Full disclosure: I am not very good – okay, I am disastrous – at things like consistency and discipline, though it’s not for want of trying, trying, trying, failing and trying again.
But I am pretty darn excellent at being productive when I get into the zone.
In fact, this confession aside, I’ve spent most of my life successfully using my productivity to hide my utter lack of consistency and discipline. (A strengths-based approach, if you will. All the rage now, no?)
The thing is, standard productivity advice usually revolves around creating routine, which requires consistency and discipline. Or it leans into traditional habit-building methods to tackle a lack of willpower.
I, however, need more than your average time-blocking, Pomodoro-wielding tricks that optimisation gurus swear will change your life if you use them religiously.
I function best in bursts of manic productivity, and often just need a quick and dirty way to snap out of a mental slump.
If that sounds like you too, here are seven unconventional, tried-and-tested hacks to conquer inertia. At least for the day.
Body doubling is the astoundingly simple act of having another person around when you’re struggling to start or focus on a task. Any task.
I’d been using body doubling my whole life without realising it, until working from home during the pandemic made it painfully obvious. My productivity levels shot up drastically whenever I had a friend on video call in the background all day, even if we didn’t talk.
Your body double doesn’t need to be doing the same thing, or be a person you know. They just need to exist within sight, whether in person or virtually.
Which perhaps explains why I am at least thrice as productive at the office or when I use Focusmate – a virtual coworking platform that matches users looking for a body double for 25- or 50-minute sessions to complete tasks.
Even YouTube videos of people studying have been my body double in the past. Just watch for the potentially disruptive ad breaks.
Productivity score: 9/10
Body doubling is the simple act of having another person around when you’re struggling to start or focus on a task. (Photo: iStock/mercer_m)
Fully charge your laptop battery. Then head out to work, leaving your charger at home. Let your dwindling battery life and the accompanying adrenaline rush do their thing.
This method is loosely based on Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Without a “fixed” deadline (in this case, the battery life), it’s too easy to dilly-dally instead of remaining laser-focused from the get-go.
Most effective if you’re realistic about what you can finish before your laptop dies.
Productivity score: 8/10
To my surprise last year, at least one Singaporean also shared my favourite method to overcoming inertia: Getting work done on a long public transport commute.
In a viral TikTok video, one 18-year-old took bus route 858 – one of the lengthiest in Singapore, which brings passengers from Woodlands Interchange to Changi Airport before making a return to Woodlands Interchange over two-and-a-half hours.
In my experience of having pored through interview transcripts, drafted long emails and even written full articles on a bus or MRT journey, this method combines the best parts of body doubling (being surrounded by people also tapping away on their phones) and not having your laptop and phone charger (a built-in deadline).
It also leverages the underrated productivity hack of externalising timers. Instead of relying on an arbitrary deadline, I use the bus or MRT stops along the way to time my tasks.
It's better, of course, if you’re not prone to motion sickness, though I've found standing and working on my phone helps.
Plus, you can’t wander off to grab a snack. You’re quite literally trapped in productivity mode.
Productivity score: 9/10
Fair warning, this runs contrary to the popular “eat the frog” method.
That method tells you to tackle your most important (and most procrastination-inducing) task first. Call it what you will – eating the frog, ripping off the band-aid – but such masochism only prolongs my procrastination.
I prefer to start with accomplishing an easy but meaningful task to build momentum. For example, I like to relook my completed article drafts first thing in the morning to check for blind spots, even if I’d polished them the night before. It’s quick but consequential enough to give me a sense of achievement.
Alas, as someone who struggles with chronic procrastination, a micro-win is but a micro-win. Sometimes it barely makes a dent.
Productivity score: 7/10
If you have difficulty sticking to self-imposed deadlines, especially if they’re not at “do it now or get fired” levels of urgency, tell them to a friend or colleague. Ask them to check in with you by the deadline. Maybe even let them dish out a consequence if you don’t deliver.
The external accountability is meant to help you stay on track, though it only works if the person actually holds you accountable.
Half the battle is choosing the right accountability buddy: Not too nice or too strict, just someone who loves a little schadenfreude.
Productivity score: 7/10
Declaring your deadlines to someone works if they actually hold you accountable. (Photo: iStock/Natalya Kosarevich)
It doesn’t matter if you have no online meetings. Put on a bra. A belt. A watch. Earrings, makeup, even shoes. Add a spritz of cologne for good measure.
I was a cynic when I first came across this tip online. But after being stuck at home during the pandemic’s first few months, I learnt the hard way that getting dressed for the office and commuting every day were necessary triggers for my “psychological role-switching”.
Without the physical transition into my driven “work self”, I remained firmly in my chill “home self”, worsening my inertia.
I’m a convert now. Simply pretending I’m heading into the office almost always works as well as actually heading into the office.
Productivity score: 11/10 (no notes!)
When faced with work that bores me to tears, I switch to an “unserious” font like Comic Sans, in fuchsia at that. The novelty tricks my brain into being mildly entertained.
Ridiculous? Sure – but I’m not the only person I’ve heard doing this. Others have said this hack removes the pressure of crafting the perfect FinalFinalFinalDraft_usethis.docx and allows them to focus purely on content in the initial stages. Just remember to switch back to a “regular” font before submission.
The downside is that your brain adapts, and this hack loses its kick if overused.
So perhaps, hear me out, the most effective productivity hack is finding something you love doing? Unfortunately, even the most insufferable gurus are, occasionally, bang on the money.
Productivity score: 6/10
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But I am pretty darn excellent at being productive when I get into the zone.
