r/productivity Feb 14 '26

/r/productivity is being hit hard by AI generated slop + advertising spam. Please hit REPORT on this content!

240 Upvotes

Please report any content that you believe is AI generated or is advertising content. This helps us a lot. Thank you!


r/productivity Apr 11 '26

NO ADVERTISING IS ALLOWED OF ANY KIND (including solicitation)! Advertising = Instant ban

271 Upvotes

But why? I have a great app that would help people!!

So does EVERYONE else. We remove greater than FIFTY PERCENT of comments on certain threads due to advertising. Nobody wants to read a subreddit where half the comments are undisclosed ads for brand new apps.

Don't worry, I've clearly disclosed I'm the owner of the app!

It doesn't matter. People don't want to be advertised to all day, even if they know it's an ad. We want real human discussion on /r/productivity.

I can't even ask people what kind of product or app they want built? I haven't even linked to anything!

You cannot! This isn't your free focus group or your free beta test recruitment page.

But all I've done is mention the mere fact that I have an app in the first place!

We've seen the big threads on the SaaS and marketing subreddits that recommend doing this. You're not being slick. And no, you can't even have the name of your app or product in your username - we're that serious about keeping this place free of advertisement, sorry. Reddit accounts are free, please create a new one with a regular name!

Can I at least wait until my post has gained traction, and then sneakily edit a link in afterwards?

You sure can, but we've set up filters to start blocking this now and you'll be permanently banned.

How is anyone supposed to get their app off the ground, anyway?!

We recommend - if you truly believe in your product - Purchasing reddit ads or some other type of marked advertisement (we're just mods, we don't care if you buy them on reddit or not). You can even target /r/productivity with your paid ad!


r/productivity 3h ago

Advice Needed How to actually lockin?,isn't that even. Possible!!!!!

11 Upvotes

This is writing with extreme frustration of tired w myself,I been seeing folks who are working like 12-16 hrs day 80hrs a week,from a student perspective isn't that really possible ?

I'm having hellla free time but can't even put 3-4 hrs daily,any senior folks would love take free insights!!!!


r/productivity 6h ago

Question How to manage Time as a student

21 Upvotes

I am a student and I feel so burnt out cause I never find time at all so let me tell you about my routine

6:30-8 - wakeup, get ready and go to school

8-2 - school

2-3 - Commute I get home by 3

3-4 - Shower, Eat, unwind

5-6 - nap

7-9 - study

9-9:30 - Dinner

9:30-11 scroll

like I have no time for anything except my studies so where do my extracurriculars go? If i wanna go to the gym where does that go? I keep scrolling at night till 11 and I cant skip my nap or else I go insane Please recommend time management skills


r/productivity 9h ago

Question Note taking app for university, getting sick of word

14 Upvotes

hi! last year in university i used word for my notes during lectures. however this became a bit messy and tedious when i had 5 other files for every subjects lectures, the homework, the projects, etc. etc. i use my macbook as it's easy to carry and i'm wondering what people think a good, organized, easy to follow notes app would be.

I've tried obsidian but find it hard to use, the semester started today and i took my notes for now in word but i wanna switch this first week. if it helps to know i do psychology so that includes some mathematics notes sometimes too (though i usually just screenshot the formula's now). i have an ipad but i do not write quickly enough to comfortably follow the lectures for this, i do tend to take over my notes from the computer onto paper for studying but i find digital very important for making tests for myself and sharing with other students.

thank you so much for the suggestions!


r/productivity 7h ago

Advice Needed Struggling with Getting Work Done

7 Upvotes

:/ It’s midday, and I’ve maybe opened 2 emails to get some small tasks out the way.

Usually I’m very motivated at work and pushing to get things done, but I’ve been struggling like crazy the past month or so. I constantly find myself using any excuse to not actually do my work or push it to the last minute. Have also made a habit of leaving the office for any little inconvenience

I’ve dealt with some fatigue before, usually take a week off. Come back, all good. But it’s been nearly 5 weeks of putting in the bare minimum - and it’s starting to show across my team / staff.

I’ve gotta get out this funk, but I’m struggling with actually opening up my computer and doing the work.

Not sure if this is the right sub, but would appreciate any advice for anyone who has dealt with this before … thank you guys 🙏


For context, I manage a small Estimating / Sales Team & an Accounting Team for a Construction 🚧 Company. Total staff of 8.


r/productivity 1h ago

Question What did you do to find more free time?

