If your list of to-dos is constantly piling up, you can’t get enough sleep and you are way below your best performance more than often – welcome to the club. Procrastination is almost a universal problem that affects younger crowd in particular. Millennials worldwide are often accused of being lazy, but in reality we are so accustomed to all the benefits of modern way of life that everything seems easy to us.

This attitude leads to disorganization, lack of motivation, and eventually discontent in our place of work which significantly affects our level of productivity. Of course, we should always strive to deliver the best that we possibly could.

For that purpose, here in front of you are three simple life hacks that will help you increase your level of productivity at work and help you stay positive.

1. Eat to Work, don’t Work to Eat

Forget about ordering food at work or simply eating at the local bakery. An ever-popular vending machine diet is far from a healthy nutrition, and you should know by now that an irregular diet might be the direct cause of your bad mood. If you start packing your own food to bring to work, you can plan your meals and condition yourself to eat healthy.

Insist on small but frequent meals, and if you’re not sure what should be on your menu, consider whole grains and veggies. They are rich in vitamins and magnesium, which is essential for your cognitive health. Caffeine can also help, but in moderate portions, and remember to drink plenty of fluids. The non-sugary ones of course.

2. Keep your Body in Perfect Condition

A simple walk before your shift, preferably while the sun is up and the weather is at least moderately warm, will considerably affect your mood and you will feel more awake at your job. If you are working from home, take strategic naps. A short nap before your shift starts will increase your level of alertness, and even 15 minutes are enough to boost your cognitive functions.

Alternatively, if you are tied to a place of work, take a minute off work and try meditation. It will help you to relax, regain your focus, and will improve your concentration for at least a short period of time. At the very end, you can completely change your lifestyle and decide to get up early in the morning to exercise, and ride on that wave of energy through your working hours.

3. Regain Control Over your Devices

Your phone should be non-existent when you are at your place of work. Especially if you are working in the office, smart phones these days will alert you about Tweets, Facebook status updates, and e-mails etc. Simply shut down all notifications and regain control over your device, don’t let it control you.

Ironically, there are even apps that can help you manage your favourable apps not to disturb you too often. The Self Control app, for instance, can simply shut down traffic to your popular destinations on the web. Once you are aware that there is no option to check your Facebook for the next eight hours, your efficiency will increase rapidly. No more distractions that keep you away from work. 

Beside nutrition, exercise and saying goodbye to your iPhone, you should also learn to say no. If that list of tasks is skyrocketing, simply don’t accept any new ones. Your manager will understand and respect your commitment, and sometimes you will simply have to say no to accomplish more.