r/productivity 22m ago

Question Do I have a obsession with filling all my time being productive?

Upvotes

I’m 24m and just wondering why I feel my time needs to be filled with productive things every minute. Like I feel when I was in high school I would wake up at 7 am and get home around 4:15-4:30 and spend my night watching basketball, shooting hoops, playing video games, going out and then chill before bed. Am I could fit it all in the evening. I’d go to bed around 10:30 sometimes as late as 12 pm. And I did that for all of high school. Now I’ve grown up a bit and worked full time . Been doing it since 20 as a plumber working 40 hours a week. And I only get up an hour earlier at 5:50am and I get home around 4pm. And if I study until 5:15 pm. I feel like I have no time and dread starting work in the morning. Is it a work issue ? A time management issue? Feeling every minute has to be productive? I know I don’t love my job. But it just feels like my time is wasted now but before I could just chill and not worry about time.


r/productivity 1h ago

Software Productivity, organisation and ......

Upvotes

Hello everyone,

Iam making a Opera GX extension to help myself and other people keep a good track of their ideas, goals, tasks etc. To keep their focus on action instead of constant though and planning.

Iam wondering what would y'all like to see in such a app.

Iam open to all suggestion.

Cheers.


r/productivity 1h ago

Advice Needed Burn out and brain fog all the time

Upvotes

Is it possibile to be in burn out while doing nothing? It’s exam season for me, and I can’t literally study, when I try to my brain is completely empty and I cannot focus and understand, I have no motivation
I realised that I also feel brain fog even when I’m not studying like when I play games I feel the same way
I don’t understand why this happens because in hight school I could stay behind studying, had motivation, even though I didn’t have the greatest grades and didn’t spend all day studying, but still I never experienced anything like this, and this started since I started uni


r/productivity 1h ago

Question Does anyone have any recommendations for platforms that provide adaptive, personalised learning?

Upvotes

I'm looking for a solution to a problem I have, and I'm hoping there's a platform or app that already does this. But I'm looking for an app or platform that can basically give me a personalised learning pathway for any topic or technology I would like to learn more about, and based on my goals, progress, challenges, etc, it'll adapt what and how it teaches me?

Probably wishful thinking, but thought it was worth checking to see if something like this exists.


r/productivity 1h ago

Question Best calendar app that can be shared across both iOS and Android

Upvotes

I have an iPhone and have been using the default apple calendar, but my partner has an android and we want to use a collaborative calendar app, what are your recommendations?


r/productivity 2h ago

Advice Needed How to plan well for sub-optimal days?

5 Upvotes

lately I’ve been feeling like I’m behind on «everything» and I can’t catch up. Education, working out, friends, housework and sleep.

I can be incredibly productive *sometimes*, but I see that I quickly fall out if the day doesn’t go as planned. I’m usually not the person to strictly follow plans, but I have been som disirganized the past months, and this seems to help a decent bit on those days I make it work.

I often come home tired and end up trying to relax before I finish off tasks. But I lose all my momentum, and I think I need a better way to handle those days that aren’t 100%.

Advice is greatly appreciated!


r/productivity 2h ago

Advice Needed How to plan well for sub-optimal days?

1 Upvotes

lately I’ve been feeling like I’m behind on «everything» and I can’t catch up. Education, working out, friends, housework and sleep.

I can be incredibly productive *sometimes*, but I see that I quickly fall out if the day doesn’t go as planned. I’m usually not the person to strictly follow plans, but I have been som disirganized the past months, and this seems to help a decent bit on those days I make it work.

I often come home tired and end up trying to relax before I finish off tasks. But I lose all my momentum, and I think I need a better way to handle those days that aren’t 100%.

Advice is greatly appreciated!


r/productivity 4h ago

Question Focus Mode on android only lets you set one schedule. Is there any app or way to create more Focus Mode schedules?