Upvotes

Originally I had a weekly schedule where my dinner was at 7. I work from home, so when I finished at like 5:30, I figured I would relax from 5:30-7 (catch up with phone, games, etc.). Although I mostly just doom scrolled. I didn’t wanna be productive right after work.

However, since I ate at 7, and finished the break at 8. My break sometimes was just gaming or doom scrolling. Normally I didn’t workout because I thought to myself, by the time I workout and shower, it’s bed time and I’ll have no free time to be productive. I also didn’t want to workout on a full stomach.

Last month I changed my weekly schedule to put dinner at 6. That way, I only relax after work for 30 minutes. Not only that, I started going on a walk after dinner (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday). Nothing intense and sometimes I do bodybuilding after coming back. So by the time I come back and finish showering at 9, I have time to be productive before bed (at 12).

Because of that, now on the other days I don’t walk, I am even more productive. I am single and live alone so this schedule change isn’t a problem.

I sticked to this schedule consistently in August and did:

* read 8 books (physical, audio)
* 23 workouts between 18 days
* Completed a lot of my iOS app


r/productivity 4h ago

Advice Needed I feel like I'm doing everything right to be productive and do things and yet I'm getting nowhere

3 Upvotes

I feel like I've tried everything. I get a good nights sleep every night. I have a positive attitude. I eat well. I go for walks and get out the house. I've been working on having positive self talk. I'm medicated for my anxiety. I'm working on my communication skills. I'm eating breakfast properly for the first time in years. I've had mentors. I've had therapists. I've tried body doubling and staring at a wall and working for "just 5 minutes" and breaking things down into steps and cutting my social media use to a measly 5- 10 minutes per day. I've watched a bunch of videos and read articles on productivity from all different angles. I have a variety of hobbies. I have friends.

And yet it is like there is this mental barrier in my mind that stops me from doing anything that requires brainpower or skill. I am fairly certain I have ADHD and I know how it works but as time goes on it looks less and less like executive dysfunction or struggling starting tasks or an issue of attention span and more like my body goes into freeze mode the moment I have to do anything. When I was younger I used to be your classical ADHD child. I was forgetful, I put off homework, I was overly chatty and I would hyperfocus on games and tv shows and art for hours. Now, it's like all I know is this overwhelming mental paralysis. Like I cannot access the part of me that has interest or controls my ability to do things anymore. I don't know if maybe it's a self esteem thing or if I just have pavloved myself into freezing up in the face of anything that requires effort. It's to the point that when I try force through the feeling I just break down in tears.

Honestly it's just confusing to me that I'm doing a lot correctly and I feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I never used to be this bad but after covid I got so much worse.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this and has some advice. The more esoteric, the better. I'll try anything at this point.


r/productivity 7h ago

Advice Needed I'm watching myself waste time and doing nothing about it

4 Upvotes

19F

Just 2 days ago, I had a lot of things to get done. I submitted my final coursework for review, uploaded some Shorts for my Shorts channel, and later that same day I got my period.

Since then, I’ve basically chosen comfort over being productive, and I genuinely hate it.

I have so many things I could be doing. I could work on my long form channel, work on my other channel, or study because I have final exams this month but instead, I’ve been sitting around scrolling through Shorts

What bothers me the most is that I’m literally aware of what I’m doing. I know I’m wasting time. I know I have things I need to do. I know I’ll feel better once I actually get up and do them.

And yet I still pick up my phone and scroll.

I don’t even feel like I’m enjoying it anymore. I’ll scroll for a while, realize I’ve wasted another hour, feel guilty about it, and then... keep scrolling.

Part of me is wondering if it’s because of my period and I genuinely needed a couple of days to rest, or if I’m just being lazy and using it as an excuse. Either way, I don’t like being stuck in this cycle.

I’m even considering forcing myself to leave the house and work somewhere else just to change my environment but realistically, if I want to record videos, I need to be at home anyway, and I can study at home too.

So how do I actually break out of this?

I’m tired of watching myself waste time and doing absolutely nothing about it.


r/productivity 21m ago

Question Why does text copied from ChatGPT/Gemini look slightly bold in emails on my phone, but normal on my computer?

Upvotes

I’m having a weird formatting issue and I’m hoping someone can explain what’s happening.

