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“Getting Up At 4AM”: 28 Well-Known Productivity Hacks That Are Actually Huge Time-Wasters
One of the things that our society seems to be extremely concentrated on is being productive. We're always urged to do as many things as possible, do all of them well, and things like that. So, it can get pretty overwhelming pretty fast. That's where various efficiency hacks come in.
The only problem with them is that not all of them are as useful as some claim them to be. Today, we're going to debunk some of these tips by using opinions from netizens who posted under a viral thread. So, let's jump in, shall we?
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Driving to an office for in person time at a job that is largely in front of a computer screen.
Big Chungus 8 months ago
I actually think I am more productive in the office than remote, but to each their own. I would prefer to teleport though as opposed to driving.
UKDeek 8 months ago
I drive over 40 minutes to my job, which is in a very large "call center" where I sit behind my 4 computer screens. However, the systems I use are very secure, and I am required to interact with my colleagues and managers when at work, so not even an option for me to work from home. No all "computer" jobs can be done remotely...
Scott Rackley 8 months ago
Depends. I spend a lot of design time in front of a screen, but sometimes I need to walk over and look at the tool/press/robot/fixture/gage. If it's from scratch, not so much.
RELATED:
#2
I stopped reading productivity books and stopped watching productivity YouTube channels completely. Made a massive difference. Productivity “content” is a massive trap that makes you feel productive without actually doing anything worthwhile.
Ace 8 months ago
How to make a million: 1. Write a book about how to make a million. 2. Sell a million copies.
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Joe Publique 8 months ago (edited)
Yup, because nobody needs 'productivity content'. Just ask yourself two questions: 1) If not now, when?, 2) If not me, who?
#3
Getting up at 4 AM because all those productivity gurus swear by it. Ended up being exhausted and unproductive by 2 PM. Turns out my natural rhythm of waking up at 7 works just fine, and I actually get more done.
DennyS (denzoren) 8 months ago
4am...nope. Even when you hear actors etc working out at 4am, remember they have chefs, caretakers, nannies etc, and no full-time 9-5 every day.
person (i think) 8 months ago
Most actors can’t afford all those things. You are only hearing that from the very wealthy
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UKDeek 8 months ago
I'm up at 04:30 for day shifts... gives me 45 minutes to wake up, sort my cats out. have breakfast and my morning cup of earl grey, then off to work ready for my 06:00 start... nice little 12 hour shift, then home. A lot of these "productivity gurus" forget that not everyone works normal office hours, and a lot of people work non-traditional hours.
Firstname Lastname 8 months ago
I actually am up by 4am, but I'm in bed by 830 usually. Gives me time for exercise before work, but with everything closed until at least 8am, it doesn't make me much more productive.
Quite often, it seems that we live in a society obsessed with hustle culture. It’s an idea that there’s always more to strive for, especially in regards to career – more money, higher title, and things like that.
There’s a whole discourse about the pros and cons of hustle culture to be had, but since it’s a rather overwhelming one, today, let’s focus on just the idea it promotes – productivity.
Wikipedia describes productivity as “the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure,” but that’s a rather abstract way to put it.
#4
Open office design.
SouthernGal 8 months ago
This is largely financially driven. Four to five people can fit in the same space as one private office, greatly reducing the number of square feet required for office space.
Alex Kennedy 8 months ago
You know what’s even cheaper? Letting everyone work from home!
Load More Replies... #5
“That’s the way we’ve always done it”. Conversely, change for the sake of change is a massive waste of time.
OneHappyPuppy 8 months ago
Never change it, optimize it. There's always room for optimization. If it fails, fall back to the previously working model
Load More Replies... #6
Commuting to an office for "collaboration". We're all sitting in cubicles on video calls to each other that could be done from home. Instead, we must commit hours of our personal time to commute each day and back, pay for gas, monthly parking, etc. I'd rather be productive working from my desk at home with my dog nearby.
AsylumWalker 8 months ago
Except studies show people are more productive at home, like, overwhelmingly more productive
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When we think of productivity in relation to the aforementioned hustle culture, we see it as the ways an individual can achieve as much as possible in the shortest possible time, using the least amount of energy.
If you Google something along the lines of “how to be productive,” you’re guaranteed to find plenty of advice, ranging from actually helpful to tips that have the opposite effect.
