The work day is dragging on, you’re behind on a thousand different tasks, and while you would very much like to get ahead, you simply can’t figure out how to get a move on.

Been there, done that.

Want to know what’s helped me most when it comes to leveling up your work game and increasing your productivity in a way that doesn’t make you want to scratch your eyes out?

Say hello to… drumroll, please… the following 7 habits!

1) Combine play and work

In his book Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters To You, productivity expert Ali Abdaal highlights just how vital it is to add play into our workday in any way we can.

This is because we often tend to distinguish between work and play as two separate things. Unsurprisingly, the “work” part becomes the thing we loathe – it’s the obstacle we’ve got to overcome in order to get to play.

Naturally, this doesn’t make for a great mindset if you want to get ahead and excel at your profession.

But what if you could combine work and play?

Here are just a few of Abdaal’s recommendations:

• Integrate a sense of curiosity into your day and choose “side quests” that will lead you down the path of new discoveries (for example, decide to learn more about the new software or to watch a YouTube video on something related to your field that you’re interested in)
• Ask yourself if there’s a way to make your current task more fun (for example, you could play some fun music in your headphones, turn your work into a fun game with a reward at the end, or organize fun productivity focus sessions with your co-workers)
• Nurture an experimental mindset that helps you view failure as part of the process (this lowers the stakes, makes you feel less stressed, and allows you to embrace playfulness)

2) Eat the frog

Before I learned about the secrets of eating the frog, I spent my work days postponing the biggest tasks until the last minute, all the while dreading them and poisoning my days with stress and anxiety.

Then I ate the frog. And it completely transformed my work process.

So, what does eating the frog mean?

Well, Mark Twain apparently once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

The motivational speaker Brian Tracy took this concept and turned it into a productivity hack in his book Eat the Frog! Get More of the Important Things Done Today, and soon after, eating the frog has become a common productivity strategy.

You’ve probably already guessed what it means.

Yep, that’s right.

Do the hardest task first. Once it’s done and dusted, you’ll feel relieved and more motivated to tackle the rest of your to-do list.

What’s more, this technique will also allow you to stay on top of things and manage your time in a more effective manner.

3) Time yourself

According to experts, our attention span begins to decline after only twenty minutes.

This is why it’s recommended to take a short break between each 20-minute focus session, even if just for a few minutes.

Have you ever wondered why the day keeps dragging on while you’re getting very little work done?

It may be due to the fact that you’re not really structuring your tasks into organized blocks of time, and what’s more, your concentration might be off because you haven’t taken a proper and intentional break in ages.

So, if you finally want to get ahead at work, use time to your advantage. Try out the Pomodoro technique or whatever else works for you – just make sure you’re splitting your process into high-focus sessions and low-focus relaxation periods.

Personally, this approach has completely skyrocketed my productivity.

4) Learn how to balance intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

If you’ve dabbled in psychology before, you probably know that there are two kinds of motivation – extrinsic (that is, external rewards such as a nice treat after work) and intrinsic (the feeling of satisfaction you get after you’ve successfully completed a task you enjoyed doing).

If you want to get ahead at work but you’re only motivated extrinsically, there’s a high chance you won’t get very far.

Why?

Plain and simple: your heart’s not in it.

Sure, you may care about the opinions of other people a great deal. You might really want that car or that designer bag.

But at the end of the day, doing something for eight hours a day just because you actually want something completely else won’t get you very far.

Of course, it’s nearly impossible to run on 100% intrinsic motivation. Even the best of jobs come with tasks that you don’t really fancy doing, from sending invoices to dealing with unpleasant co-workers.

…which is why one of the best habits you can incorporate into your work day is to combine intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as much as possible.

Try to find meaning in whatever it is you do, but if that fails, rely on rewards to push through.

Sometimes, the promise of a cake really is enough to get you through the day.

5) Do more and plan less

Planning and time management are a good thing, right?

Absolutely.

But if you take planning too far, it actually becomes a form of procrastination – you’re basically spending all your energy on overpreparation because you don’t want to do the actual task itself.

I’ve been there, too. Instead of just jumping in and completing the task I dreaded, I would think, worry, and plan for hours on end – only to realize that once I actually got to work, it wasn’t so bad at all.

Remember: everything is scarier in your head than it is in reality.

When you decide to jump in head first – without even giving yourself a chance to overthink – you’ll have a much easier time finding your flow and working your way toward success.

6) Take rest days

I can’t stress this enough. But I’ll try.

Rest is productive. Rest is productive. And one more time! Rest is productive.

You can’t function at your best if you’re only charged to 5%.

You can’t come up with new and exciting ideas if you’ve been overworking yourself to exhaustion for weeks on end.

You can’t reach your destination if you aren’t willing to rest along the way.

If you finally want to get ahead at work, avoid burnout. Take proper rest days. Turn your work phone off and focus on yourself. Spend your time with family and friends. Nurture a good work-life balance.

And cherish your rest for the wonderful thing it is: an opportunity to regain your strength before you can come back ready to tackle everything on your to-do list.

7) Focus on your own journey

Look, I get it. The pressure is real. Everyone around you is doing so well, and it’s super easy to compare your journey to theirs.

But that would be a mistake, and I’ll tell you why.

Success isn’t linear. Furthermore, you only get to see one part of a person’s story.

Sure, Henry may be a better marketer than you, but he actually feels miserable deep inside because he has a lifelong dream of becoming an artist. That is to say, he hates his job.

While Maggie is thriving right now, she will soon go through a rough divorce that’ll completely throw her off track. And whilst Joe is lagging behind, he’ll have a boom in ten years’ time and get very wealthy very quickly.

Our lives are completely unpredictable. You never know what will happen in one year, let alone twenty, so all you can do is focus on who you are in the here and now.

Don’t compare your timeline to that of other people.

Instead, look at where you want to go, look at where you were yesterday, and take the necessary steps to move forward – in whatever shape or form.

That is the key to getting ahead at work. That is the key to success, and more importantly, to happiness.