Research shows that people get distracted every 40 seconds when working on a computer. Time is precious — especially for indie hackers — but few of us are as efficient as we can be.

Here are some tips for increasing productivity and decreasing time spent.

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Lifestyle: Take care of yourself.

- Eat healthy (leafy greens and blueberries are good for the brain).
- Sleep 6-8 hours.
- Exercise.
- Stay hydrated.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol.
- Meditate.
- Spend time with friends and family.
- Relax.

Mentality: Little shifts in your mindset can go a long way.

- Be okay with doing less.
- Say no more often.
- Stop being a perfectionist.
- Focus on results; not hours.
- Get interested in your work.
- Set REALISTIC expectations.

Structure: Create something that you can lean into.

- Figure out what kind of schedule works for you and keep optimizing it.
- Create a morning routine (and start slow).
- At the end of the day, plan your next day.
- Block out time in your calendar for important tasks.

Structure cont...

- Leave buffer time between tasks.
- Take (healthy) breaks. Stay away from social media and anything else that stimulates you.
- Make time for writing every day.
- Create a todo list.
- Bullet Journaling (a handy framework for todos, schedule, etc.)

Environment: Make your space conducive to efficient work

- Remove distractions from physical and digital space.
- Remove clutter on your desktop and your actual desk.
- Create a nice space where you enjoy working.

Environment cont...

- Organize your space/work/files/etc.
- Listen to sounds that help you focus (brown noise, classical music, etc.)

Workflow: Improve how you work

- Pomodoro technique — stay focused by doing shorter (25 min) bursts and taking frequent (5 min) breaks.
- Get SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) about your goals.
- Don't multitask.

Workflow cont...

- Keep a distraction list — jot down unrelated thoughts so that they don’t distract you, and come back to them later.
- Break tasks into small pieces.
- Set a timer.
- Track (and analyze) your time.
- Batch similar tasks (especially emails).

Workflow cont...

- Eat that frog — knock out the most impactful, essential task first.
- Find repeatable shortcuts. Automate.
- Reduce meetings.
- Get an accountability buddy.
- Delegate.
- Keep your eye on the prize.

Tools: Use tools to your advantage.

- @todoist is a todo list app.
- timeivy tracks time spent in apps/sites.
- @focusmate provides accountability buddies.
- @BrainfmApp provides focus music.
- @focusappio blocks apps/sites.
- @toggl tracks time.
- There are many, many more.

For more details on each, including some interesting studies, check out the original article here: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/becoming-time-efficient-50-methods-for-being-efficient-and-productive-e4b8c0c2d8