Aura productivity e-book 2016

A collection of productivity hacks
for those who truly want to better themselves

www.auratech.io | www.productivitydigest.net

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Foreword 3
Dealing with Productivity Distractors 4
What is hurting your productivity in the office?
Become more focused
Exercise for Productivity 8
Optimizing your lunch hour
How to get in some exercise at the workplace
Leisure Time as a Productivity Hack 11
Take advantage of vacation time
The counterintuitive benefits of vacations
The power of sleep, your mini vacation
Optimize your vacation time
More Technical Personal Productivity Hacks 16
The myth of multitasking: Why multitasking doesn’t work
A case study on salesmen and the inefficiencies of multitasking
Creating better to-do lists


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Foreword
Hello! Just like you, we are a group of professionals seeking to become more
productive and live a simpler life.
In our increasingly busy lives, we are all trying to get things done more efficiently.
We have collected these simple productivity hacks to help you become more productive
and take control. In addition, we will also be introducing productivity hacks directly related
to personal growth. Dive in!


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Dealing with Productivity Distractors
In the age of social media and the Internet, there are no shortage of ways to take
our minds off of the task at hand. And the problems don’t stop there. In addition to the
already distracting allure of the Internet and social media, the rise of smartphone poses
an additional threat to productivity. But just how harmful are these distractors?


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What is hurting your productivity in the office?
• Cell phone/texting, gossip, and social media use have been agreed as some of the
most prominent distractors when surveying Human Resources employees
• You spend on average 20 hours online at your job, ¼ of which is spent surfing non-
work related content
• Americans that own smartphones, spend on average 5 hours a day on these
devices and waste about ⅓ of their time at work distracted by these devices
• Research shows that in the US, most of us check social media outlets at least 17
times a day and at least once every waking hour


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Become More Focused
1. Adjusting your Work Environment
Limit the temptations of distractors foremost:
a. Blocking certain websites
b. Prohibiting personal calls
c. Monitoring internet usage
d. Scheduling break times
e. Creating an open space layout as opposed to cubicles
2. Implement simple time management tricks
a. Prioritize daily tasks and choose three important goals you have for the day
that you must accomplish first


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b. Use cycles of work followed by break (i.e. work hard for 40 minutes without
distractions then take a 20-minute break)
3. Beat Procrastination through Small Steps
We like to imagine the worst parts of the project instead of meeting it head on, but
the better solution is to tackle the project head on! Here are some ways we can
limit our tendency to procrastinate:
a. Break the task down into manageable steps so as not to feel as overwhelmed
b. Think about the success you will feel once you complete the task
c. Announce your goals in progressing towards your project to your coworkers!
Your coworkers can keep you accountable and avoiding embarrassment is a
powerful motivator as well.


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Exercise for Productivity
How to make lunch the most productive hour in your day
We see lunch as the time to relax and blow some steam off, but if we spend this
hour every day doing absolutely nothing other than eating, then we could be wasting a
very important hour of the day. This could, in fact, be your most productive hour. Here’s
how to make that happen:
1. Check your afternoon schedule
Odds are that you have meetings and calls after lunch so make sure you give
yourself enough time to prepare.


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2. Reorganize your to-do list
By lunch time your day is about halfway done, and you get a better understanding
about which of your goals are attainable and which ones can be put off for some
other time.
3. Engage in a “Lightning Workout”
A few yoga poses, some pushups or crunches can help you before you get back to
your job, as giving yourself physical exercise can help promote productivity once
your lunch break is over.


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How to Get in Some Exercise at the Workplace
It is often hard to make time to exercise. A good solution is to incorporate some
exercise into your routine at the office, not just at lunchtime. Here are some ways to
sneak in exercise at work, without looking too funny.
1. Bike or run to work
Those of you that live a few blocks from work can take advantage of this by biking
or running to work.
2. Sit on a yoga ball
Sitting on a yoga ball aids in strengthening abdominal muscles, and studies have
also found that one’s attention can increase when sitting on yoga balls.
3. Take the stairs!
There is usually the option to take the stairs and going the longer way is an easy
way to get some exercise at work.
4. Sneaky Desk Workouts
Simple exercises like flexing your abs/glutes in 30 second intervals and using a
hand gripper are extremely easy and beneficial.


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Leisure Time as a Productivity Hack
Take Advantage of Vacations
Many of us tend to neglect our option to take vacations as they are thought of as a
waste of time. Studies show that our brain feeds off of vacations but the U.S. Travel
Association found that most workers fail to use up 5 vacations days on an annual basis.
Many HR professionals believe that using up vacation days actually makes employees
more productive when in the office.


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The Counterintuitive Benefits of Vacations
1. Vacation time increases brain power
a. University of California study shows that vacations allow for your brain to fully
recharge
b. University of Nijmegen has found that vacations promote new solutions to
problems
2. Vacation time helps the body and physical health
a. Taking regular vacations can reduce the risk of disease by 21%
b. Men who frequently skip vacations increase their chance of heart attack by
30%
3. Vacation times aids mental health
o The University of Occupational and Environmental Health study supports that
with more vacation time you become less prone to depression


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Optimize Your Vacation Time to Your Best Productivity Advantage
1. Catch up on reading
It may seem given but diving into a good read can help to relax your mind and
reading about a variety of subjects, whether it be strategy or product growth, can
provide a new perspective during vacation
2. Organize your inbox
Before you go on vacation make sure everything in your email inbox is sorted and
there are no lingering emails you have failed to address appropriately. If you ensure
that your emails are cleared before leaving, you can focus on what’s most
important on vacation—rest!


