Productivity and procrastination: they’re quite the enemies, aren’t they? The former is the ability to complete important tasks in an efficient and consistent manner, while the latter is the act of repeatedly delaying the tasks you need to get done.
If you’re a busy person with a million responsibility that requires you to be ultra-productive, and you’re a procrastinator at the same time, I really feel for you.
I’ve been there myself. I’ve always known that procrastination was a big issue in my life; in fact, my mom used to tease me by calling me “the procrastinator” when I was little, because I used to delay even my showers for like three hours before I’d finally decide to hop in.
Fast forward many years later, I became the student who left every assignment till the last minute before the deadline, and each studying session for the night before the exam. Then I was the employee who lacked motivation and half-assed her job; and let me tell you, that did not turn out good. No, I wasn’t fired, but I’ve definitely been given a few remarks here and there.
Thankfully, this was quite eye-opening for me, and it gave me the reality check that I really needed; so I decided to do something about it. That’s why I wanted to share with you the life-changing tips that helped me overcome procrastination and increase my productivity a huge deal; so keep on reading!
1.Set a routine for yourself
I’m a huge fan of routines, and I really don’t believe that anyone can live without one.
Well, that’s unless you’re a pop star or you travel for a living, and your routine is always all over the place (which if that’s the case, I’m kinda jealous of you, but also kinda not, IDK).
But chances are you’re not, and since you clicked to read this post, I’m assuming you have a job or college or some sort of responsibility to tackle every day. And even if you don’t have much going on at the moment, or you’re striving toward something, it still requires productivity to build it.
So if you’re not following a set routine, you need to get one going ASAP. If you had one but you fell out of it for some reason; try your best to get back on track. Whatever your situation is, you need to have a routine to be productive. It’ll create structure in your life and keep you on track both physically and mentally, especially if it’s filled with good habits.
2.Prepare to-do lists and break tasks into smaller ones
With a good set routine comes a great to-do list. Imagine waking up every morning with no idea what to do or how to spend your day. That’s a recipe for disaster, if you ask me. So in the morning, or in the night before you go to sleep, grab your planner, a piece of paper or just use your phone notes, and write down the tasks you need to accomplish that specific day. Don’t be afraid to break down big tasks and put the small ones on there too, it’ll:
- Create momentum
- Motivate you to get started on the bigger ones, especially if you’ve been struggling with getting started.
My to-do list often looks like this:
- Wake up at 7
- Work out + shower + eat (7:30-10)
- Start new blog post (10-12)
- Get groceries and prepare lunch (12-2)
- Eat + do dishes (2-3)
- Get ready for work (I’ve been working afternoon shifts lately)
Pro tip: do not overload your to-do list, otherwise you’ll probably end up doing none of it. You want it to be full enough as to know exactly what you need to be doing, but not to the point where you get overwhelmed and end up ditching it altogether.
3.Use the time blocking technique
As you can notice from the above to-do list, I also like to give a set chunk of time (block) for each task, that way I know exactly how much time I need to be spending on each one.
If the time is done but I haven’t managed to finish the task at hand, I’ll just leave it and start with the next one. That way you’re focusing on the important things and you’re not neglecting any task at the expense of the previous one.
The reason time-blocking is super amazing for productivity is that it allows you to focus on one task at a time, instead of trying to multi-task, which has been proven not to work.
Especially if you’re a student, a freelancer, you work from home or if you’re just dependent on yourself to get things done, you need to try out this technique. It will give you a clear structure for your day and make you 10x more productive.
4.Set timers for each task
Related to the previous point, setting a specific period of time to get something done will make you a lot faster and more productive. And no, it’s not exactly the same as time-blocking. I could dedicate 2 hours to start a new blog post and only be done with 10% of it by the end of that period, even though that’s enough time for me to write half of the post if not more.
So try to estimate how much time you need to accomplish that task and set a timer for it. It doesn’t even have to be a literal timer, just mentally know how much you need to get done in that time.
If you think about it, exams have a set time for a reason; you have to learn to think and act fast. I actually noticed that when I first started this blog; one blog post could take me three days to finish, but in school I could write a whole essay in less than an hour. That’s when I started setting timers for each task I had to do, and I’ve been able to accomplish a lot more since then.
Be easy on yourself though; you don’t need to get everything done as planned, since we often underestimate how much time we need to get something done. But it’s still good to not get sidetracked, which leads me to my next point:
5.Get rid of distractions
Multi-tasking is not a thing guys, let’s put that notion to rest once and for all. If you’re trying to get something done but there’s a million thing that’s distracting you, you’re probably not going to succeed much.
