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Lists of productivity tips and lifehacks abound on the internet. Everyone has an opinion or different methods they’ve discovered that work for them. Online publishers like Indeed, Inc., Forbes, and Facebook have their own recommendations and advice, to say nothing of the other countless blog posts that populate the web on the topic. These lists have variable priorities, and can be a bit much to filter through. Fortunately, we’ve collated the tips across lists and compiled our own list of the most consistently top-ranking tips for boosting your productivity in the workplace. Let’s get to it!

1. Do Your Most Important Tasks First

Prioritizing your tasks for the day is key. It’s tempting to spend your morning hours first checking emails, clearing notifications, and other low-effort tasks, but that often results in us targeting simple, yet lower-priority tasks simply to check a box off on our to-do lists. Instead, decide what your most crucial task is for the day and dedicate your earlier hours to completing it or at least making progress on it. Many find that their mornings are their most energetic time of the day and that their energy wanes the more the day wears on. Dedicating your most energy-filled and alert hours to your important task can help you actually make some needed progress.

2. Cultivate Your Space

Your work environment matters. Whether you’re working in-office or from home, it’s important to work in surroundings that relax you and motivate you to get things done. Decluttering your desk and surrounding area can help you focus better and make you more productive. You can also spruce up your space with some plants, personal knickknacks, or photos. Minimally. See: decluttering above. Whatever makes you feel comfortable and focused.

3. Minimize Distractions

This tip should be a no-brainer. It’s often easier said than done to remove distractions from our environment and fully focus on the task at hand. Social media is one of the biggest distractions for many people, so it’s important to remove the temptation to check your notifications and lose yourself in your feed. Put your phone on silent. Even the buzz of a text or Twitter notification can draw your attention away.

CyberReef’s MobileWall solution can certainly help cut down on distractions in the workplace. MobileWall gives you control over your network and helps businesses reduce the time their employees spend on non-essential sites like social media platforms and streaming services. When businesses aid their employees by placing distractions farther away, they empower their employees to be their best selves and have a sense of accomplishment and higher self-esteem at the end of the day. Sounds like a win-win!

4. Take Breaks

It might seem counterintuitive but taking regular breaks can help you get more done and boost your concentration. Giving your brain a break helps keep you from getting fatigued which can severely impact your productivity. The general recommendation is a small break every 90 minutes. Step away from the desk. Stretch, walk around the block, brush your cat — anything that doesn’t require a huge time commitment and won’t turn into an extended distraction, but that gives your eyes and brain the downtime they need. We’re not robots and we can’t run tirelessly forever. Burnout is real.

5. No Multitasking

Juggling multiple tasks at once might seem like the best way to knock out all your projects, but experts say that’s not the case. Splitting our attention between tasks usually just means that we’re not giving any of the tasks the attention they require and deserve, leading to poorer quality work and inefficient time management. Monotasking is best. Focus your undivided attention on one item at a time.

At the end of the day, we have to be understanding of our humanness. We only have so many hours in the day and even fewer hours in the day to devote to work. Don’t beat yourself up over unfinished tasks. Nobody can achieve perfect levels of productivity and efficiency, but a few changes to our routine can really make a difference. CyberReef’s MobileWall can power these positive changes by removing access to distractions that help no one, least of all employees.