You were supposed to replace your car tires last week, open a health insurance account two weeks ago, and complete your thesis dissertation last month. But you did none of those things thanks to procrastination – which is defined as the action of delaying or postponing something.
It’s about time you put a stop to procrastination. You only have one life to live, and you’re gonna waste it by postponing things?!
The key is realizing the importance of time at a philosophical level. Realizing that time is limited, that we only have one life, and there is a lot to accomplish.
When you truly realize the importance of time, you’ll have a really hard time procrastinating. Being productive and learning time management keeps you competent and creative in your endeavors. You remain focused, attentive and composed in handling multiple tasks at a single time – and of course, this quality makes you a productive and punctual person.
So how can you really obtain this quality of time management? Here are some ground rules that you should follow which will guide you on how to stop procrastinating and be more productive:
Make a Schedule
In order to become a pro in time management skills, you need to be consistent in schedule planning. Before you start your day and your tasks, you need to decide on what you want to accomplish on the day. Be proactive and take control of your day rather than waiting to see what the day brings you.
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
Give a priority to those tasks and assignments which matter more to you, or are more difficult and time-consuming to complete. This will build a good sense of self-discipline. Make a checklist of all other important tasks and the time it would take to complete them.
Review your Day
At the end of the day, before you sleep, take a good look at your day and what tasks you were able to accomplish. Review how your actual completed tasks compare to your planned tasks.
Look at the tasks which you completed and then check how much time you took in completing them all. In this manner, you will get an idea that later on and in future time, how much time on average you need to allocate on common tasks.
Keep on Improving Yourself
You have to accept the fact human beings make errors, they learn from mistakes they have done. You only have to keep on improving yourself. In your initial commitment to time management, you might make errors and you might not reach your deadlines but amidst all this, you should not panic.
In some situations, you might be delayed in your tasks and at times you might not manage your time, but instead of blaming other people, instead of criticizing others, you need to look inward and bring improvement to your time management and productivity skills.
Remember, that stopping procrastination is a marathon, not a sprint. So be patient with yourself.
Jot down in your journal what tasks you need to work on, or what tasks take you longer to accomplish, and then work on them. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to manage your tasks. As long as you are methodical, it will work fine.
Avoid Meeting Friends During Work Hours
If you really want to effectively manage your time and your office tasks and assignments then it is better if you set aside your friends during office hours. You can give them an excuse and try meeting and catching them up once your working hours will be off. This is a really effective tip that many take for granted!
Take Your Office Tasks Seriously
If you will take and consider your office tasks and office assignments wholeheartedly, you will be able to manage and complete them on time. But if in the first place you don’t have interest in your office tasks then you will keep on delaying them.
Avoid Using Social Media While Working
You should not use these social networking sites as long as you are in your office or if you are in the middle of important work. These sites will distract you. Using social media will delay your office projects more and more and you will lose your concentration.
It is better to block off these networking sites from your office laptop and better focus on your office work so that you can complete it on time. Take my word for it!
Work Smart
There are many productivity tips from which you can learn to work smart, but discussing everything about productivity as a skill would be outside the scope of this article.
At the very least, it would be really effective to break your work into little parts. In this way, you would be able to focus on one part at the time. Don’t be a procrastinator, never look here and there just take complete concentration on your work, in this way you would be able to save some time for your family and friends in the end.
You should focus on getting things done to your best ability. Sometimes changing the environment will bring about a huge impact as well on your productivity. You can even look into changing or reorganizing your workspace.
Try to Eliminate Procrastination Pit Stops:
If you have been procrastinating too much, you gradually become lazy and even the smallest tasks become laborious for you since you are unable to complete a task with complete attention.
Get rid of these pit stops or root causes first. For example, if you are lazy, change that first. If you are deprived of sleep from partying, change that habit first.
You should also get rid of annoying distractions in your life. You can often consider disabling notifications which don’t require your attention. You can filter out or create rules to automatically trash useless emails so you don’t have to read them. Try to get away from all sorts of distractions coming your way.
Find Motivation
Surround yourself with people who inspire you and learn their good deeds and actions. Try to sit with the people who influence your behavior on a positive spectrum. You should identify those entrepreneurs who trigger you. Get in touch with the people who would make the whole process humorous and interesting.
Make friends with people who have their own set of goals. You would be able to hold each other accountable to your goals and plans. You should let others know about your goals. You should share with your friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and family about your projects.
This would be the best way to keep yourself accountable to your plans. You should also be considering seeking out someone who has already achieved the outcome.
If you are involved in procrastinating for an extended period of time, try reflecting on the misalignment between what you want and what you are currently doing. And fill those gaps!
Whenever you feel like procrastinating, remember your goals and why you’re doing what you’re doing. Tell yourself that the best and right thing to do is to finish your tasks and not procrastinate, and make this your best-response approach.
Final Thoughts
Follow the KISS method – Keep It Simple, Stupid!
To sum up, we would say that try to keep things simple and easy. Keep your mind free from worries. The more you will complicate things, the more it will bring complexities in your life. Never wait for the perfect time. Every single second is vital for you. If you will keep waiting for the perfect time, you will never accomplish anything. Get a grip on it and just do it!
If you can do something tomorrow, do it today. And if you can do it today, do it right now!
So follow the guidelines which I mentioned and become an ideal example of being productive for others!
