Want to be More Productive at Work – Use These Six Tricks

Everyone thinks they have tricks to make themselves more productive, but the really effective tricks for increasing productivity are either the opposite of what you'd expect -  or just slightly bizarre. 

1. Leave work early. People tend to work more slowly when they have more time. If you know you're leaving earlier than normal, you'll work faster rather than leave things undone.

2. Don't multitask. Lots of people think multitasking makes them more productive. But doing two things at once just means you're distracted from both things. You work faster if you give one thing your full attention, then move on to the next.

3. Don't read the news. Even when the news isn't distracting or depressing, it still takes brainpower to focus on it. And your brain gets tired as the day goes on. Save your best thinking for work, and catch up on the news when you get home.

4. Exercise before work. Exercise brings glucose and oxygen to the brain, so you'll be able to think better for about two hours afterwards. You can also keep your brain going throughout the day by doing jumping jacks here and there on your down time.

5. Eat lots of berries - and other snacks too. Berries are high in antioxidants, which can improve your memory and coordination. You should also eat small snacks throughout the day to keep your energy up. If you're eating berries, you should also include snacks that are high in protein. Otherwise you'll probably have a sugar crash at some point.

6. Work in a yellow room. It's been claimed that seeing yellow suppresses melatonin, which is a hormone that makes you sleepy. In scientific studies, workers have said their moods are better when there are yellow decorations around the office.

If you can't repaint the walls where you work, try to let in as much natural light as possible. And maybe pick a yellow background image for your computer screen.

Are these suggestions enough to get you motivated? What could you do to improve on your productivity?

(Yahoo Health)