Psychological Tricks to Boost Focus, Creativity & Productivity

Lisa Franchi April 16, 2015

More time, less work. It is something we all dream about. But is it possible? Can you work a little less but still stay productive and hit your goals? Fortunately, it is!

Too often though, when we think about productivity, we think about doing more – applying time management techniques, increasing our motivation, and finding ways to work faster. Whilst these strategies work, they offer short-term results. If you want to boost not only your productivity, but also your focus and creativity, you must work on your internal motivation, drive and desire, and learn to prioritise the most important things.

Doing so, however, requires mental strength. You can’t be productive, creative or focused enough if you are not mentally strong. So today, let us talk about some psychological tricks that you can do to create a mental mindset that results to productivity, drive and creativity.

Productivity is not measured by how much time you put it. Try tracking every activity or task you engage for the entire work week. Create a work diary and write down what you do for every 15 minutes. If you’re like most people, you might be shocked to know that you are doing many things that are less important, but are contributing to your stress levels. You will also realise that being productive may not be much about spending a lot of time at work, or adding something to your day. By eliminating those unimportant tasks in your daily routine, you can downsize your 40-hour work to 10 short and very productive hours, which means you can add a little more in.

Focus on what you can do. Too often, we get stressed a lot by thinking about the things we don’t have control of, such as the looming deadline, the possibility that our client or manager won’t like our work, or the thousands of competitors also working hard to get the position we are seeking for. But the reality is that there are so many things that we can do nothing about. Nonetheless, there are also plenty of things that we can control, and those are the things we should focus on. Give your time and energy working on the task at hand. The more you worry about the problems that haven’t taken place yet, the more time you waste. Remember, a problem is not a problem until it becomes a problem.

Do reward yourself appropriately.

If you think about rewarding yourself before doing a difficult task, you aren’t really giving yourself a reward. You basically are procrastinating. And if you make this a habit, you are going to accomplish less. Reward yourself for doing something great, and do it immediately. This is one good psychological trick to make your brain believe that it will reward it for completing tasks on time. Self-rewards, when done properly, is a great way to keep yourself motivated.

Strive for balance.

Doing too much and focusing on what is less important steal you of the energy and time that you could have given to your personal life, such as your family and friends. Always strive for balance. Just because you are not working doesn’t mean you are being unproductive. Give time for play and recreation. Schedule a downtime. Remember the famous saying? Work hard, play harder!

Don’t strive for perfection.

You can’t always be 100% satisfied with every task you do. Humans as we are, we all commit mistakes. We aren’t always full of ideas and creativity. Like a computer, we sometimes experience all sorts of issues. Always strive for the best, but do not dwell too much on perfection. Leave the notion of perfection behind, and let your productivity and creativity soar!

Practise attentional training.

Attention training is a specific treatment technique used for metacognitive therapy. Even so, studies have shown that it can also have significant benefits in managing anxiety and depression, increasing focus, and harnessing creativity when practised right. We all feel stressed, anxious, burned out, tired and unfocused from time to time. But the ability to quickly recover from these unwanted emotions makes the difference between worker-bee and executive suit. Attentional training comes in many formats (could be active or seated). Regardless of how it’s done, the main purpose is to cultivate high levels of sustained focus.

Practise mindfulness.

When was the last time you find yourself in a state of flow? Weren’t you able to accomplish your task quickly and easily? One secret to sustained focus and drive is mindfulness – which you can cultivate through mind-body techniques like yoga and meditation. Awareness of the present moment keeps distraction away, and heightens your creativity, whilst increasing drive and focus.

You don’t have to do all these psychological tricks together at once. You can always start with one or two techniques, then move on to the rest over time. Productivity, creativity and focus are three things you cannot master overnight. It’s going to take a little more time than you think. But it’s definitely going to be worth it.