Have you ever wondered how you went through a whole day with only little to show as all you've achieved?

If you've ever desired to complete more tasks in a day than ever before, then this article is just for you.

I'll be revealing to you 5 ways you can use to increase your productivity and get to complete more tasks every single day!

But wait, before we dive right into the subject, let's quickly take a look at what productivity is.

What is Productivity?

Productivity is the ability to complete more tasks at a time.

From a developer's perspective, productivity is simply the ability to write more lines of code within the regular 24 hours, without being overwhelmed.

It really is that simple and so, how can this be achieved?

This is exactly what we'll be taking a look at as we proceed in this article.

How to Increase Productivity As a Developer

The following points to increase your productivity as a developer are ones which have been contributed by myself and some of the top developers in the programming world.

So, you can be assured that whatever it is you're going to learn is what has been tested and proved to be working.

Without further ado, let's jump right in!

1. Prepare a to-do list

It's so surprising how a lot of us still go about our daily activities without a list that guides the things we do, and the time we do them.

The power of a to-do list cannot be overstressed. It enables us to have a constant reminder of what we've planned to do for the day.

And really helps to stay focused on one task at a time.

What you have to do is to get a pen and a book, simply jot down all that you have to do in their order of relative importance, and try to complete each task in their order arrangement.

Another option will be to use the Apple Reminder App for iOS or install the Microsoft To Do app on Google play store.

This will also enable you to set reminder alarms plus quick editing features unlike the use of a book and pen.

2. Avoid distractions.

While performing your daily activities, there is a tendency that there will be other forms of things that will be getting you distracted.

While coding, it's highly recommended to find a silent space with no form of distraction, or you use a headphone or airpod.

Most times while coding or working on some other stuff, I personally do get distracted by several notifications from Twitter, WhatsApp, and other social platforms.

If you are not a freelancer or remote worker that depends on all these platforms for communication with employers, it's highly recommended to mute all sorts of notifications while coding or busy with some other things on your schedule.

And for some of us that depend on all these platforms for effective communication with employers, it's recommended to try as much as possible to check through the notifications probably after a regular interval.

Another thing to do to ensure proper focus while coding or working online, is to avoid having too many tabs open at a time.

As simple as it may sound, it's so hard to maintain, but if properly done, it will definitely go a long way in increasing your productivity.

3. Don't overwork yourself.

As simple as this might sound, it may be so difficult to adhere to. Especially if you are just starting out.

The idea of completing it all fast is what affects some developers.

You don't have to rush. It's not over yet. The world ain't ending today. You still have a lot of time.

Take it easy on yourself and set a schedule that you can actually meet up with.

Sometimes, it's not that you actually didn't have a productive day, it's just that you tend to put so much on yourself, that now make the whole thing overwhelming.

So, when you're not able to complete the majority of the tasks, it will seem like you had an unproductive day, even though it's otherwise.

4. Do what you love.

As great as it is to learn and understand different programming languages, there will always be a difference in your level of commitment to each language.

At a point in your career as a developer, you'll start working with many different programming languages.

From HTML, to CSS, to JavaScript, or any other language you're working with.

It's important to know that no matter how good you become, you'll definitely enjoy working on one programming language more than the other.

For example, you may enjoy working on PHP more than python, it may be Java compared to flutter, or just any other language.

You really need to focus more of your time on things you enjoy doing, especially when you're building projects. It makes you feel attached and that feeling alone is enough to keep you going.

And that is exactly what we mean when we're talking about productivity.

5. Automate your work.

Nowadays, we now have hundreds if not thousands of tools, that helps set automation to some part of our work.

If you work as a freelancer, there are now tonnes of tools you can use in automating some parts of your business.

We now have invoicing tools that can help you to automatically generate invoices for clients, instead of designing from scratch, or paying a designer.

We now chatbots that can help you talk to your clients or prospects on autopilot.

And a whole lot of other tools out there.

There are now various libraries as well that can help in making your work process pretty much faster and easier.

All of these technologies are what we should embrace and try to become used to.

They will really help in scaling some part of your business or job, giving you more time to be productive.

Rounding up

As a recap, below goes the list of the discussed productivity hacks for developers.

1. Prepare a to-do list.
2. Avoid distraction.
3. Don't overwork yourself.
4. Do what you love.
5. Automate your work.

All of these methods are what myself and thousands of others are using to get more done in less time.

I really hope you enjoyed the article, and don't forget to join my newsletter so you'll get updated straight in your inbox, whenever I drop a new article.

What method will you be adopting first? Is it to do what you love? Or to avoid distraction while working? Let me know in the comments section below