That’s what we’re focusing on today – poor productivity hacks. In our list, you'll find plenty of tips that netizens deem to be not only unhelpful but, in some cases, even harmful to efficiency (or a person’s well-being).
#7
Not getting 8 hrs of sleep.
DowntownStevieB 8 months ago
The body naturally goes through cycles. Amount of sleep time needed changes up and down with age.
#8
Meetings.
Khavrinen 8 months ago
"I just don't understand why we can't seem to get anything done. I mean, just look at all the meetings we're having!" -- Management "efficiency" experts.
Load More Replies... #9
Multitasking - congrats, you’re now bad at two things at once.
Nicole Weymann 8 months ago
Exactly! It's also a matter of practice/automatisation/routine, and the personal ability to focus. "Driving a car" includes any number of micro tasks (watching the street and other traffic participants, shifting gears, keeping an eye out for speed limits and your speedometer, adjust headlights, etc.) - more or less easily managed as one task with enough practice, but quite overwhelming when still learning. And watching cute cat videos while doing a jigsaw puzzle may be possible for some people, but doing either while driving is NOT a good idea.
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MushroomHead22 8 months ago
this isn't a tip; you can either multitask or you can't. its that simple.
Dyna 8 months ago
Multitasking is an illusion. You simply switch between tasks really fast. This often means that the quality of the output decreases a lot
Load More Replies... Janet C 8 months ago
Probably said by a man. Multiple studies have shown that women are very good at multitasking. Men, not so much. Harkens back to our cave days. The man was singly focused on killing the bison while the woman was planting crops, cooking, cleaning, tending baby, washing clothes, etc.
Veronica Jean 8 months ago
Why thank you. I didn't prepare a speech but appreciate the acknowledgement
For example, a suggestion that people should wake up around 4 AM or so to achieve the most. In the short story presented in this list, a cyber citizen revealed that such a schedule only made them exhausted by the middle of the day and not productive.
Interestingly, a study conducted by the University of Westminster found that people who wake up extremely early (they put a time stamp between 5:22 AM and 7:21 AM) tend to have higher levels of stress hormones than those who let themselves have leisurely mornings.
Additionally, people’s bodies are usually more aligned with either early or later wake-ups – you know, the old-world tale of the early bird vs the night owl.
#10
Making the perfect to-do list… then spending the whole day admiring it instead of actually doing anything.
#11
Imo spending too much time color coding and organizing tasks then lead to procrastination.
#12
Using apps that help you use apps less. There's just no good solutions out there for me and I've wasted a lot of time trying to find the right one. Just use your apps less.
Bacon Tentacles 8 months ago
The only goal of those apps are to make you use OTHER apps less, and their app more.
So, it’s always better to listen to your body and try to align your day schedule with your body's needs as much as possible, instead of forcing yourself to be a productive early bird – that path simply might not be for you.
Another thing you can find mentioned in today’s collection of poor productivity hacks is the to-do list. That’s a rather surprising one since these lists tend to be a staple in discussions about efficiency.
Well, they are so often mentioned for a reason – to-do lists can actually be a good way to increase your productivity. They can help to organize tasks, see what needs to be prioritized, and things like that. Besides, crossing things off of them is relatively satisfying, as this action sends a dopamine boost to the brain, making people want to do that more and more.
#13
Not understanding Activity is not Productivity.
#14
Asking a manager for advice on how to solve a technical problem.
#15
Any "hack" about folding tshirts.
There are hacks where you pinch here and pinch here, then do this motion and you can fold a shirt in less than a second.
Or a product you can buy or make, where you lay a shirt in it, then fold up the sides and end and it folds the shirt perfectly every time.
Such time savers!
Except they're not, because every single g*****n time, they start with the shirt laid out all nice and flat. Just getting shirts to that point is the majority of the work. When you pick up a shirt out of the dryer, it's all crumpled and tangled up with other clothes and might even be inside out or partially inside out. My the time you get it all nice and ready to fold, your job is already practically done. Instead of laying it flat, you could just put a fold in it *as you set it down*. Now the job is done. No hacks required.
Joe Publique 8 months ago
It never takes me more than 5-10 seconds per shirt. It sounds like you're doing it wrong.
