Productivity Hacks That Helped Us Get More Done

The problem of productivity—or the lack thereof—is invading social media. The topic’s popularity is evidence of its purveyance within the working world. Even we here at DATABASICS have been caught up pondering productivity in terms of the business industry, particularly when it comes to A.I. But, as workers on a mission for our company, we’re always looking for ways to get more done. Granted, we’re pretty proud of our Time & Expense software, which helps our clients get more done, but we still have plenty on our to-do lists that we want to achieve. That’s why we’ve put together this list of our tried & true tips and tricks for being more productive.

  1. Define productivity for yourself.

    Before we worked on our actual work, we first asked what it means to be productive. This is a question that might feel like it’s a waste of time to ask; after all, obviously having a final product means that you’ve been productive. Asking this question will help you know what you should be spending time on.

    Here's what we asked ourselves: Is our productivity measured in hours or in finished products? What value do we perceive from making progress alone? In other words, what do we value: the process or the product? The answers to these questions will lead you into our next tip. [FREE Download: Productive Poster.]

  2. Prioritize what’s important, not just what’s urgent. urgent-blog.jpg

    Thinking long-term about what you need to work toward can reenergize the short-term. Rather than playing catch-up for days or weeks or years on end, taking the time to get organized either with a calendar or a list of priorities can help you take the focus off the busywork inherent in any of our jobs and move it toward actually making progress on goals. [FREE Download: Prioritize Importance Poster.]

  3. Start anywhere.

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    Just saying “I don’t know where to start so I’d better not start” is not a good enough reason not to start. When it comes to writing in particular, the feeling of hands poised above the keyboard pondering just the right phrase can oftentimes be paralyzing. Instead, take the pressure off yourself to get the right words down perfectly on your first try. There is power in just putting words on the page.

    Starting with “I don’t know what to write, but I do know about…” and going from there will often jumpstart the brain into the direction you want to go. First drafts are beautiful because no one has to see them but you. As William Faulkner said, “Kill your darlings.” Or, in other words, expect to cut whatever isn’t working and you won’t be so unproductive. [FREE Download: Start Anywhere Poster.]

  4. Be smarter than your brain. (Fight procrastination.)

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    As we learned from Dr. Barbara Oakley in our Fun Friday series last week, our brains perceive the tasks we need to accomplish to be more painful than they actually are. In other words, our brains are wired to procrastinate because doing work is hard. Studies show, however, that if we can fight the primal urge to procrastinate (and be smarter than our brains), the pain of doing the work just melts away. [FREE Download: Smarter Than Your Brain Poster.]


Related Article: What We Can Learn About Productivity Through A.I. & Learning About Learning


With these four tips in mind, we hope you’ll be on your way toward your goals. We also invite you to download our inspirational graphics to keep yourself focused or to share them on social media like LinkedIn. These tips definitely helped us stay productive working on products that make you more productive, especially when it comes to cutting down on manual data entry and revolutionizing time & expense software.

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For more information on DATABASICS Time & Expense Tracking Software, contact us or call (800) 599-0434.



DATABASICS provides cloud-based, next generation Expense Reporting,
P-Card Management, Timesheet & Leave Management, and Invoice Processing automation. Specializing in meeting the most rigorous requirements, DATABASICS offers the highest level of service to its customers around the world.

DATABASICS is relied upon by leading organizations representing all the major sectors of the global economy: financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, research, retail, engineering, non-profits/NGOs, technology, federal contractors, and other sectors.

Connect with DATABASICS: LinkedInTwitter, and YouTube. DATABASICS is headquartered in Reston, VA.