I use ChatGPT/Gemini on my computer to help write emails. When I copy and paste the text into my email, I use Ctrl + Shift + V to paste without formatting. On my computer, the email looks completely normal. The font and size look exactly the same as anything I typed myself.
However, when I look at the sent email on my phone, I can tell that the text I copied from ChatGPT/Gemini looks slightly bolder/darker.


r/productivity 8h ago

Advice Needed Any changes I should make to my vacation plan?

2 Upvotes

My vacation break of one month is about to come up in one or two weeks and I don't want to waste it just sleeping or doing nothing. I plan to continue learning drawing from the drawabox course, learn programming as much as I can from mobile phone, finish all my assignments quickly first so that I don't procrastinate and just do some 30 or 40 minutes home work out everyday to get healthier. I plan to do whatever I want with the free time I have since I don't want it to be too tiring. Any advice on if I should change something or add something? Like are these too much or too little? Any other advices you can give relating to the things I plan to do?


r/productivity 17h ago

Technique Why Convenience is the Modern Gold

9 Upvotes

Seriously, think about it- every major app you use today is designed entirely around convenience and making things immediately available.

Insta, TikToc, YouToob, Uber... it goes on.

Every app is designed to provide an immediate hook, or as the corpos call it (ROI).

So sometimes, try to search for things outside of these platforms. Immediate satisfaction in excess has never been good.


r/productivity 19h ago

Question What are your "Why Not's": i.e. The things you want to do at least once

9 Upvotes

I have a folder on my desktop where I keep lists of my personal goals - and in one section is what I like to call my "Why Not's" - as in, things I want to do at least once in my life. (It's inspired by filmmaker Kevin Smith's advice that you should have friends who respond to your goals and aspirations with, Yeah, why not?) Examples include: "Write a screenplay"; "Write a song"; "Develop a sense of fashion".

What are your "Why Not's"?


r/productivity 1d ago

Question Tasks and projects that you find important yet can never seem to prioritize doing?

43 Upvotes

Some things I want to do but never seem to know how to get done:

- Go through and cancel subscriptions and research best options for the ones I need and utilities/insurance/etc.

- resell the boxes clothes/items I know would be worth the time to list and publish for sale.

- wash my walls/ceilings/mattresses/couches/rugs/nooks and crannies

- update my resume and portfolio

- make needed appointments for myself and family

- detail my car

- digital declutter

- go through kids artwork and create a system for keep/trash… display keeps by making books/collages, etc.

Many more unfortunately.

Not looking for advice! Just curious what tasks others are facing in a similar way.


r/productivity 1d ago

Question Can someone please guide me how to sit 3-4 hours straight for study!???

56 Upvotes

I have my exam on 5th. And i can't sit for more than 25 mins. There's a lot of distractionsss what do i do!!?


r/productivity 1d ago

Advice Needed I need habits to do after school.

10 Upvotes

I come home from school eat lunch then sleep till 7 pm, wake up then train for a bit and finally go sleep at 12 then go back to sleep. Legit no productivity in my day to day life this is a repeated cycle everyday and i have issues with it bi know i need to change it i cant just sit around all day and do nothing. What do you guys recommend i should do??


r/productivity 1d ago

Advice Needed Just can’t seem to slow down (compulsive work stuff)

19 Upvotes

Hi all, I have the awkward problem of workaholism or unhealthy and compulsive “productivity.” I have CPTSD and have suffered a number of traumatic losses. I was a parentified child and took care of everyone in a dysfunctional household. My dad died very young of addiction, brother took his own life, mom is declining swiftly from a cruel genetic condition, sister is positive for same gene mutation while I’m negative. I’m beginning to realize I’ve dealt with my trauma and grief and heartbreak over the years by burying that pain beneath huge projects and things I can control in my career and leadership.

I’m 41, mid-career and in a high level position, generally viewed as a “model of success” in my unit, but I’m so disassociated from myself that I don’t even know what I want anymore. My body is also suffering from years of compulsive pursuit of work and neglect of the things that bring me joy. People describe be as very ambitious, and on one hand I am— I’m very active and curious about the world and have lots of ideas, and more than an “ideas person” I’m pretty good at actualizing things and the work I do is actually really cool! Unfortunately I’m beginning to think at least 70% of that has been me operating in all-out avoidance mode.

How on earth do you actually slow down?

I feel like I’m hurtling forward on the momentum of my responsibilities and commitments and that there are truly no brakes on this thing. I worry I will (literally) die from this behavior eventually. I need to stop and rest but I can’t exactly quit everything because I’m financially responsible for my mom and her care as she declines.