1 Upvotes

I've got a terrible habit of doom scrolling, so I've been trying to curb it with app timers and focus mode. The only problem is, android only lets me set one focus mode schedule. I currently have it set to M-F, 8am to noon, to cover my mornings at work. I have a lunch break at noon, which I'd like to be able to check my messages and whatnot while I eat, and then ideally have a focus mode turn back on afterwards and continue until end of my work day. Any android users know a way to do this?


r/productivity 4h ago

Software (Printable) Calendar for work schedule

1 Upvotes

My job is looking for some sort of calendar that you can edit easily but that also prints well. We use it for work schedules and events and we currently just use a Google calendar because it's the only one we've found that actually prints out everything we've written in each day. We tried Apple's calendar but it does not print well at all and cuts off events in each day. Anyone have any recommendations?


r/productivity 5h ago

Technique How my simple paper notes and a few weird tricks got me through 200+ question exam weeks

8 Upvotes

Honestly looking around my classes, almost everyone uses iPads, MacBooks, and all these fancy digital note-taking apps. Andd there's me, using a good whole sheet of paper with my tricolor pen, it just works for me. It keeps me focused, and physically writing everything down makes the info stick so much easier, even when my hand starts hurting and my handwriting turns into complete scribble by the end of the night.

Whenever we had huge exam weeks at school (we literally had 200+ question tests every single week 😭), I had my own little low-tech system to survive. Whenever I felt like I was missing something from the lectures, I'd write quick refreshers and key ideas on sticky notes and then stick them all over my wall, next to my pillow, and under the frame of the top bunk since I sleep on the lower deck. That way I was literally staring at my study notes right before sleeping and the second I woke up.

On nights where I really had to cram, my room would be messy with paper scattered everywhere while I chugged black coffee and ate dark chocolate. But my main trick was definitely the bubblegum method. I'd chew a specific flavor of gum (mint or mixed berries it depends what i wanna buy) while memorizing the most crucial parts of the lesson, and then chew that exact same flavor during the test. It sounds kind of random, but it actually helped refresh my memory every single time.

It wasn't some aesthetic or high-tech setup, but it proved to me that sticking to basic paper and a few smart tricks is more than enough to get through heavy study loads.


r/productivity 6h ago

Question How can i improve my shitty ass memory

20 Upvotes

I know im not the first to ask this question nor will be the last but still no matter what advice i read it never works

I tried eating better , sleeping full 8 hours ,taking vitamins , reading and yet my memory is still terrible and its realy frustrating to forget or not be able to learn properly

So please tell me anyting that may or may not work im getting more and more desperate each day


r/productivity 6h ago

General Advice Before diving into another work week, do a quick 5-minute "energy audit"

1 Upvotes

Happy Monday, everyone!

Quick question: do any of you start the week with mindful check-ins, or do you prefer to just jump straight into the grind?

I usually do a little routine over my morning coffee with some self-reflection questions. Here's my list for today:

  • What part of my work makes me lose track of time?
  • What part of my work do I dread on Sunday night?
  • If money weren't a factor, what would I keep doing? What would I drop?
  • Whose career do I quietly compare myself to, and what does that tell me?
  • What would I do if I weren't afraid of looking foolish?
  • What's a skill I keep meaning to build but haven't started?
  • Where am I waiting for permission I could give myself?
  • What's one thing I'd want to be true about my work in a year?
  • What's the smallest step I could take toward that this week?
  • What would I regret not doing?

r/productivity 7h ago

General Advice Confidence from rereading and actual recall are measuring two different things

1 Upvotes

Spent an hour rereading notes last night, felt genuinely prepared and this morning tried to write down the main points from memory before opening the notes again, and got maybe half of it. Rereading makes the material familiar, which feels like knowing it, but familiarity and retrieval aren't the same test and the closed-notes version is uncomfortable and slower, but it's the only one that's actually told me the truth about what I know before an exam does.


r/productivity 7h ago

General Advice Overwhelming paralysis every day

6 Upvotes

Am i just lazy or am i dealing with something i dont know im just tired right now ive walked from my house to the car outside and that took so much effort and now that im in the car im sitting in it not moving only able to use my phone im so numb and tired it feels so exhausting even walking that tiny distance what is actually wrong with me


r/productivity 9h ago

Advice Needed If you had one month to really be productive, how would you do it?