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3. Set goals for yourself
A useful way to take advantage of your vacation time is to take a minute to reflect
and think of 3 simple ways you could improve as a person once your vacation is
over. Once you come back from your vacation you can implement these strategies
in your everyday life to help you become the person you want to be.
The Power of Sleep, Your Mini-Vacation
• Surgeons who received insufficient sleep the night before surgeries have a 20-32%
increase in mistakes made
• Studies show that insufficient sleep leads individuals more prone to headaches
• Studies show that people who haven’t received enough sleep are more prone to
become distracted


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Now, while there isn’t a “magic number” as to how many hours you should sleep every
day, studies have found that most individuals operate optimally on 6.5-7.5 hours of sleep
a night but this obviously varies from person to person. However, even if you can’t
achieve enough sleep, there are simple ways to become more awake and focused.
1. Sit near a window
Research has shown that those who receive more natural light achieve a better
night’s sleep and come back more refreshed the next day
2. Turn off electronics before sleeping
The bright light from your phone or TV can trigger your brain to become more
awake and hinder your ability to achieve quality sleep
3. Take a nap!
If you feel exhausted, a quick “power nap” lasting 20 minutes during your lunch
break can be a last resort. Naps have been shown to restore alertness as well as
heighten sensory perception


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More Technical Personal Productivity Tips
An important part of improving your personal productivity is limiting the amount of
time you spend multitasking. Many of us place lots of items on our to-do-lists and feel the
need to get a lot of done, viewing multitasking as an efficient use of time. However, multi-
tasking is dangerous and most of us don’t know how to make proper to-do-lists.


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The Myth of Multitasking: Why Multitasking Doesn’t Work
Multitasking actually cannot be supported by the brain and our minds are optimally
built for doing one thing at a time.
• Research shows that if you increase the number of things that the brain needs to
pay attention to, you block out important information and ultimately disrupt your
decision-making abilities
• When multitasking, you are creating the perception that all tasks at hand are equal
in importance when this is not necessarily true, and it is more important to prioritize
your larger goals
• You spend 4 times longer recognizing new things when you are multitasking
• Studies show that you reduce productivity by 40% when multitasking


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A Case Study on Salesmen and the Inefficiencies of Multitasking
Imagine you are a salesperson. You might think it’d be efficient to multitask and look to
close multiple deals at once, but here’s why it’s better to prioritize one deal at a time:
• There is an 88% increase in talk time per salesperson when prioritizing one client at
a time
• Salesmen that use prioritization instead of multitasking have generated 121% more
revenue and a 97% higher conversion rate
Rethink Traditional To-Do Lists and Make Your Lists 100 Times Better
A big reason as to why we multitask is because we make mediocre to-do-lists
which pressure us to get a lot done. Here are some simple steps to improve your daily to-
do-list:
1. Create a List of Your Long-Term Goals
Before anything, you want to create a master list which is a list in which you identify
all the future goals you seek to accomplish. Identifying long-term goals is an
important step before you create your new to-do-list because these are ultimately
going to be the goals you work toward every single day.
2. List your Daily Focus at the Top of the Page
Having a single priority that relates to your long-term goals can allow you to focus
on what matters most. Every day, you want to feel like you grew as a person and
took a small step towards your long-term goals, and the daily focus allows you to
feel accomplished. The structure of your to-do-list is also important and having your
focus at the top ensures you never lose sight of your priority.


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3. Create an Achievements List
Instead of listing all that you have to do, track all the steps you have accomplished
in progressing towards your goal and list all your achievements of the day. This
technique is also called an anti to-do-list and ensures that you are not bombarded
by tasks that “must” be completed today.
4. Utilize Micro-Journaling at the End of your To-Do List
At the end of the day, implement the practice of micro-journaling, in which you write
on one specific topic as opposed to endlessly journaling about all your thoughts on
a particular day. On your to-do-list, you can use micro-journaling to write about
how you worked towards your long-term goals and how you plan to do so
tomorrow. In this way, you are able to reflect on what matters most to help yourself
grow.


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Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read our eBook on Productivity Hacks. At Aura
(auratech.io), we are dedicated to the mission of helping individuals gain clarity in their
lives and become their best selves, the very reason we decided to write this eBook.
Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/myaura16), Twitter (twitter.com/_myaura), Instagram
(instagram.com/_myaura), and Medium (medium.com/@myaura) for even more useful information,
and please don’t forget to share productivitydigest.net with your loved ones.
Sources: Hubspot, CNN, Forbes, Huffington Post, Psychology Today, American Journal of Epidemiology, New
York Times, Gallup


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Aura is a simple solution to finding the purpose of your day, getting things done,
and becoming your best self.
www.auratech.io
www.productivitydigest.net

Aura productivity e-book 2016

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