35 People Who Figured Out An Easier Way To Do Something They Were Doing The "Hard Way" For Far Too Long

Everybody's brain works a little bit differently. Some of us are better at math and science, while others might be more artistic and find it easier to learn how to play an instrument than memorize math formulas. We all have our strengths. But because our brains are all unique, we might not all do things the same way. For example, the way that you clean your apartment might be quite different from how your best friend cleans theirs.

I came to this realization very quickly after moving in with my partner. We both assumed that many things were obvious or implied, but upon having a conversation about where to hang photos on the wall, how to wash the dishes, how to organize the kitchen and countless other things, we realized that our brains are quite different. And aside from the occasional annoyance or miscommunications that this causes, our differences are usually a huge advantage. Two heads are better than one, anyway. 

The tips on this list are great because they might be opening up your mind to doing things in new ways that you would have never considered. If your parents never showed you that you could lock the trigger when filling your car with gas, you might not have ever realized. It’s amazing how smart we are when we really put our heads to a problem, but when we accept that “that’s just the way things are”, we can so easily turn our brains off and continue doing the same things forever. 

Whether we know it or not, we’re all in the business of working smarter not harder. Who wants to waste precious time and energy when they don’t have to? Not me! So when it comes to being more productive, we consulted Belle Cooper’s list on Zapier of tips for being more efficient. First, she recommends to resist the urge to multitask. Our brains are not meant to rapidly switch back and forth between tasks or information, so if we just do one thing at a time, it will give our brains a break and likely allow us to complete each task more accurately and efficiently.   

Belle also suggests taking more breaks, if you want to increase your productivity while working. While this might sound counterintuitive, there are various science-backed ways to take smarter and more helpful breaks. For example, the Pomodoro technique entails working for short sprints of 25 minutes at a time and then taking a short 5 minute break, plus a longer break after every 4 ‘sessions’. Another option that has proved effective is working for 52 minutes at a time, followed by a 17 minute long break. Of course, we can all choose the method that we most resonate with, but the point is that our brains and bodies are not meant to focus for too long without having a short break. We become fatigued, our attention span weakens, and our bodies need to get up and stretch or walk around every hour or so. In the end, you’ll be much more productive after allowing yourself some appropriate breaks.     

Another tip Belle recommends for productivity is front-loading your week. If you knock out your biggest or most daunting tasks first, the rest of the week will be smooth sailing, and you can slowly ease into the weekend. It is natural for many of us to put tasks off and procrastinate when we can, but it’s best to fight that impulse. You’ll be much more excited for the weekend if the bulk of your work is finished on Tuesday, rather than having a mountain of stress to get through on Friday and then being left with no energy to enjoy the evening. Plus, we tend to have the most energy at the beginning of the week, assuming we’re refreshed from taking it easy at the end of the previous week or on our days off. Might as well make use of all that energy!

On a similar note, it might be smart to start scheduling tasks based on your energy levels. Aside from trying to do as much as you can in the beginning of the week, it can also be helpful to let your personal habits inform when you get things done. If you’re an early bird, make use of that time in the morning when you’re feeling the most fresh and energized. If you’re a night owl, it might be best to take it slow in the morning and pound out as much work as you can during the evening. In fact, you can actually figure out your chronotype online right here to help you know when you are the most awake and inspired. We all fall into the category of larks, third-birds, or owls, and knowing that information about ourselves can make a huge difference when scheduling tasks.   

Many of us keep running to-do lists throughout the week, month, or our entire lives, but have you ever considered creating one for each day? Blogger Leo Babauta recommends designating your Most Important Tasks (or MITs) each day to ensure that you accomplish at least those 3 things. Of course, it’s always great to do more than 3 items on your to-do list each day. But when you make sure that at least those 3 tasks get completed, you will feel like you’re on a roll of productivity and everything else gets to count as a bonus. You’ll likely be feeling the inertia, and you won’t want to stop most days, even after your MITs are accomplished.