--- title: 10 Ways to Turn Yourself Into a Productivity Dynamo description: You’re only productive at work three days out of the week. How can you improve that? The secret to getting more done is to make... canonical: https://time.com/3223096/10-ways-to-turn-yourself-into-a-productivity-dynamo/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-03T04:01:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T07:52:50.174Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 10 Ways to Turn Yourself Into a Productivity Dynamo og:description: You’re only productive at work three days out of the week. How can you improve that? The secret to getting more done is to make... og:url: https://time.com/3223096/10-ways-to-turn-yourself-into-a-productivity-dynamo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1d9103a35adb9ee/69869f3dcd804d07f2ccc51f/desk-office-supplies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4724 og:image:height: 2657 og:image:alt: desk-office-supplies og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Ways to Turn Yourself Into a Productivity Dynamo twitter:description: You’re only productive at work three days out of the week. How can you improve that? The secret to getting more done is to make... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1d9103a35adb9ee/69869f3dcd804d07f2ccc51f/desk-office-supplies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 10 Ways to Turn Yourself Into a Productivity Dynamo > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Sep 3, 2014 4:01 AM UTC  Tidy Desk Tidy Desk Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Sep 3, 2014 4:01 AM UTC You’re only productive at work [three days](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-many-days-per-week-are-you-actually-produ) out of the week. How can you improve that? * The secret to getting more done is to [make things automatic](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-get-more-done). Control [over your schedule](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-prevent-mental-fatigue-at-work) stops you from getting tired at work. [Progress](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-motivates-us-more-than-most-anything-els) motivates us more than anything else. Your mind moves you, but [how you move also affects your mind](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-improving-your-life-as-easy-as-changing-ho). Superstition can [improve performance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-superstition-actually-increase-performan) and when people wish you luck [you do better](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-someone-wishing-you-luck-really-improve-y). * Mood matters. [Happiness](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-happiness-boost-productivity) and [overconfidence](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-overconfidence-increase-productivity) both boost productivity. Think positive by [imagining the happiest day of your life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-instantly-improve-performance-in). Use [positive self-talk and positive mental imagery](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-two-proven-tricks-for-focusing-your). * Know the [rules your brain works by](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-the-rules-your-brain-works-by), the [things](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-really-motivates-us-part-2) that [really motivate us](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-really-motivates-us), what [increases teamwork](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-ways-to-improve-teamwork) and [how to improve yourself](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-most-effective-way-to-change-you-be). * How the office is decorated [makes a difference](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-way-an-office-is-decorated-affect-em). Might want to [avoid the color red](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-color-that-reduces-your-performanc) and make sure to [buy some plants](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-houseplants-make-your-mind-sharper). [Checklists](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-something-simple-that-can-make-your-wor) help. So do[calendars](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-excellent-productivity-secret-we-can). [Clean your desk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-one-little-thing-stopping-you-from-being-m). Chew some [gum](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/3-reasons-why-bubble-gum-is-a-wonder-drug). Stop [multitasking](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-we-really-multitask-are-women-better-at-i) and don’t bother [sorting your email into folders](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-sorting-your-email-into-folders-worth-the). * Does managing your free time with a schedule sound awful? A study shows it actually [improves life satisfaction](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-use-time-management-with-your-free). [Talking to yourself](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-talking-to-yourself-improve-performance) might make you look crazy but it can improve performance. [Here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-best-way-to-talk-to-yourself)‘s what you should [say](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/if-talking-to-yourself-improves-performance-w). ([Trash talk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-trash-talk-actually-improve-our-performan) helps too.) * Get [enough sleep](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-little-sleep-can-you-get-away-with). Your mood in the morning [affects your entire day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-your-mood-in-the-morning-affect-your-ent). If you’re a night owl, shift your schedule later and if you’re a morning lark[get to work earlier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-whether-youre-a-morning-type-or-a-night-o). Naps [help](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-a-fun-way-to-increase-alertness-and-per). * Rivals [increase performance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-facing-off-against-rivals-increase-your) but they also make us more likely to cheat. Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to [give it to someone](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/to-quickly-and-creatively-solve-a-problem-sho) else.[Self-deception](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-self-deception-one-of-the-keys-to-optimal) helps too. * Thinking about the [stereotype of someone who excels at what you’re attempting](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-quickly-and-easily-improve-performance) can improve your performance. * [Web breaks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-a-web-break-make-you-more-productive) make you more productive. But [whether you need a break at all](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-you-need-a-break-in-order-to-keep-working) is dependent on how you see willpower. * Chill out. You’re [happier when you’re busy](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-we-happier-when-were-busy) anyway. **Join over 90,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [How To Be Resilient: 8 Steps To Success When Life Gets Hard](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/07/how-to-be-resilient/) [What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/) [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/) _This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3223096/10-ways-to-turn-yourself-into-a-productivity-dynamo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3223096/10-ways-to-turn-yourself-into-a-productivity-dynamo/"},"headline":"10 Ways to Turn Yourself Into a Productivity Dynamo","datePublished":"2014-09-03T04:01:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T07:52:50.174Z","description":"You’re only productive at work three days out of the week. 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