At the same time, making a perfect to-do list doesn’t mean you’ll finish all the tasks you put in there. As researcher E. J. Masicampo put it, “They do not go far enough toward committing us to doing the work.” Basically, they give us enough room to postpone tasks, which can be quite harmful for overall productivity, unless you commit yourself to finishing your list.
Since we don’t want to spoil you anymore, for more (un)useful productivity hacks, you have to check out our list. Don’t forget to upvote while you’re doing so and maybe even write some additional examples in the comments, if you have some!
#16
I recently have found that utilizing AI when it comes to data projects ends up with me making more adjustments through the program, then actually receiving any decent output. I could’ve done most of it by myself and half the time.
Bacon Tentacles 8 months ago
As a software developer, I use AI for the really mundane stuff that I can never remember and always end up googling anyway (regular expression for an email address, parsing a date, etc) or repetitive boilerplate stuff (scaffolding CRUD operations). But even then I take it with a grain of salt and test the heck out of it.
Auntriarch 8 months ago
I forgot the mpg of a plane I'd seen at the Concord museum in Bristol, so I typed in Bristol Babe mpg, and AI suggested that I was mistaken or had made it up because there was no such aircraft...
#17
# Doing your hardest task first.
This often just means that you will make some or no progress on your hardest task, and not accomplish the small and easy tasks that slip to tomorrow, the next week, etc.
I find that I can actually track the items I need to do if I do the small stuff that takes very little time first. Then I tackle a hard task, until I get blocked or bogged down. Then I'll complete a medium task and reattempt some progress on the hard task.
Just the time to track all the items you don't accomplish is staggering. Then it feels like the weight of impending doom as you now have so many things to do.
Big Chungus 8 months ago
I always do my quickest ones first, so later I can focus a lot more time on the harder stuff
Scott Rackley 8 months ago
Yup. Save time getting the easiest knocked out of the way (and the accompanying people asking for it). Then get a cup of coffee and start breaking the hard one down.
Load More Replies... Bacon Tentacles 8 months ago
Intersperse them. If I'm beating my head against the desk trying to figure one thing out...and failing, I shift to something else, usually small and easy. Then when I get that done, I have a quick win, and often a solution to the first problem has presented itself.
geezeronthehill 8 months ago
You are using a technique you learned for taking tests in school.
Joe Publique 8 months ago
I've never heard anyone recommend this. It's absolutely not how to prioritise things.
#18
I'm not convinced that brushing your teeth in the shower has ever saved anybody any time.
MushroomHead22 8 months ago
it hasn't, but i do it because im an idiot and drool toothpaste on my shirt. might as well do it in the shower where i can clean it off.
Bored Sailor 8 months ago
I did it because I always like relaxing under warm water before actually starting the cleaning process. Found brushing my teeth under the warm water did not disrupt my warm and chill time. If I brushed my teeth before or after I would still do my chill time, so time saved for me.
Joe Publique 8 months ago
Presumably, except for the time you would have spent brushing before or after your shower.
AsylumWalker 8 months ago
Except if youre brushing your teeth in the shower, youre then spending more time in there to cover that time, so it doesnt save time
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#20
Those 5 minute morning routines that somehow take 2 hours.
Puppy Dancing! 8 months ago (edited)
This is an impossible standard, it takes me more than 5 minutes to leave the house even when I am ready to go, just tying my shoes takes a few minutes. Get my purse and keys, let out dogs, grab my snack or lunch, get dogs in, give them treats , close them up , lock up, pull out car, and in winter let's put on hat gloves boots sweater and jacket, with work stuff like shoes in a bag. Seriously. 5 minutes not including cooking/eating, getting dressed, packing lunch, showering, makeup, foot care, skin cream, feed dogs.
#22
Saying the letters of certain acronyms instead of the actual words.
badger 8 months ago
I can say "DOGE" a lot quicker than I can say "Elon Musk is a Momumental B3ll3nd" though.
Scott Rackley 8 months ago
Depends on your audience. If my audience is a fabrication dept head, the terminology will be much different than if I were talking to my colleagues.
Firstname Lastname 8 months ago
Sure, but I find it way more amusing to say "B T Dubs" instead of "by the way"
Multa Nocte 8 months ago
I absolutely refuse to say "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act" instead of HIPAA each time I have to refer to it.
