Most productivity tips are about saving time or cranking out more output.

But sometimes the most important thing you can do is improve the quality of what you're doing. For most of us, that means improving the quality of our thinking and our focus on the task we're doing.

Here are three simple things I've been doing recently which have been working for me:

#1. Stop using your phone in queues. 

This is all about improving your ability to concentrate and avoid distractions. If you can force yourself to stop whipping out your phone to check emails and social media when you're standing in a queue to get a coffee, then you're building up your resistance to distraction.

Just look around instead, take in the atmosphere. Observe people around you. Or just think about something.

The more you're able to “stand the boredom” without needing to stimulate your brain with an injection of email or Facebook, the more you'll be able to concentrate when you have an important thinking task to do.  

 #2. Use Driving/Walking Time as Thinking Time.

Next time you need to drive or walk somewhere, resist the temptation to just switch on the radio or pop in your headphones. Set yourself a thinking task for the journey and use the silence.

Recent things I've done have been to brainstorm the number one goal my new program will help clients achieve, to flesh out the main ideas for an email, and to think over a problem a Momentum Club member asked for help with and come up with some solutions. 

Set a goal for your thinking time – the thing you want to focus on and the output you want. Then during the journey be mindful of where your mind is and if you find yourself drifting off to other thoughts, bring yourself back to your thinking task. 

Just like tip #1, this will also increase your ability to concentrate on other activities too.

#3. Disconnect. Use Pen and Paper. 

We spend so much time online and at our computers, the temptation is to do everything there. 

But usually, your best thinking doesn't happen when you're typing into a word processor.

Instead, when you're brainstorming or trying to structure something, use pen and paper. Sit in a quiet room away from your computer and focus entirely on the job at hand. 

I'll admit here, I cheat a bit with this one. I use my iPad and pencil. It means all my thoughts, ideas, sketches, doodles and other useful output are captured in one place. But it also increases the temptation to quickly check emails or look something up online.  

So far I've been OK at resisting temptation. Not great. But if I find myself with an urge to check email I'm generally able to refocus on my thinking task. 

You'll notice all three of these tips are simple. They seem trivial even. Just avoiding checking social media in a queue, thinking instead of listening to the radio, and using pen and paper instead of typing. 

But each of them makes inroads into improving your concentration and focus and your ability to avoid distractions. And for knowlegde workers like us, that ability to focus and think clearly is a huge competitive advantage.

Try just one of these tips this week and notice the difference.