicians learn to perform fast pieces of music by practicing slowly, or weightlifters slowly build to heavy weights.
This might mean starting with the Pomodoro Technique's 25-minute focused work sessions and gradually extending them, or beginning with simpler tasks before tackling more complex ones.
The technique relies on consistent, incremental progress, and building the ability to reliably complete a workload before increasing it.
Eventually, the technique allows for the speed attainable in short-term, unsustainable productivity sprints to be maintained long-term.
5. Environmental Design for Focus
Finally is something every other technique relies on: intentionally designing a workspace to support productivity.
This extends beyond just having a clean desk—it encompasses everything from lighting and temperature to digital environment organization.9 Even where your desk is can make a difference.
Building an optimal work environment might involve:
Setting up a dedicated workspace that is separate from other spaces, and minimizes identified personal distractions
Creating systems that support effective work-related teamwork, like regular meetings of a team group chat
Using project management tools to organize digital files
Implementing productivity apps that help track and streamline tasks
Personalized Productivity Strategies
Finding Your Ideal Time Management Strategy
As the article shows, everyone's workflow differs. Some professionals thrive with rigid time blocking, while others need more flexibility, or a different kind of structure completely.
It’s generally a good idea to experiment with the various productivity strategies mentioned above, as well as using something like Kin to suggest new ones tailored to you.
For example, another popular technique is the Eisenhower Matrix, which helps with prioritizing tasks by urgency and importance. That makes it easier to schedule and delegate tasks, which streamlines to-do lists.
This article is a start—there are many more out there!
ADHD-Specific Productivity Strategies
For individuals with ADHD, traditional productivity tips often need adaptation or even replacement. Popular ADHD-specific strategies include:
Body-doubling: Working alongside other team members (even virtually) to maintain focus
Parallel tasks: Combining physical movement with mental tasks
Micro-deadlines: Breaking already-broken down deadlines down further than a neurotypical person might, so that tasks are clearer and completed more often
Progress Tracking: Using visual systems to see how long it’s taken to reach a certain point in a task can make it easier to stay motivated
Regular breaks: It’s important to maintain physical health and mental focus
Comprehensive Procrastination Solutions
On top of the above tips, there are specific tactics that can help procrastination:
Emotional Management
Acknowledge and investigate anxieties around tasks
Set boundaries around perfectionist tendencies—done is better than perfect!
Use achievable milestones to build confidence in abilities
Environmental Control
Use website blockers during specific time blocks
Avoid distracting spaces during work breaks
Keep a clock easily visible to keep track of time
Strategic Approaches
Break large projects into smaller, less intimidating tasks
Use body-doubling (working alongside others) for accountability
Implement ‘if-then’ planning for common procrastination triggers, i.e. “If there are 20 minutes before the next meeting, then work on _____.”
Overcoming Task Resistance
Sometimes, trying to complete tasks that feel too difficult or too boring can benefit from specific approaches different to procrastination:
Temptation bundling: Pair unpleasant tasks with enjoyable activities (like listening to a productivity podcast)
Task delegation: Identify which priority tasks can be delegated to team members with complementary strengths
Energy matching: Schedule challenging work during peak energy periods, and easier work for when motivation and energy are lower
Responding to Work Environment
Two of the most impactful work environments on productivity are so-called ‘toxic’ workplaces, which are mismanaged workplaces that harm employee well-being, and remote working.
Here’s how to mitigate their effects:
Addressing Toxic Workplaces
Toxic work environments significantly impact both mental health and workplace productivity. To recognize one, look for things like:
Unclear expectations
Constant difficult conversations
Poor teamwork
Limited growth opportunities
Inconsistent leadership
These factors can lead to burnout, reduced physical health, and decreased productivity. Solutions are largely out of this article’s scope, but might include:
Setting clear boundaries
Building support networks
Documenting interactions
Seeking mentorship
Planning career transitions
Remote Work Optimization
As a summary of what’s been discussed, plus some new things, here are ways remote workers can tackle productivity issues:
Creating a dedicated workspace away from bedrooms and communal areas
Establishing routine check-ins with team members
Using electronic project management tools effectively
Setting a clear work-life balance
Streamlining digital communications
Modern Productivity Tools
Top Productivity Apps
We featured a comprehensive list of productivity apps and programs for building skills in our guide to Organization Skills. Check it out there!
