You don't need apps and overtime to accomplish all your goals this year. It just takes a fresh understanding of the human mind and a willingness to accommodate its needs. We sourced our favorite productivity gurus for the latest in workflow hacks. Backed up by psychology, here are our top tips to avoid overwhelm, stoke your creative side, and prioritize for success.

1. You don’t need apps and overtime to accomplish all your
goals this year. It just takes a fresh understanding of the
human mind and a willingness to accommodate its needs.
We sourced our favorite productivity gurus for the latest in
workflow hacks. Backed up by psychology, here are our top
tips to avoid overwhelm, stoke your creative side, and
prioritize for success in 2015.

2. Record what tasks you’ve accomplished during
each hour or segment of your day. This helps you
realistically evaluate what you’ve done as well as
giving you that satisfying feeling of
accomplishment.
Try the “three-sentence rule” – If you are writing
an email and it starts to exceed three sentences,
save yourself the time and pick up the phone
instead.
Or try the “one-open rule” – Set the standard that
you only open each email you receive ONCE.
After opening, determine whether it needs to be
replied to, forwarded, or deleted, DO IT, and
move on.
And write them in black and white where you can
see them often.

3. Multitasking creates the illusion of productivity,
while lessening our ability to retain information
and focus on the task at hand.
It sounds like a marketer’s worst nightmare,
but unsubscribing from email lists that bring
you no value does a service to the marketer
and your inbox.

4. Fit in easier tasks as necessary, but spare greater energy
levels for projects that really need it.

5. We tend to focus on the obstacles ahead, no matter how
unlikely or small they may be. Taking the leap and starting
triggers intrusive thoughts about the unfinished project so
nagging that you just have to finish what you’ve started.

6. Instead of using the first fresh
moments of your day planning the
hours ahead, make your to-do list the
night before.
Structure your daily tasks into regular
time slots, and share your structure
with coworkers. That way they know
when you are most likely to be in the
zone and can steer clear of your
workspace.

7. By occupying what little time we have for free
thinking, smartphones can be creativity killers.
Scientists recommend accepting boredom as
a welcome friend to your ideation process.
7

8. Sources
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1. The Psychological Science of Self-Control,
American Psychological Association
2. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, ScienceDirect
3. The Power of Temptation, Northwestern
University
4. The Zeigarnik Effect, Psychwiki.com
5. The Role of Deliberate Practice in the
Acquisition of Expert Performance, APA
PsycNET
6. The Science of Creativity, American
Psychological Association
7. Is Your Phone Killing Your Creativity, Inc.
Magazine