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As spring progresses, the weather starts to pick up and it becomes easier to get distracted at work. Before summer hits and you start to slow down it’s time to power through the busy spring season. Luckily we were able to compile some of the best productivity tips to help you stay on track with your work.

Keep Making Lists but Not in the Same Way.

You probably write lists from the top to the bottom, or else you start at the top and work your way down. WRONG. Ben Schott, the author of Schott’s Original Miscellany, a compendium of lists, told Real Simple:

Varying the format can make a list far more useful. Start in the center of a page and write items in spatial relation to one another, so that you create clouds of related tasks; draw a Venn diagram for party invitees so you can note how people will interact. During the 18th century, sailors in the British navy would sign petitions of grievance in a circle so that ringleaders could not be identified.

Smell Flowers When You Get Up.

Don’t just stare at the cereal bowl when your eyes are first open. You need to see some soothing colors in those retinas. Research suggests that exposure to bright colors in the morning boosts your mood and energy levels.

Take a Walk in the Park.

A study from the University of Michigan found that people can improve their attention spans by being exposed to nature for a short period of time. Not only does it calm you down, but it also enables you to focus on things more easily. But people who don’t live in the middle of a nature preserve are not completely screwed, according to the researchers. A slightly quieter street with a few trees can work, or a park, or even looking at potted plants may help your concentration.

[Read: 8 Things That May Be Decreasing Your Productivity at Work]

Laugh a Lot.

A survey conducted by Robert Half International found that 91% of executives feel that having a good sense of humor is important for career advancement, with 84% thinking that people with a sense of humor provide their best work. So break out your favorite Louis C.K. YouTube videos!

Work at 4 A.M.

This sounds like a strange one, but some people swear by it. What’s hard is just getting up at the start of the day, but once you do, there’s a lot of peace and quiet while everyone else is asleep. You could be surprised and how productive you can be. If The Today Show team can do it, then anybody can.

[Read: These Apps Will Make You the Master of Productivity]

Buy One Color of Work Socks or Shoes.

Make life easier and make fewer decisions, such as what outfit to wear or what to have for breakfast. You can also significantly reduce the difficulty of making food choices by eating a variety of healthy meals that you like.

Break Up Your Day Into Periods of Time Focused on Different Tasks.

Daniel J. Levitin of The New York Times says that it’s important to do your work in short, manageable sessions if you want to maintain your productivity and creativity throughout the day. He said, “If you want to be more productive and creative and to have more energy, science dictates that you should partition your day into project periods. Your social networking should be done during a designated time, not as constant interruptions to your day.

Email, too, should be done at designated times. An email that you know is sitting there, unread, may sap attentional resources as your brain keeps thinking about it, distracting you from what you’re doing. What might be in it? Who’s it from? Is it good news or bad news? It’s better to leave your email program off than to hear that constant ping and know that you’re ignoring messages.”

Turn Up the Heat.

Our office’s temperature is never just right, it’s too cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer. It turns out that it’s better to be warmer because that leads to improved productivity. As people feel colder, they find that their social connections get weaker. Additionally, they also perceive others’ behavior to be less kind and caring (such as a cold person). However, when it’s warmer our social connections increase, we see people in a more positive light and act in friendlier ways toward them.

Don’t Answer All Your Emails.

Super productive email users don’t check their mail every few minutes, but save it for when they have some downtime. They may even get to it once or twice a day. And what’s more, many of them turn off notifications so that they’re not being interrupted by pings and buzzes all the time! Imagine how much more work you could do without being interrupted

Use a Notebook.

Yes, there are a million apps for making to-do lists and writing or recording all of your notes. But don’t forget about the simplicity and effectiveness of a simple notebook. Founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, takes one with him wherever he goes.

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