For many, the primary goal in using stimulants is to support productivity and focus. Stimulants are powerful drugs that can play a key role in working and living productively. Still, there are ways of boosting productivity, with or without stimulants, as part of your overall wellness routine. They naturally support better focus so you can be at your best, more often.

Productivity starts from the moment you wake up, so mastering a morning routine that supports productivity is key.

Meditation is an ancient practice to promote Harmony and balance. We now have modern science that shows how meditation can improve cognitive function and focus. Apps like Calm and Waking Up with Sam Harris can help support creating a meditation practice. One of our favorite tips at Recoop is to create an incentive or reward to practice. For example, I prepare everything I need for my morning matcha latte, go to meditate and right when my meditation is over I can reward myself with a delicious morning caffeine jolt. I also practice with a dedicated pair of headphones so my brain makes the association between using them and time designed to focus on myself and my well-being.

Throughout the day, the calendar is key to mastering productivity. One technique I use daily is time blocking. I schedule blocks of time to do everything from practice yoga, to writing emails to taking an end-of-day walk. One key to success with this technique is budget enough time for a task, which means adding more time than I think I need. As a rule of thumb, I add 50% extra time to whatever I think I need to complete a task. To practice 60 minutes of yoga, I block 90 minutes on my calendar, so I have enough time to set-up and put away my mat, and generally move between activities with spaciousness.

Time blocking is an effective way to schedule time with yourself. Scheduling time with others can also be done in a way save time and frustration. I rely on tools, such as Calendly, to make it easy for others to schedule with me. I have created 3 basic meeting types: 15, 30 and 60 minute meetings. Meetings over 60 minutes are rarely productive so I rarely schedule them. I then have 2 versions of each of those 3 types of meetings: Urgent and Non-Urgent. When I'm looking to schedule with someone, I need only ask myself how much time I think we need and whether the meeting is urgent, which means I want it to happen within 5 days, or Non-Urgent, which means it can happen beyond 5 days from now. I also only schedule meetings 2 weeks in advance typically, other than recurring meetings with my team.

Many people set out to improve or increase productivity, seeking to understand what they can do to get more done in less time. Often, it's equally or more important to understand what you should avoid or stop doing to work and live as your happiest, most productive self. This is why an end of day routine is key for me, to signal to my brain when I've done enough and when I've “left the office” while still working at home. I do something to activate each of my senses, such as light a candle, burn incense, moisturize my skin with lotion, drink an evening beverage with calming properties and put on an evening playlist to wind down with. 

Whatever you do, do it consistently! The brain needs a month or 28 days to register a new activity as a habit. Practice this and the productivity tips in this article from morning to night and support your wellness routine with stimulants and beyond.