Ask most people if they feel productive enough by day’s end and they’ll probably pause before answering. Most of us think we’re falling short (the work never ends!); we don’t know how to measure our achievements, or we’re moving too fast to assess the results of our daily efforts.

Here are six intriguing and original articles filled with tips and fresh approaches to being productive—from daydreaming, to living purposefully.

1. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
Upon waking, do you visualize your rockin’ day? It could help, according to this Fast Company excerpt of productivity writer Laura Vanderkam’s book, “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.” This list of tips comes with how-to’s and strategies. As part of her “What the Most Successful People Do” series, Vanderkam’s literary productivity series are filled with anecdotes to help you make the most of your time. Practical, creative and disciplined.

2. How Daydreams Improve Productivity
This one was too hard to pass up, even if it’s another one by Vanderkam. This short but sweet CBS Money Watch article explains why a regular balanced habit of dreaming is important, and how to think about your daydreams productively. “Sometimes fantasizing helps you get through tough patches, envisioning a future that inspires you to work toward a better life,” Vanderkam writes.

3. 10 Things to Do on a Slow Day
Slow days happen—whether it’s a lull in a mad streak of work, or your mojo is low, we all hit a slower pace now and then. So make it count! Track accomplishments, build rapport, dream—these are just three productive ways this Forbes article suggests taking advantage of your down time.

4. The Brain Power of Productivity
“How each of us thinks and learns is implicit to our productivity,” begins this SUCCESS article. By knowing which learning personality you are (Prioritizer, Planner, Arranger, Visualizer), you can raise your productivity by working in a style that best suits you. As the great philosophers said,  Know thyself, and get loads done!

5. It’s Not About Living “Productivity.” It’s About Living Purposefully
“It becomes less about tips and tricks and more about making sure you’re allocating the most scarce resource in the universe, your attention . . . ”, writes Sam Sperlin on 99u. This article talks about the relationship between your brain and the bits of info you feed it.

6. Tips on Productivity
Take a nap, and turn stress into an asset—just a couple of the unexpected gems that pop up in this Harvard Business Review roundup of tips.

How about you? Have you had success with any of these tips, or have a productivity habit to share with us?