When there are only 24 hours in a day and a million things to do, burnout is inevitable. Yet staying stressed-out and fatigued will not help you tackle that mountain of emails or think of new ways to approach a longstanding challenge at work.

While there are a myriad of apps and tools to help you stay organized and on task, sometimes you just need to change the way you think and behave, to accomplish all of your goals. Here are eight psychologically-based ways you can hack your brain into being more creative and productive.

1. Creativity

Establish psychological distance.

Have you ever noticed that giving advice to a friend is easier than solving your own problems? This is because you are “psychologically distant” from your friend’s problem, meaning that the issue is not occurring in the present and does not affect you. Therefore, you are able to think in a less concrete yet creative way. According to a study from Indiana University, increasing the psychological distance between you and a problem boosts your creativity. You may also gain new insights and clarity by thinking about a problem more abstractly.

Attend to your moods.

When you are in a lousy mood, it is tough to put your nose to the grindstone and produce innovative work. Adam Anderson, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, found that being happy may be the key to unlocking your creative potential. In an interview, Anderson said, “If you are having difficulty solving a problem, a typical reaction is to get angry. But that can actually make it harder to solve the problem. One prescription is to go out and 'play,' to get yourself in a good mood, and then come back to the problem.”

Next time you feel yourself getting worked up, try the professor's advice: Take a break and do something that will lift your mood.

Reconceptualize the problem.

If you have trouble thinking outside the box, consider rethinking the issue by utilizing the Six Thinking Hats technique. In this exercise, you approach a subject as well as your judgments and feelings around that topic in different ways to help you come up with fresh answers. By taking different perspectives (or wearing many “hats”), you can brainstorm multiple ideas and effectively weigh the viability of each of the solutions you come up with.

Make a fun challenge for yourself.

Did you know that Dr. Seuss’ brilliant children's book Green Eggs and Ham was created as the result of a bet? Seuss’ editor challenged the author to write a book with 50 or fewer words used repeatedly. Seuss rose to the test brilliantly, and thus the zany story of Sam-I-Am and his oddly-colored meal was born. Likewise, you can creatively approach a problem by setting a word count or time limits for yourself as a challenge, just to see what you can come up with. Do not forget to have fun with it, as well.