Do you feel guilty about not being productive enough? Do you get distracted easily? No matter how hard you try, you still can’t seem to get much done in a day. If that’s the case, you have probably fallen into the trap of procrastination.
Procrastination is when you keep putting off activities without a good reason. It can result in poor work/academic performance, financial struggles, and compromised mental health.
If you find yourself in the trap of procrastination you must step up and take action. Start by focusing on your daily regime. Which habits make you want to postpone tasks and eliminate them?
To be able to get more done in the day, you must be willing to change. You need help understanding where you spend most of your time. It could be a chaotic sleeping schedule, an addictive habit, or your heart saying no to doing necessary tasks.
Statistics have shown that 1 out of 5 people procrastinate every day. I don’t think you want to be one of them. I’ve put together some ways to help you avoid the negative effects of procrastination.
1. Question Yourself
You can start from here. You should discern whether you’re a chronic procrastinator. Do you often feel like you get only a few things done the whole day? Do you mindfully ignore some tasks?
Perhaps you’re reluctant to do crucial tasks because of anxiety about not being able to complete them. Questioning yourself helps you learn more about why you’re worried. Often the act of writing out your concerns is enough to unblock a flood of productivity. If you still feel stuck, it could be worth talking to a therapist.
2. Be Clear
The next step is to be clear about what action to take. Make a list of how you usually start your day. The summary can contain the time you wake up, eat, exercise, and work. You can add all the small details along with the estimated time.
You must be precise and picky with your daily activities. Sometimes the solution to productivity is to remove unnecessary tasks.
- List the most daunting tasks (generally related to your study or work)
- Add the self-care activities that improve your productivity (such as meditating, exercising or catching up with a friend)
- Avoid doing anything else until you’re finished with points one and two.
3. Reminders
Life can be chaotic sometimes. It’s not unusual to get to the afternoon and realise that you haven’t made any progress on your most crucial tasks. To avoid this pattern, try setting reminders for when to do each activity.
If alarms aren’t cutting it, try using Focus Bear. The app can help you concentrate on your self care tasks in the morning by making those activities front and centre.
4. Stay away from Distractions
Distractions are the biggest productivity enemies in our digital world. One minute you’re getting ready to work on an assignment and the next minute, your fingers take you to your favorite online store or tv series.
Once you’re down a rabbithole, it’s hard to get out. The key is to avoid falling down the rabbithole in the first place. Focus Bear can help you stay on track by blocking distractions when you’re in work mode.
5. Reduce Workload
If you’ve tried everything else and your to-do list is still overwhelming, the answer might be to cut back. Perhaps you’ve been agreeing to assignments that you can’t actually fulfill. It’s time to start delegating, deferring and deleting tasks. It might please someone in the short term if you agree to take on a new project but you’ll disappoint them if you can’t follow through. Saying no upfront is often the best strategy.
6. Maintain Deadlines
Having deadlines is one of the most effective ways to get the most work done in a day. Deadlines help you achieve your aims and goals regularly. Therefore, adding small milestones to your life helps you accomplish all important tasks.
Short deadlines help you get more work done in a day. To make the deadlines meaningful, share them with an accountability partner.
Summary
Life is not fun when you find yourself becoming a chronic procrastinator. But it’s possible to get out of the vicious cycle and enter a virtuous cycle of productivity.
All the best with your productivity journey! Don’t forget to try apps like Focus Bear if you get stuck in the maelstrom.