Tips and Tricks for Boosting Productivity
Procrastination can be a common drawback that many people struggle with.
Procrastination is an active process – you choose to do something else instead of the task that you know you should be doing. In contrast, laziness suggests apathy, inactivity, and an unwillingness to act.
Procrastination usually involves ignoring an unpleasant, but likely more important task, in favor of one that is more enjoyable or easier.
Procrastination is often confused with laziness, but they are very different.
Procrastination will have a negative impact on productivity as it will result in an accumulation of stress, a drop in the quality of work, and incomprehensible deadlines.
There are several reasons why people tend to procrastinate. Some people might procrastinate due to a lack of motivation or lack of interest in the task at hand. Others may procrastinate because they feel overwhelmed or don’t know how to start. Procrastination can also be the result of a temper, a preoccupation with failure, or a lack of focus or discipline.
Whatever the rationale, overcoming procrastination is necessary in order to spice up productivity. By distinguishing the root causes of procrastination and adopting methods to overcome it, you will improve your productivity and achieve your goals with great efficiency.
We’ll explore tips and tricks for overcoming procrastination and increasing productivity.
We’ll look at a way to determine the underlying causes of procrastination, set clear and achievable goals, create an environment that helps productivity, use time management techniques, ask for support and responsibility, and follow self-care to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
By implementing these methods, you will overcome procrastination and become a safe bet in your personal and professional life.
Identify the basic reason for your procrastination
In order to overcome procrastination effectively, it is necessary to initially determine the precise triggers or underlying causes of procrastination.
There are different types of procrastination, and recognizing the type you tend to struggle with will help you develop methods to overcome it.
Excitement procrastination
One kind of procrastination is called “excitement procrastination,” which occurs once individuals postpone tasks that they realize are boring or uninteresting to them.
If you struggle with excitement procrastination, you’ll find it helpful to reframe the task in a way that gets a lot of participation or is focused.
For example, you will try to determine the purpose or benefits of the task or find ways to make it more pleasant or generous.
Decisional procrastination
Another type of procrastination is called “decisional procrastination”, which occurs once individuals struggle to create selections or choose among choices.
If you struggle with decision-making procrastination, you’ll find it helpful to establish clear criteria for evaluating your choices or chasing a recommendation from someone you trust.
Avoidant procrastination
The third type of procrastination is called “avoidant procrastination,” which occurs once individuals postpone tasks out of fear of failure or lack of confidence. If you have trouble avoiding procrastination, you’ll find it helpful to specialize in building your confidence and seeking the support of others.
To identify the root reason for your procrastination, it’s helpful to recount your past experiences with procrastination and take a look to spot any patterns or themes. You’ll also try to keep a journal or use a tool like the procrastination equation to help you determine the specific factors contributing to your procrastination.
Tip:
Work Out WHY You’re Procrastinating
You need to understand the reasons why you are procrastinating before you can begin to tackle it.
For instance, are you avoiding a particular task because you find it boring or unpleasant? If so, take steps to get it out of the way quickly, so that you can focus on the aspects of your job that you find more enjoyable.
Poor organization can lead to procrastination. Organized people successfully overcome it because they use prioritized To-Do Lists and create effective schedules. These tools help you to organize your tasks by priority and deadline.
Create contributing surroundings for productivity
The physical environment in which you work will have a huge impact on your productivity. A cluttered, unorganized, or poorly lit space is a major distraction and makes it difficult to concentrate and complete tasks.
On the other hand, a clean, organized, and well-lit space will help you stay focused and motivated.
Here are some tips for creating a space that helps productivity:
- Declutter your space: A cluttered workspace is overwhelming and makes it hard to find what you want.
- Schedule time to declutter and organize your space, and consider using storage solutions like bins, baskets, or drawers to keep things organized.
- Optimize lighting and temperature: Smart lighting and comfortable temperature will help you feel many alerts and targets.
If possible, try to add a well-lit space and regulate the temperature to a level that suits you.
Minimize distractions:
Think about what may be causing distractions in your space and look at them to minimize them as much as possible.
This could include closing additional tabs on your computer, disabling notifications on your phone, or finding a quiet place to think.
By creating a space that helps productivity, you’ll overcome procrastination and get plenty of work done.
Keep in mind that requiring breaks and stepping out of your space from time to time is essential in order to stay focused and stop burnout.
Use time management techniques
Effective time management is an essential part of overcoming procrastination and increasing productivity. There are different techniques you will use to help you plan, focus, and stay motivated.
Here are some examples:
The Pomodoro Technique: This method involves dividing your work into 25-minute blocks of your time, separated by short breaks. This will help you stay focused and avoid burnout by giving you regular breaks to rest and recharge.
Blocking time:
Blocking time involves reserving specific blocks of your time for specific tasks. This will help you stay focused and stop distractions because you know precisely what you need to do throughout each block of your time.