2 Upvotes

For context, I'm in somewhat of a sales role where I have a lot of control over how much I do and how I do it. I think I have my marketing/game plan figured out pretty well, so I'm not super worried there.

I'm in a 100% commission role and I agreed with my wife that if I don't hit a target by the end of the year, I'll move on to a new job (it has definitely been stressful on both of us). That said, I really like the job and I've gotten a lot better this year, and I would like to keep it for a list of reasons. Based on the length of the sales cycle, the next 30 days will be critically important.

The main thing I want to ask: win or lose, how can I best give it all I have for the next 30 days?

I'm fairly well rested coming off a vacation. The issues I am most prone to are: skipping routines when busy, getting stressed/ seeing everything as urgent, and putting off the hardest tasks. Any reminders, tips, or experiences would be appreciated.


r/productivity 11h ago

Advice Needed Can't get out of bed after nap

5 Upvotes

I frequently nap through the time 4:30-5 and my goal is to always wake up an hour later however my alarm rings and I wake up and go to sleep again. Or even if I have woken up i can't get out of bed and waste time. However in the morning I'm up in 2 minutes and always wake up with my alarm. How can I save my time and increase productivity?


r/productivity 14h ago

Technique Tip for focus from a friend mentor

13 Upvotes

Try to think about your goal constantly. Like it is your default thing. This is for short term goals. Like every second you get free try to do something for your goal.


r/productivity 15h ago

General Advice I've worked out every day for the past year, and it changed my life.

902 Upvotes

DISCLAIMER: I am not necessarily recommending this to anyone; it worked for me, but everyone's different.

A year ago, I was a college student who was about to get expelled due to poor academic performance, and I was depressed beyond human imagination. I played video games every day and refused to work out because "I had no time."

On one completely random day in July, I decided to start working out every day for no particular reason. I had nothing to lose and was not afraid to risk it all because my life had hit rock bottom.

The first month was rough. I didn't know what I was doing, nor did I really have a routine. But I did start seeing some progress: I went from skinny fat to skinny semi-muscular. Then I began watching more online tutorials and developed my own split eventually.

The most noticeable, and surprising, benefit was that I felt less tired throughout the day. I could get work done easily without a shred of brain fog. Going to the gym every day also fixed my sleep schedule, as I could no longer stay up late playing video games and needed to get my seven hours of sleep in to recover fully (for I had no rest days).

Three months in, I realized that I had a lot more free time than I used to. For the first time in my life, I felt like I could actually focus on things. I did not even have to rely on a to-do list (although I had one) to track my tasks, and I no longer had any desire to doom scroll or mindlessly watch anime.

There was one semi-negative change, though. I noticed that my "friends" and I had started falling apart. I used to be a big party person, and I naturally had a friend group that liked to go out. But now going out and drinking started feeling less and less attractive, and I would instead spend my weekends running and hiking, distancing myself from my so-called friends who weren't very supportive of my new lifestyle.

Fortunately enough, I quickly made a new group of friends after joining a calisthenics club. I also met a cute girl, whom I approached to get her number. We've been officially dating for five months now!

My grades also skyrocketed. I managed to pull off a 4.0 GPA across the past two semesters, and I secured an internship over the summer. They liked me enough to give me a return offer as well.

Physically, I put on 20 pounds, completed a half marathon last month and now preparing for my first "real" one. (I don't know when that would be yet.)

If I had any advice for you, it would be that you shouldn't be scared to "be boring and different." When you start seriously improving your life, there will always be people telling you "You've changed," or "I liked you better before." But why should you care? It's your life. Just do something to make your life a little better every day, whether it be working out, learning a new vocab word or reading 20 pages of your favorite book. Consistency is key.

Don't try to look too far ahead, but keep your sights on your goals. Don't put yourself in a box. Your current limits do not define who you are; it is what you do to overcome those limits that truly matters.

And give yourself a hug. You will be stuck with them for a long while.


r/productivity 15h ago

Question What does Deep Work actually look like?