#23
Vast majority of kitchen gadgets, once you add up the time to get them and clean them it's usually faster to just use the knife you're already holding.
Kari Panda 8 months ago (edited)
Can‘t agree with that one. Sure, there are unnecessary gadgets, but I wouldn’t say that applies to 'the vast majority'. Plenty of items are useful, especially if you a) use them a lot or b) aren‘t skilled and they make your life easier or c) are physically handicapped and they make your life easier.
tameson 8 months ago
Nope. A whisk, a meat tenderizer, a grater, a cork screw, a basting brush, tongs, measuring cups and spoons. How exactly can a knife substitute for any of those? It is actually the opposite. The right tools make everything easier.
Auntriarch 8 months ago
I'm guessing the OP has other gizmos in mind: as you say, nothing in the photo supports the text.
Load More Replies... Bacon Tentacles 8 months ago
I generally don't recommend opening a bottle of wine with a chef's knife, tho. I mean, maybe a saber, but...
#24
Time boxing. It takes too long to do and isn’t usually necessary anyway.
Phantom Phoenix 8 months ago
Time boxing? Who's taking the bets? My money's on time; it will KO all opponents. Every. Time.
Marloes Helms 8 months ago
“Timeboxing is a simple time management technique that involves allotting a fixed, maximum unit of time for an activity in advance, and then complete the activity within that time frame.”
Ace 8 months ago
Nothing to do with BP. Not really even the fault of Reddit, from where it's been copied. But yeah, I have no idea either.
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#25
VLOOKUP , for the life of me I cannot get it to work and I always spend way too much time trying to do it.
Ace 8 months ago (edited)
Wha? Oh, it's an Excel thing. Why people choose to build huge elaborate systems and models using a a spreadsheet I've never understood. But 30+ years in IT showed me many such examples, some of which I've had to use as a template for a proper system when the author of a company-critical spreadsheet that's never been properly, often not even improperly, documented leaves the company.
Anthony Elmore 8 months ago
Skill problem. Don't even mean that in a condescending manner. It's super convenient *if you remember what parameters its asking for*. Any shortcut is inconvenient initially when you have to look it up every time.
#26
Cleaning your entire house before starting the thing you were meant to be doing because 'you need to be in the right headspace.' In reality you could've finished the main thing in that time
tameson 8 months ago
Behavioral scientists have shown that any chore you use as an excuse to avoid working on the bigger/harder task can be used as a reinforcer to complete the bigger/harder task. So, for example, if you find yourself thinking "I need to get those dishes done before I start my work project" you should switch it around. "If I work for an hour on the work project then I'll take a break and wash the dishes." It really works.
David Jeffery 8 months ago
Nah, I have to make sure any dishes are done before I start making dinner. Yes, I'm making more dishes but an untidy kitchen I cannot work in
#27
having multiple tabs/applications open on your computer. make a list of tasks to complete and focus on 1 thing at a time until completion.
Puppy Dancing! 8 months ago (edited)
To complete many tasks you need several windows. Like if I was to do a research paper, I need to have many tabs open to look at original data, tabs open to look at diagrams, tabs open to look at prior studies
Bacon Tentacles 8 months ago
Tab groups are awesome. Especially since you can hide the others.
Load More Replies... Bored Sailor 8 months ago
Yes I have multiple tabs, because I cannot focus on one thing. One tab is work the others are Board Panda and other brain drains.
Lady Eowyn 8 months ago
Right now I'm on Bored Panda and watching Dark Shadows.
Load More Replies... Nicole Weymann 8 months ago
Can't agree on that one. I often have several tabs open when researching stuff (recently which tomatoes I want to plant, or sights to see on vacation). I feel I'm in less danger from rabbit holes when 20+ tabs have the same topic and I can compare them side by side.
sturmwesen 8 months ago
1. screen is communication 2. screen is scrum tool, briefings, documentations 3. screen is software and frontend (actual work)... screen 3 has tabs sorted by habit so can click blindly and frontend is always last...
#28
Making your bed. It's the same as straightening your shoes when you get home.
Puppy Dancing! 8 months ago
Making my bed seals in the sweat and then my bed is damp when I go to sleep. I peel my blankets back, evaporate all day, dry bed at night
What do you think ?
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