Prioritize Tasks:
Distinguishing and prioritizing the most necessary tasks will help you specialize in what needs to be done initially and avoid dwelling on smaller tasks.
You’ll use a tool like the President’s Matrix, to help you place tasks according to their importance and urgency.
With time management techniques, you will overcome procrastination and increase your productivity.
Keep in mind that being versatile and labile is essential, as your desires and priorities may change over time. You also have to be realistic and avoid overloading yourself with an excessive amount of work.
Remember that point management can be a skill that can be developed and improved over time. With follow-through and perseverance, you will learn how to manage a lot of time effectively and overcome procrastination.
Adopt Anti-Procrastination Strategies
Procrastination is a habit – a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior. This means that you probably can’t break it overnight. Habits only stop being habits when you avoid practicing them, so try as many of the strategies, below, as possible to give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding.
- Forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past. Studies show that self-forgiveness can help you to feel more positive about yourself and reduce the likelihood of procrastination in the future.
- Commit to the task. Focus on doing, not avoiding. Write down the tasks that you need to complete, and specify a time for doing them. This will help you to proactively tackle your work.
- Promise yourself a reward. If you complete a difficult task on time, reward yourself with a treat, such as a slice of cake or a coffee from your favorite coffee shop. And make sure you notice how good it feels to finish things!
- Ask someone to check up on you. Peer pressure works! This is the principle behind self-help groups. If you don’t have anyone to ask, an online tool such as Procraster can help you to self-monitor.
- Act as you go. Tackle tasks as soon as they arise, rather than letting them build up over another day.
- Rephrase your internal dialog. The phrases “need to” and “have to,” for example, imply that you have no choice in what you do. This can make you feel disempowered and might even result in self-sabotage. However, saying, “I choose to,” implies that you own a project, and can make you feel more in control of your workload.
- Minimize distractions. Turn off your email and social media, and avoid sitting anywhere near a television while you work!
- Aim to “eat an elephant beetle” first thing, every day! Get those tasks that you find least pleasant out of the way early. This will give you the rest of the day to concentrate on work that you find more enjoyable.
Tip:
An alternative approach is to embrace “the art of delay.”
Research shows that “active procrastination” – that is, deliberately delaying getting started on something so you can focus on other urgent tasks – can make you feel more challenged and motivated to get things done. This strategy can work particularly well if you are someone who thrives under pressure.
However, if you do decide to actively procrastinate, be sure to avoid putting your co-workers under any unnecessary, unpleasant, and unwanted pressure!
If you’re procrastinating because you find a task unpleasant, try to focus on the “long game.” Research shows that impulsive people are more likely to procrastinate because they are focused on short-term gain. Combat this by identifying the long-term benefits of completing the task. For instance, could it affect your annual performance review or end-of-year bonus?
Another way to make a task more enjoyable is to identify the unpleasant consequences of avoiding it. For instance, what will happen if you don’t complete the work? How might it affect your personal, team, or organizational goals?
At the same time, it can be useful to reframe the task by looking at its meaning and relevance. This will increase its value to you and make your work more worthwhile. It’s also important to acknowledge that we can often overestimate the unpleasantness of a task. So give it a try! You may find that it’s not as bad as you thought, after all!
If you procrastinate because you’re disorganized, here are six strategies to help you get organized:
- Keep a To-Do List. This will prevent you from “conveniently” forgetting about those unpleasant or overwhelming tasks.
- Prioritize your To-Do List using Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle. This will enable you to quickly identify the activities that you should focus on, as well as the ones you can ignore.
- Become a master of scheduling and project planning. If you have a big project or multiple projects on the go and you don’t know where to start, these tools can help you to plan your time effectively, and reduce your stress levels.
- Tackle the hardest tasks at your peak times. Do you work better in the morning or the afternoon? Identify when you’re most effective, and do the tasks that you find most difficult at these times.
- Set yourself time-bound goals. Setting specific deadlines to complete tasks will keep you on track to achieve your goals, and will mean that you have no time for procrastination!
- Use task- and time-management apps. There are numerous apps designed to help you to be more organized, such as Trello and Toggl, for example.
If you’re prone to delaying projects because you find them overwhelming, try breaking them down into more manageable chunks. Organize your projects into smaller tasks and focus on starting them, rather than on finishing them.
In his 2011 book, “The Procrastination Cure,” Jeffery Combs suggests tackling tasks in 15-minute bursts of activity. Alternatively, you can create an Action Plan to organize your project. Start with quick and small tasks first. These “small wins” will give you a sense of achievement, and will make you feel more positive and less overwhelmed by the larger project or goal that you are working towards.
Finally, if you think that you are putting something off because you can’t decide what action to take or you find it hard to make decisions, take a look at our range of decision-making tools to help you to develop your decision-making skills.