How Kin Can Help Boost Your Productivity
Our personal AI, Kin, is designed to help you implement these productivity techniques in your life, and track their effect.
With its empathetic conversational approach, interactive Journal, and advanced memory, Kin makes it easy for you to discuss your situation, progress, and obstacles fluidly.
It then uses this information to track your energy patterns and peak performance times, before feeding back on how this knowledge can optimize your schedule for maximum productivity.
Kin can also help identify potential distractions and productivity barriers, suggesting personalized solutions to your problems, based on your work style and preferences.
Additionally, Kin's ability to set custom push-notification reminders and provide adaptive support makes it easier to maintain productivity techniques and maintain a good mindset over time.
Whether it's reminding you to take regular breaks, helping batch similar tasks, or providing accountability for deep work sessions, Kin serves as both a productivity guide and supporter.
And, it does all of this completely privately—Kin stores and processes all of your information in a local-first approach you can learn about here.
You can view and delete everything Kin knows about you at any time, too.
Get Started Today:
Interested? Download Kin here, and kick off boosting your productivity by filling in the below message, and sending it to Kin:
“Hey Kin, I think the biggest obstacle to my productivity is ______. How can I work on boosting it?”
Next Steps: Where to Go Now
There’s no need to try and overhaul routines and habits overnight.
Focus on one technique that targets the biggest challenge being faced. For instance, if it's distraction by constant notifications, begin by blocking in time for deep work where they’re all blocked.
Start with just 25 minutes of focused time, gradually increasing as this becomes more comfortable. Just remember to block time in for answering them too!
Then, monitor progress and adjust approaches based on what’s working, and what isn’t. Boosting productivity is highly individual, so don’t worry if what ends up working doesn’t look like what other people are doing.
The goal is to find a sustainable system that increases productivity while maintaining well-being in the long term.
Most importantly, view productivity enhancement as a long-term journey rather than a quick fix. Each obstacle should be dealt with one at a time in order to build up to the ideal situation slowly and sustainably.
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Schwartz, T.; McCarthy, C. 2007. “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time”. hbr.org. Available at: https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time [Accessed 12/11/24]
Anon. 2006. “Multitasking: Switching costs”. apa.org. Available at: https://www.apa.org/topics/research/multitasking [Accessed 12/11/24]
Sirois F. M. 2023. “Procrastination and Stress: A Conceptual Review of Why Context Matters”. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(6), 5031. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph2006503 [Accessed 12/11/24]
Kalmbach, D. A.; et al. 2017. “Genetic Basis of Chronotype in Humans: Insights From Three Landmark GWAS”. Sleep, 40(2), zsw048. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsw048 [Accessed 12/11/24]
Facer-Childs, E. R.; Boiling, S.; Balanos, G. M. 2018. “The effects of time of day and chronotype on cognitive and physical performance in healthy volunteers”. Sports medicine - open, 4(1), 47. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0162-z [Accessed 12/11/24]
Anon. 2012. “The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies”. mckinsey.com. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-social-economy [Accessed 12/11/24]
Schwartz, T.; McCarthy, C. 2007. “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time”. hbr.org. Available at: https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time [Accessed 12/11/24]
Anon. 2015. The Impact of Physical Environments on Employee Wellbeing: Topic Overview. gov.uk. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c4708bf40f0b61720ae82de/20150318_-_Physical_Environments_-_V3.0_FINAL.pdf [Accessed 12/11/24]