In fact, this confession aside, I’ve spent most of my life successfully using my productivity to hide my utter lack of consistency and discipline. (A strengths-based approach, if you will. All the rage now, no?)
The thing is, standard productivity advice usually revolves around creating routine, which requires consistency and discipline. Or it leans into traditional habit-building methods to tackle a lack of willpower.
I, however, need more than your average time-blocking, Pomodoro-wielding tricks that optimisation gurus swear will change your life if you use them religiously.
I function best in bursts of manic productivity, and often just need a quick and dirty way to snap out of a mental slump.
If that sounds like you too, here are seven unconventional, tried-and-tested hacks to conquer inertia. At least for the day.
1. Use body doubling
Body doubling is the astoundingly simple act of having another person around when you’re struggling to start or focus on a task. Any task.
I’d been using body doubling my whole life without realising it, until working from home during the pandemic made it painfully obvious. My productivity levels shot up drastically whenever I had a friend on video call in the background all day, even if we didn’t talk.
Your body double doesn’t need to be doing the same thing, or be a person you know. They just need to exist within sight, whether in person or virtually.
Which perhaps explains why I am at least thrice as productive at the office or when I use Focusmate – a virtual coworking platform that matches users looking for a body double for 25- or 50-minute sessions to complete tasks.
Even YouTube videos of people studying have been my body double in the past. Just watch for the potentially disruptive ad breaks.
Productivity score: 9/10
Body doubling is the simple act of having another person around when you’re struggling to start or focus on a task. (Photo: iStock/mercer_m)
2. Work out of home without your laptop charger
Fully charge your laptop battery. Then head out to work, leaving your charger at home. Let your dwindling battery life and the accompanying adrenaline rush do their thing.
This method is loosely based on Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Without a “fixed” deadline (in this case, the battery life), it’s too easy to dilly-dally instead of remaining laser-focused from the get-go.
Most effective if you’re realistic about what you can finish before your laptop dies.
Productivity score: 8/10
3. Use a long bus or MRT ride
To my surprise last year, at least one Singaporean also shared my favourite method to overcoming inertia: Getting work done on a long public transport commute.
In a viral TikTok video, one 18-year-old took bus route 858 – one of the lengthiest in Singapore, which brings passengers from Woodlands Interchange to Changi Airport before making a return to Woodlands Interchange over two-and-a-half hours.
In my experience of having pored through interview transcripts, drafted long emails and even written full articles on a bus or MRT journey, this method combines the best parts of body doubling (being surrounded by people also tapping away on their phones) and not having your laptop and phone charger (a built-in deadline).
It also leverages the underrated productivity hack of externalising timers. Instead of relying on an arbitrary deadline, I use the bus or MRT stops along the way to time my tasks.
It's better, of course, if you’re not prone to motion sickness, though I've found standing and working on my phone helps.
Plus, you can’t wander off to grab a snack. You’re quite literally trapped in productivity mode.
Productivity score: 9/10
4. Start your day with a micro-win
Fair warning, this runs contrary to the popular “eat the frog” method.
That method tells you to tackle your most important (and most procrastination-inducing) task first. Call it what you will – eating the frog, ripping off the band-aid – but such masochism only prolongs my procrastination.
I prefer to start with accomplishing an easy but meaningful task to build momentum. For example, I like to relook my completed article drafts first thing in the morning to check for blind spots, even if I’d polished them the night before. It’s quick but consequential enough to give me a sense of achievement.
Alas, as someone who struggles with chronic procrastination, a micro-win is but a micro-win. Sometimes it barely makes a dent.
Productivity score: 7/10
5. Declare your deadlines to someone
If you have difficulty sticking to self-imposed deadlines, especially if they’re not at “do it now or get fired” levels of urgency, tell them to a friend or colleague. Ask them to check in with you by the deadline. Maybe even let them dish out a consequence if you don’t deliver.
The external accountability is meant to help you stay on track, though it only works if the person actually holds you accountable.
Half the battle is choosing the right accountability buddy: Not too nice or too strict, just someone who loves a little schadenfreude.
Productivity score: 7/10
Declaring your deadlines to someone works if they actually hold you accountable. (Photo: iStock/Natalya Kosarevich)
6. Dress for the office when you’re working from home
It doesn’t matter if you have no online meetings. Put on a bra. A belt. A watch. Earrings, makeup, even shoes. Add a spritz of cologne for good measure.
I was a cynic when I first came across this tip online. But after being stuck at home during the pandemic’s first few months, I learnt the hard way that getting dressed for the office and commuting every day were necessary triggers for my “psychological role-switching”.
Without the physical transition into my driven “work self”, I remained firmly in my chill “home self”, worsening my inertia.
I’m a convert now. Simply pretending I’m heading into the office almost always works as well as actually heading into the office.
Productivity score: 11/10 (no notes!)
7. Write tedious reports in a silly font
When faced with work that bores me to tears, I switch to an “unserious” font like Comic Sans, in fuchsia at that. The novelty tricks my brain into being mildly entertained.
Ridiculous? Sure – but I’m not the only person I’ve heard doing this. Others have said this hack removes the pressure of crafting the perfect FinalFinalFinalDraft_usethis.docx and allows them to focus purely on content in the initial stages. Just remember to switch back to a “regular” font before submission.
The downside is that your brain adapts, and this hack loses its kick if overused.
So perhaps, hear me out, the most effective productivity hack is finding something you love doing? Unfortunately, even the most insufferable gurus are, occasionally, bang on the money.
Productivity score: 6/10
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