For the folks who study or work while listening to music or watching TV, IDK how you do it, but I could never. All of my attention needs to be dedicated at the task at hand, otherwise you bet I ain’t getting any of it done.
And I don’t know about you guys, but my phone is probably the biggest distraction of all. If it’s sitting next to me, I just can’t help but grab it every now and then, or at least glance at it every time I get a notification. I also feel that Instagram keeps calling my name, so I find myself opening the app and endlessly scrolling through reels until the time is done and I’ve barely gotten started on the task.
That’s why I like to keep my phone somewhere where I can’t see it; I also like to stay logged out of my social media accounts so I don’t get tempted to scroll. So whatever’s your biggest distraction, make sure to get rid of it before you sit down to do something.
6.Leave perfectionism at the door
Often times we keep procrastinating on tasks because we have this idea that we need to do everything perfectly, so we keep putting things off out of fear of failing or not doing something well.
But the reality is: progress is way more important than perfection.
You can always go back and alter things later on, but if you’re letting fear get in the way of you getting started in the first place, you won’t even have anything to “make perfect”. So start with the base first and then you can perfect it to your liking.
I know for me, when I started writing blog posts, I kept putting them off because I was afraid that they weren’t going to turn out good. But then I just got started, and I was actually surprised with what I could do. I’m also noticing that I’m slowly getting better at writing and editing; and that’s the goal isn’t it?
I mean what’s the point of wanting to do something if you don’t even have the guts to get started on it, make mistakes and learn from them? You might as well give up altogether if you’re not willing to do it.
So leave perfectionism at the door and let go of the “all or nothing” mentality, because it won’t get you anywhere.
7. Use the 3-second rule
Originally called the 5-second rule and developed by Mel Robbins who’s a motivational speaker and author, the basic idea behind it is that when you get the thought of doing something, you have 5 seconds to get up and do it. The main purpose of this technique is to not give your mind enough time to overthink it, and thus reduce resistance and hesitation.
However, 5 seconds did not work for me personally. I found that it’s in fact enough time to overthink doing the thing I thought of doing, as well as ditching it altogether. So instead, I’ve reduced it to 3 seconds. Basically, you get the impulse to do anything and you only give yourself 3 seconds to get started.
- When you get up in the morning, count to 3 and you’re out of bed
- If you have to make a phone call, 1,2,3; grab your phone and dial the number
- Struggling to work out? You have 3 seconds to grab your workout clothes and get dressed
- Stuck scrolling through social media? You have to put your phone away in 3 seconds’ time
Got the idea? It’s actually very simple, but its benefits go far. Try it out for some time and watch your productivity skyrocket.
8.Write down your goals and reread them every day
No idea what your goals in life are? You better think it through ASAP, because they should essentially be the main motivators behind everything you do in life.
Yes, there are definitely some responsibilities in life that we have to take care of, that might not exactly align with our goals. You still have to work in order to make a living even if the job you’re in is not exactly your dream job.
But the essence of your daily routine should be aligned with your priorities, and if you don’t know what those are, you’re going to find it super hard to accomplish a lot. That’s why you need to lay down a list that includes your goals, and reread them every day to stay on track. This will:
- Give you clarification on what you want to achieve
- Keep you motivated to work hard
- Hold you accountable so that you remain focused
- Help you prioritize what’s really important to you, to not get sidetracked by insignificant ideas
So grab your journal, or maybe a sheet of paper, and list down your goals in life, both the short-term and long-term ones. Take it a step further and write down the habits that you need to practice to reach those goals, so you can base your routine on those. Keep that list somewhere where you can see it and reread it every day.
9. Leave space for your hobbies and passion
Last but not least, you need to have something to look forward to every single day.
If your to-do list is swamped with responsibilities and tasks that you need to handle, with no time to do the things you enjoy doing, you might very well get burned out. In fact, this might be one of the reasons you’re procrastinating and finding it hard to be productive.
I need you to ask yourself: have you been overworking yourself and not leaving out space for you to breathe and enjoy life? Are you finding it hard to get out of bed because you don’t have anything to look forward to?
If the answer is yes, you need to start including your hobbies in your to-do list. Make them as mandatory as your other tasks; because after all, what’s more important than your mental-health?
Enjoying life should be one of your most important priorities, and not just something that always falls on the back burner.
If you integrate these tips and habits into your routine, I can promise you that you’ll find a huge improvement in your overall productivity, and you’ll be able to defeat procrastination quite easily.
Remember, your goals will not achieve themselves. You also only get one life, and it’d be a great shame to spend it putting things off and never accomplishing anything of value.
So grab your motivation and start getting done what needs to get done.
