Write down to-do itens to do in specific day or period of work.

Always carry around your to-do list in your wallet (clear your mind from to-do's).

Separate work space from home/personal space.

Limit checking email 2-3 times per day.

Work in a silent place with no or very few interruptions.

"Pomodoro technique" for completing a particular task.

Eat properly, stretch often, exercise, sleep.

Set approximate time you'll stop working.

Set mid/long term goals and have them visible in your workspace.

Rest: When I'm tired I make mistakes that I later have to undo/redo.

Stop thinking about the problem: I take an hour lunch and read hacker news. When I resume coding, I am more likely to see the problem with fresh eyes. I think of that "unproductive" pause as pushing in the clutch to change gears.

Work/think at home: In this new world of cube farms it can be hard to get uninterrupted periods to think. That hour and half I work at home before I drive into work at 9:00 is some of my most productive.

Don't stop working on things.

That's it.

It's habit-forming, actually. Just get over the hump.

- Have weekly task lists.

- Work mostly during my "productive" hours (7am to 2pm)

- Always think: what needs to be done urgently and what are the babysteps to do that?

pomodoro technique

Work in small chucks with define goals and time periods. For me I would say something like. "Get X done in 15 minutes". Set an alarm for it and at the end of it set another goal. On a sheet of paper or in Evernote, document what you accomplished in this time frame.

Before you take a break, take a look notes as to what you actually accomplished and take note of any roadblocks. Often times I find that I do the run into the same wall if I don't analyze and make the necessary adjustments.

Remember to take breaks. after a few successful task. 10 or 15 minutes. I generally try to work in 2 or 3 hour chunks of time before taking a break.

This is a pretty big question. Do you mean productive throughout a single day, or over a period of time? At work or on hobbies? When working by yourself or with a team? Etc. The answer will be different for every scenario.

I've started to take long walks every morning. It clears the mind and removes the restlessness I used to feel from sitting for so long.

Good physical and mental health is the most important thing. Eat properly, exercise and sleep well.

Great environment + powerful incentives.

Get the habit of starting a new side ("weekend") project every 2-3 weeks.

I've got to recommend exactly the opposite of this, but it may depend on what time of problem you're having with productivity.

Do you have many projects and have a hard time motivating to complete them? Force yourself to limit them and finish them before starting something new. Record any new ideas in the meantime in a simple document.

Do you have nothing going on and always wish you had a project to work on? It may be a good idea for you to try a variety of different side projects and see what sticks as ignifero suggested.

Make a new thread and get people to answer for you instead of searching yourself through the 6 billion threads that have already been made on this topic. Then use the time you saved to get some work done.