9 Smart Ways to Boost Your Productivity Now (Based on Science)

Do you ever feel stuck while you’re working on homework for that annoying math class you didn’t even want to take? Regardless of what you’re working on, there’s good news: Science is here to give you a lift.

There are so many ways to create an environment around you that will increase your productivity and help you stay focused on what you have to do. Even better, all of these methods have been studied and tested for maximum impact.

1. Decorate Your Workspace With Cool Colors

For those of you who have no idea what “cool” colors are, think blue, green and purple. These colors are much more relaxing to the eye than warm colors like red, orange and yellow. This article about the psychology of color breaks down the way our brains receive each set of colors.

If you surround your workspace with colors that provide you with a sense of calm, you’re bound to stay focused on what is in front of you rather than what is around you–on the contrary, if you surround yourself with warms colors, you will not only have the tendency to look around more often and become distracted, but the colors will make you feel rushed while you are working since they are so bright and warm. 

2. Clean Your Workspace Often

If you’re trying to keep your creative side in check, maybe keep some of the clutter, but if you’re looking to increase your general productivity, clean that desk. This scientific study provides the differences between sets of people who keep their desk clean and the ones who embrace the mess. Your desk is your home and where the magic happens, so don’t neglect the cleanliness of your space; keep it clear and ready for a new project, and when you’re done with that project, clean it again for the next one.

3. Eliminate Distractions

You know exactly what these distractions include: Social media, texts, calls, and television; the list goes on. Science tells us that answering these distractions will only put us back even further from our work. How do you stay on track? You may have to take drastic measures, like taking your television out of the room where you study the most or switching your phone to airplane mode when you’re trying to get work done.

This could also mean putting on a pair of headphones and listening to white noise instead of music, just to drown out the sounds around you that could distract you.

4. Create a List

Whether it be on a sticky note, in a calendar or on your hand, creating a list of things to do will help you stay focused and keep you organized. When we, as humans, are faced with the struggle of having too many things to do at once, we lose sight of the one we’re currently doing to stress about when will we do the others, causing a massive rush to get the first one done. An organized list will help to alleviate this pressure. Alan Henry touches upon this in his studies.

5. Use Natural Lighting

Not only is this backed by science to help you increase your productivity, but it keeps your skin and your immune system healthy as well; any amount of time spent in natural sunlight will add to your body’s nutrient levels. Make sure your desk is near a window, let sunshine come right on through and voilà! You’ve got yourself a perfect workspace that also aids your immune system.

6. Stay Away from Your Bed

Don’t even play yourself–you know for a fact that if you start doing a few study sessions in bed, you’re going to fall asleep and wonder how you ended up in the terrible predicament you’re now in. If you’re going to sleep, use your bed. If you’re studying, avoid those pillows and sheets like they are the black plague in cotton form. Nothing good will come out of studying or working near your bed. This article outlines the entire trouble of studying on your bed.

7. Take Frequent Breaks

Give yourself a break. Overworking yourself will do absolutely no good, and studies show that those who overwork themselves accomplish many of their assignments, but don’t put all of their effort and ability into what they do. Whether this means taking some time to walk around your campus or neighborhood to catch a breath of fresh air or playing ultimate frisbee with a few of your friends, take that break.

But this is just as important: Set limits to the breaks you take, because they could easily become methods of procrastination.

8. Eat Healthy Snacks

You’re going to need energy to stay productive. This comes in the form of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits and other foods that are high in healthy nutrients; science proves that eating healthy will increase your productivity to a new maximum. Personally, I like to keep a bag of almonds next to my computer when I work to give myself some protein and natural energy, but to each his own.

9. Look at Pictures of Baby Animals

This is no joke: Pictures of baby animals are proven by Japanese scientists to increase productivity in whatever you’re doing. Though they have no clue why this occurs, the scientists have done enough tests to see that productivity is heightened when pictures of baby animals are presented. So, take that break and look at a picture of a cute baby panda.

Your productivity is something you can control with these simple methods. If you’re reading this article to procrastinate what you have to do at the moment, close this page, get going and heed the advice science has provided. You won’t be able to finish until you get started.