Any guidance and compassion is appreciated, having a real tough start to the week.


r/productivity 1d ago

Technique Who else feels getting a bit of peer pressure will help them become productive?

5 Upvotes

As a solopreneur I tend to do everything myself. I don't have anybody to report to but I love when i get myself a partner to check up on me and pressure me to show my work or scold me when I don't. For me personally, it keeps me focused because I have somebody to report to and its a good game I like playing. It keeps me sharp and moving fast because I signed up for this.

If you never tried this what do you think? What part of your life would you want to try this out on?


r/productivity 1d ago

Book Motivational inspiring books are hard to get into reading

3 Upvotes

I’m trying to get into reading motivational growth inspiring books but I’m having trouble staying focused.. I feel like they’re boring sometimes most of them just talk about themselves or random little stories here and there with some advice, like if it was a novel like a book that has a story I’d be hooked


r/productivity 18h ago

Advice Needed My phone needs to work around me, not the other way around

0 Upvotes

My phone needs to work around me, not the other way around

Living in Dubai, I have approximately 900 things going on at once.

Work. Messages. Notes. Random ideas at 2am. Photos I need to send someone. Basically everything feel like it's all happening at once.

And then there's the simple but important things like feeding the cats.

So when it comes to my phone, I don't need it to make me more 'productive' in some corporate LinkedIn way.

I just want it to make my life less annoying and more oganised.

That's honestly what I look for now, and is one of the reasons I bought the Fold8, to make use of the screen and androids automations and routines.

If something takes three taps instead of ten, I'm happy.


r/productivity 1d ago

Question I want to improve my life but My college and other things

7 Upvotes

I want to improve myself but loneliness ,ppl behaviour and multiple things hurts me

I'm a college student , I want to work on my skills but When I go to college, I return from college to my home stay

I feel nervous, everyday something happens to me indirectly sometimes I observe people they have other people to have fun and talk while I'm talking to the person i meet due to the some event Or walking in the campus

No one considers me like a person comes directly to me and talks to me , there is small talk with some people but they have also friends or busy with their work

These things hurt me , give me nervousness,give me self doubt and after returning to the college these things continuously run in my mind


r/productivity 1d ago

Question I need help interpretating numbers: Data Analysis

1 Upvotes

I work in healthcare.

The company I work for is looking at productivity and I am a People Manager.

I currently have a staff of 9 people who essentially make phone calls for most of the day.

Data and Maths people:

What would you feel would be the best representation for Productivity, in a formula form.

I have some numbers.

x would be completed calls. (any call that my staff gets through to the people for any specific time.)

y would be attempted calls. (any call that my staff makes but does a voice mail, etc.)

The company is looking for a productivity number of 120 per month.

I have higher productive people and lower productive people... but I need to evaluate them.

It is not as simple as "you must make 120 completed calls per month." My people have meetings, attempts, education, etc.

Any thoughts?


r/productivity 1d ago

Technique The system that survives week three isn't the one you built in week one

6 Upvotes

Most productivity setups get built during a burst of motivation, usually right after a reset: new semester, new job, new year. That burst is real, but it's temporary, and the system gets designed around it existing.

By week two or three, the motivation is gone but the system still assumes it's there. That's usually when people conclude the system failed and go build a new one, which just repeats the cycle.

The fix isn't a better system, it's a maintenance habit that doesn't depend on motivation to run: a recurring five-minute check where you compare what the system assumes you're doing to what you're actually doing, and adjust one thing. It's boring by design, which is the point, and boring is the only thing that still runs once the excitement is gone.


r/productivity 2d ago

Question How do I be more productive,days passing by but I'm just wasting my time

50 Upvotes

Hi apart from my studies(6 hours) and sleep(8 hours) and games(3 hours) the rest of the time I've is free and I end up doing nothing but scroll or waste time. I've no idea what do I start with.

I try to be productive but I get bored really fast.. and I need some distraction as well from my personal life too..


r/productivity 2d ago

Question What should I do in my free time?

161 Upvotes

So I have realized that I spend a ridiculous amount of my time doing basically nothing productive. I probably have about 6 hours a day after school that I spend almost entirely playing video games. I dont even use any social media so its literally all gaming. Im academic so homework doesnt take me a lot of time, and I dont need to revise much. I run 2mi every day, and journal and read most days, but even then thats the vast minority of my time. Now I wanna like be more engaged in life instead of trying to escape from it. So what are some more enjoyable/productive ways I could spend my time?