Reddit is the giant filter for every other thing that exists within the World Wide Web. You can lose the best productive hours of your life buried in the threads of conversations about every subject you have ever been interested in, no matter how obscure.
But hidden in those threads are some golden tips on productivity, time management, and just getting things done. Specific subreddits have dedicated themselves to finding and disseminating information on leading more productive lives.
Here are some of the best advice curated from these subreddits:
1. /r/GetDisciplined: Include a Reset Day in Your Week
Do you dread Mondays? A simple reset routine on Sunday can take not more than an hour but save you a lot more in the week ahead.
The Redditor called jdarbuckle suggests you include a “reset day” in your week. It is more than a rest day. This is the day on which you take stock of what you have accomplished so far with a complete mind-body-life review. And, take care of the small tasks as preparation for the week ahead
Examples: Finish the extra laundry. Go grocery shopping and prepare meal plans for the week ahead. Declutter your personal space.
Monday can arrive in a flash. The reset day exercises can help you not only unplug but also focus on the important priority in the week ahead.
The redditor also links to the original site where you can go and download the printable Weekly Reset Worksheet.
2. /r/ZenHabits: Listen, With the Intent to Understand
You may be a writer, a programmer, or a gas station attendant. Every job needs you to communicate with other people who are working alongside you.
If you enter a conversation with a colleague thinking from the beginning that you are right, or that the other person has nothing to teach you, the ensuing conversation will benefit no one. It will be just noise.
As an alternative, a Redditor named Ctotheg talks about the Japanese listening technique of Aizuchi.
The technique requires the one who is listening to interject at frequent intervals with phrases like “Yes”, “I see”, and “I understand”. The point is to be an active listener rather than a passive one, letting the other person know you are paying attention to the conversation.
3. /r/NonZeroDay: Make Every Day Count
This subreddit is a place for a group of people who admit to being procrastinators. One of the simplest hacks to make progress towards your goals is to decide on “No More Zero Days”.
Non-Zero Day itself is a philosophy which emphasizes the need to take a meaningful step towards your goals every single day, no matter how small. This means you no longer get days with zero new accomplishments. So popular is the concept of the Non-Zero Days that it has a dedicated app which works on this principle.
Download: No Zero Days for Android | iPhone (Free)
4. /r/IWantToLearn: How to Stop Procrastinating
You can use this group to improve your skills in any area of interest. The members motivate each other to take up new passions in pursuit of a more fulfilling life. In one of the most popular threads, members discuss ways to avoid procrastinating and how anyone can boost workday efficiency. Some of the advice shared includes:
- Schedule your day for maximum productivity and remind yourself to stick to that schedule whenever you feel the urge to procrastinate.
- Stop believing the myth perpetuated by pop culture that truly intelligent people (which most people on the internet think they are) do not need to put any effort into their work and instead are just naturally good at everything.
- Create incentives to reward yourself for a productive day.
- Power through the first few days of not liking doing hard work until it becomes a habit.
- Ask yourself the hard questions, like why you don’t want to do the work? If you simply hate the work itself, switching roles or the career could be a better option.
5. /r/GetMotivated: Design a Morning Routine that Works for You
As the name suggests, this is the subreddit you need to visit when your energy flags. This particular post talks about the importance of creating a morning routine that pumps you up for the rest of the day. Several tips are shared in the thread for creating a productive morning routine, some of which are:
- Cleaning your room and putting your personal items in order, in readiness for the rest of the day.
- Meditating, or starting some other form of exercise.
- Making a plan for all the things that need to be accomplished for the day.
- Spending 10 minutes online reading inspirational articles or watching a motivational video on social media.
6. /r/LifeProTips: Librarians Can Help With Any Topic
This subreddit excels in providing new ways of looking at efficiency and productivity. The redditor draws attention to the fact that although librarians are often the butt of jokes in pop culture, they are expert researchers who can help you find information more efficiently if you only ask. That can be an incredible time saver compared to a Google Search.
One hugely overlooked group are Medical Librarians. A medical librarian (many hospitals have them) can help you or your family research medical terms or diagnoses that you don’t understand.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The same principle applies to IT technicians or similar support staff. These workers are specifically trained to troubleshoot problems and make your work easier. You only need to give them some respect and communicate the problem you are facing.
7. /r/DecidingToBeBetter: Keep Fighting
As the group description says, this is a place for self-improvement, goodness, and togetherness. This post talks about the ugly side of unproductivity. When your reason for not getting work done isn’t laziness, but real problems in your personal life.
We all have days when we feel we are not good enough. Not strong enough. Not clever enough. Unable to face the challenges the world throws at us. We feel stuck physically, mentally and emotionally.
It is important during these times to fight and overcome negative feelings. As the original poster points out:
YOU decide how YOU perceive and journey through reality. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t feel bad for yourself. Cry a little or a lot, close your eyes, and tell yourself what you want to be, NOT what you aren’t.
Keep fighting to make it out of the morass of doubt and negativity. This phase will eventually pass, and leave you a stronger, wiser, and ultimately a more productive person.
Reset Your Thoughts for Productivity
The struggle to live a productive life is a constant one. These subreddits are a great place to visit from time to time when we need direction. Here we can find people who also face the same struggle as we do, and we can help each other become better.
Reddit does not need to be the giant distraction that people often accuse it of being. You can spend time foraging for the best tips and combine it with the right mental models to get your work done.
Read the full article: The 7 Best Productivity Life Hacks From Reddit That Work
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