Productivity isn’t just about feeling busy—it’s about finding the balance that allows you to get things done. Too many professionals confuse productivity for feeling busy, filling their days with meetings and emails, and are thus caught on the hamster wheel of the modern office.

To break the cycle requires rethinking some traditional business practices that don’t do as much good as we think they do. Here are the top productivity hacks you can use to save time and get things done in the office.

1. Nix the Meetings

How many meetings do you have in a typical week? More likely than not, that number is significant. But research shows that most meetings tend to waste time, and that they don’t always help us get work done. It’s best to keep meetings to a minimum and use other methods of communicating when possible (such as email). Make your meetings that you do hold more productive by:

• Writing a detailed agenda and sticking to it
• Sending information back with attendees instead of going over every detail
• Facilitating discussion instead of holding a one-sided presentation

2. Stop Trying to Multitask

Did you know our brains don’t multitask as well as we think they do? In fact, scientists don’t use the word multitask, they say it’s misleading. “Task switching” is a more accurate term, since that’s what we’re really doing when we try to do more than one thing at once. Our brains switch from task to task, and every time we switch it takes us a while to recalibrate. In fact, task switching lowers productivity by up to 40%.

3. Take Strategic Breaks

Our final productivity hack may seem counterintuitive, but it may be the most important. Make sure you’re taking strategic breaks throughout your workday to stay motivated and refresh your mind. Take a walk around the building, drink some water, or read a book for a few minutes. Whatever you do to rest, make sure you do it often enough to stay motivated.

For more office productivity hacks, visit our blog.