How to overcome procrastination.
So we all know that procrastination is the biggest dream killer out there! And yet we still allow it to consume our lives. Why is that?
What most people do is come up with some excuses in their own head as to why something doesn't really need to be done, or as to why it can be done at a later date. But the interesting thing is, it is usually that one thing that you don't want to do that is actually going to be the most beneficial. I have recently read a fantastic book called The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan and I highly recommend it to each and every one of you. This book tells us that there is always one thing that is the most important at that moment in time. There's always that one thing that is going to be the most useful or help you the most. A lot of people know what the one thing is, yet they convince themselves that it isn't that important and hence the procrastination begins.
Have you ever been writing a blog and decide to start painting your nails?
Have you ever been writing an essay or a report and decide to start cleaning your bedroom?
Have you got that pile of paperwork that you need to work on, yet instead decide it's time for a lunch break, or it's time to check your Facebook?
We all do it! But now it's time to stop!
Below are my top tips to help with procrastination and to therefore become a more productive person:
1. Know your why. You need to know exactly why you're doing what you're doing. If you do not have a big enough why then other things are always going to get in the way and stop you achieving things.
2. Set SMART goals or targets. If you have a goal that is too big and vague, it seems overwhelming and you won't even know where to start (see my previous blog post on goal setting). If you have a list of SMART goals then you know exactly what you need to do today, to get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.
3. Find the time of day which best suits you. I'm going to be brutally honest, it's usually the morning or early afternoon. People who leave their most important work until the end of the day are rarely productive at that time. Think about it, you've planned to do your final piece of work at 6pm, you spend all day doing the little easy tasks and being distracted with social media and with other peoples problems, by the time the evening comes you're tired. You get home from work and decide to just quickly have your dinner first and then you'll get your work done. But then a friend calls, the kids want help with their homework, the wife wants you to go to the gym with her and before you know it you're just too tired. And so you make the 'wise' decision to do the work tomorrow when you're feeling fresh and alert. And so the process repeats itself...
4. Start your own Miracle Morning. The Miracle Morning is a fabulous book by Hal Elrod. This point links to point 3, but it will massively help you to structure your day, get your mindset in the right place and get the important stuff out of the way. The day always runs much smoother when the hard parts were done and dusted in the morning. That way, you might actually finish your work at a reasonable life and be able to have some form of a social life, if you can even remember what one of those is! Another good book that I would recommend is Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy.
5. Limit your time on social media. Whilst you might think that a quick 2 minute scroll through your news feed never hurt anyone, it can actually be extremely detrimental to your work flow and concentration. You're going to have all evening to sit online once your work is done and dusted. Don't fall into the trap of sitting on all of the social media sites all day and then having to work all through the night just to hit your deadlines.
6. My final point, which is my favourite, is allow yourself some downtime. If you feel like all you ever do is work (and procrastinate) then you're hardly living the dream are you? Use these tips to actually get your work done and then allow yourself some time to yourself. Go to the gym, take the dog for a walk, read the newspaper. Do whatever it is that you enjoy, and you can do it without feeling guilty because all of your work is done!
I hope these tips are useful for you and I look forward to hearing about your future success.
Love always,
Zoe xx