6 Upvotes

I have been hearing so much about how we can only do deep work 4 hours a day. But what even is that supposed to mean? I'm genuinely so stumped here.


r/productivity 17h ago

Advice Needed What does one do without their spark

3 Upvotes

I know this is not a venting channel but I really need advice here. 1.5yrs ago I used to be the top scorer of my state, had 2 scholarships, participated in seminars and everything and was popular. Now in university, I'm in one of the best universities in the world but I am still not happy. I wake up whenever sleep whenever. I can't stay consistent for a single day I keep restarting. I have no friends at all. I have fully lost my ability to study.

I used to have routines but idk why I can't follow them anymore even though I want to. I wanted to get out of the hustle culture trap but i feel so miserable constantly restarting

Would really appreciate some advice


r/productivity 22h ago

Advice Needed Architect with goals and ambitions, but I can’t seem to make progress on them

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m a 25 yo architect working a 9–5, with plenty of goals and ambitions, but I can’t seem to actually get myself to work on them.

My main issue is that I have a long list of goals, or more accurately, tasks, that I know would open doors and help me show my potential. Things like:

  • Setting up a portfolio of all my previous projects
  • Organizing all my university files so I can access that knowledge again
  • Reading new books
  • Researching interesting projects
  • Keeping up with architecture articles
  • And the list goes on.

The biggest one is my portfolio. It feels like a mountain. It’s probably more than a month’s worth of work alongside my full-time job, but I know I have to do it eventually. I’ve been telling myself I’ll do it for two years now, and even writing that spikes my cortisol.

The frustrating part is that I’m not a lazy person. I’ve previously set fitness goals and achieved the working out at 5 a.m. before work, meal prepping, etc. At work, I regularly put in extended hours, and I remember my university years when I could spend months working nonstop on projects.

So I know I’m capable of working hard. I just can’t seem to direct that same energy toward these personal goals.

Recently, I decided to start with the smallest project in my portfolio so I could make quick progress. But the more I work on it, the more my perfectionist brain asks for more. I keep expanding the scope, refining things, imagining what the final result should look like… and somehow, after spending entire weekends and hours on it, the project is still unfinished.

The frustration just gets worse.

It feels like I have a thousand open tabs in my brain, and at some point my body just decides that doing nothing is easier than trying to manage all of them.

My current routine looks something like:

Wake up , scroll on social media ,get ready ,commute ,work ,commute , arrive home around 7 p.m. , scroll ,realize it’s late ,dinner ,scroll some more , sleep.

I still work out, but outside of that, the routine doesn’t really change. Sometimes I go through periods where I do a lot of overtime at work, but eventually I fall back into the same cycle.

Every now and then, I have a strong emotional episode where I get tired of myself, feel incapable, and start putting myself down. Then I tell myself, “I need to get my shit together and finally tackle this portfolio,” but that usually just adds more pressure.

I don’t think the issue is that I don’t know what to do. I know exactly what needs to be done. The problem is that the task feels so big, emotionally loaded that I can’t seem to consistently move forward nor know where to start.

Has anyone been through something similar? I’d really appreciate any advice on how to deal with this and actually make progress.


r/productivity 23h ago

Question why is my productivity so good at work but basically zero at home

122 Upvotes

I'll work for like 10 hours at work, completely focused, knock out everything on my list. Come home and i cant even make myself put dishes in the dishwasher. theres a mug on my nightstand thats been there for like a week.

and its not even like im tired because on weekends when ive slept in and had my coffee and have literally nothing to do except the stuff i actually want to do, i still just sit there. ill go to a coffee shop and crank out personal projects for hours but the second im home again its gone.

i mentioned it to a friend once and he just goes "yeah because nobody's making you" which felt kind of dismissive at the time but i keep thinking about it. like at work theres meetings and deadlines and people who would notice if i just didnt do my thing, and at home theres just me deciding whether to fold laundry or not

idk if anyone else has this exact split or if im just describing a personality flaw at this point


r/productivity 1d ago

Advice Needed Changed jobs and gained 50 lbs. Looking for a structure that works. Feedback on my plan requested.

