Erin McKean, the founder of the online dictionary Wordnik, interrupts her schedule with small, easy tasks in order to<\/span>\u00a0increase<\/em>\u00a0her productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n What’s the science behind “productive” distractions? Dr. Shelley Carson of Harvard University discovered that\u00a0focusing on a problem limits creativity<\/a>\u00a0because you become more selective when responding to brain signals. \u00a0Switching to a task that requires less focus reverses the bias and therefore increases your ability to think creatively.<\/p>\n Working on something else is a great way to clear your mind of the ‘primary problems.’ There’s only so far you can run and only so many showers you can take to try to trigger that creative distance. Sometimes stepping away from the problem is the best way to solve it.<\/p>\n When I want a little break, I look at my daily Lift goals and tackle one of them. I like Robert Benchley’s maxim: Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed be doing at that moment.” Doing that ‘work I’m not supposed to be doing’ is much more productive than looking at funny cat pictures!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n More productivity tips from entrepreneurs:<\/em><\/p>\n Evan Williams:<\/strong>\u00a0Workout When You\u2019re Least Productive<\/a> There is one thing that all of these entrepreneurs have in common: they’ve all built habits using\u00a0Lift.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"image\"](\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/ce98d5f8b6dff46d8121098246450150\/tumblr_inline_mo8f4b3pr11qz4rgp.png\")
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Lo\u00efc Le Meur:<\/strong>\u00a0Meditate – It\u2019s the Productivity Trick People Are Afraid to Talk About<\/a>
Chris Messina:<\/strong>\u00a0Build Tiny Habits: They Can Be Surprisingly Powerful<\/a>
Joel Gascoigne:<\/strong>\u00a0Optimize Your Daily Routines<\/a>
Buster Benson:<\/strong>\u00a0Experiment with New Habits Regularly
<\/a>Marshall Kirkpatrick:<\/strong>\u00a0Hack the Science of Behavior Change<\/a><\/p>\n