5 Surprising Elements That Boost Your Productivity (One of Them Is Color) Even the most subtle things can make an impact.
By Nina Zipkin
The most important thing to remember about productivity, is that unless you are actively procrastinating, there is no way that you can actually do it wrong. Everyone has their own strategy for accomplishing their goals.
Ellevest founder Sallie Krawcheck swears by doing her work in the quiet of the 4:00 am hour. Lyft co-founder John Zimmer blocks out his time in three-hour uninterrupted chunks to power through his biggest deadlines.
But while you can plan as much as you like, there are actually some unexpected elements, in addition to elements like exercise and sleep, that can impact the efficacy of your work.
Related: Use These Strategies to Maximize Productivity -- Without Inventing an Extra Weekday
Multitasking
While it may seem like a straightforward way to get things done, it turns out that multitasking can actually make it tougher for you to be productive. Researchers from Stanford found that even if you're highly skilled at doing many things at once, while you're doing the process it actually makes you less adept at taking in and retaining new information and switching gears if need be.
Humor
Cracking jokes with your colleagues isn't just a fun way to pass the time and build rapport, but according to a study from the University of Nebraska and Vrije University Amsterdam, it can actually make the group more likely to perform better as a team, leading to "positive socioemotional communication, procedural structure, and new solutions."
Related: 6 Foolproof Ways to Start Every Workday Feeling Refreshed
Temperature
Colder temperatures having a chilling effect on focus and productivity. A study from Cornell University found that as the temperature increased from 68 degrees to 77 degrees, employee typing errors decreased by 44 percent and their output increased by 150 percent. Not only that but it affects the bottom line. By making it warmer, the study found that employers save roughly $2 more an hour per employee.
Colors
If you have a say in what colors you paint the walls of your office, stay away from beige, grey and white. Though these hues might seem clean and simple, you could very well be contributing to your employees lack of productivity. A study from the University of Texas found that green and blue lend themselves to improved focus and yellow lends itself to innovation and creativity.
Cuteness
If you feel your concentration waning, and you suddenly have an impulse to go watch some cat videos, a study from Japan's University of Hiroshima suggests you'd do well to embrace that instinct. Researchers found a link between improved performance and focus after the study participants looked at pictures of cute animals. So go ahead, go down that cuteness rabbit hole and watch that puppy's Instagram story.