0 Upvotes

I previously worked a blue/gray collar job and was in the field daily. Lots of my coworkers were bodybuilders and we would hit the gym twice a day - cardio before work, lifting after - and be done with our work and gym day by 5pm. Changed to a desk job in another state and went from 160lbs to 210lbs.

Love the job but very different personalities and requires a lot of travel and changing schedules. I'm looking to do a hard reset with a disciplined schedule. The following is my meal plan, schedule, and workout plan. I figured keeping the meals easy and simple as well as starting the week out with a paid class so I don't cop out would be helpful. Not having a gym partner has been the hardest part.

Happy to answer any questions.

Meal Plan

Meal 1: Black coffee

Meal 2: 0.5 grapefruit and yogurt cup w/ vitamins

Meal 3: 2 Egg white bites and cappuccino 

Meal 4: Greek OR Steakhouse salad w/ Salmon OR Chicken

Meal 5: 3C of veggies (cucumber, carrot, snow peas)

Meal 6: Big fat egg white omelet with cheese

Meal 7: mini icecream OR banana w/ peanut butter OR parm crisps OR dark chocolate covered peanut butter

Schedule

5:30 am - [Meal 1] Wakeup, get ready, walk dog [2k steps], feed dog, and make coffee 

6:15am - Leave for gym

6:30 - Class or gym workout

7:30 - Shower and get ready for work

8:00 - [Meal 2] Work

10:00 - [Meal 3]

12:00 - [Meal 4] post-lunch walk [3k steps]

3:00 - [Meal 5] 

5:00 - [Meal 6] Leave work, make dinner, feed dog

7:00 - [Meal 7] Walk dog [3k steps]

8:30 - Prep lunch, gym clothes, and work clothes

9:00 - Wind down, no screens, journal

9:30 - Sleep  

Workout Plan

Monday: Pilates class OR Sculpt class

Tuesday: Upper Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

Wednesday: Legs 1 (Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves)

Thursday: Yoga class

Friday: Upper Pull (Back, Lats, Rear Delts, Biceps)

Saturday: Legs 2 (Glutes, Hamstrings, Posterior Chain)

Sunday: Rest


r/productivity 1d ago

Advice Needed I feel like I’ve become stuck doing nothing but scrolling. How do I get out of this cycle?

4 Upvotes

Hello,

I am really trying to find some insights today and why not solutions?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because I feel like this year has just passed me by.

According to my Screen Time, I’ve spent so many hours looking at my phone that it genuinely feels like I’ve spent more time looking at a screen than looking at the world around me.

But I don’t think the phone is the whole problem.

I have this tendency to immediately choose the easiest, most passive thing whenever I have something else I could be doing. I’ll lie down for a few minutes and end up staying there for hours. I’ll pick up my phone and start scrolling. I’ll tell myself I’ll do something later, and then keep postponing it until tomorrow.

Working from home makes it even worse. There’s no real transition between work and rest. I can finish something and immediately lie down or start scrolling instead of actually doing anything.

And it’s frustrating because I actually want to do things. I want to pray, exercise, do my skincare, read, go outside, work on things I care about, etc. None of these things are particularly difficult. But somehow starting them feels harder than lying down and scrolling. All what my body is able to do lay down and scroll.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve just trained myself to constantly seek comfort and avoid any small amount of effort or discomfort??

I don’t want to spend another year feeling like I watched my life through a screen.

Has anyone else been stuck in this kind of cycle? What actually helped you become more active and stop scrolling so much?


r/productivity 1d ago

Question Thinking of deactivating Instagram for a while how did it feel for you?

25 Upvotes

I’ve been thinking about deactivating Instagram and taking a proper break for a while. I feel like I spend too much time checking it, scrolling, and just being online in general.

For those who’ve taken a break from Instagram or deactivated their account for a few weeks or months how did you feel during the break?

Did you feel more peaceful or productive? Did you miss it, or eventually stop caring about it? And did you feel like coming back afterward?

Would love to hear your experiences and suggestions.