It’s all too easy to do and everyone does do it, but not everyone can master the art of getting the job done as soon as possible, all in one go. There are various ways of forcing yourself to be productive, and by utilising everything I am about to tell you, any task you do will be done in no time at all.
Set yourself a personal deadline
“I am going to get 2,000 words written by 3pm.”
Believe me, it works. Now there’s a limit to what you’re doing. If you get a specific amount done by a certain time or a certain day, you know that you’ll have the free time afterwards to do as you please. You won’t spend all day looking into the distance thinking, ‘I wish it was bed time.’
Set a timer
If deadlines don’t work for you, set an alarm for in an hour’s time. Your attention span can last for an hour and you can certainly last an hour without looking at a mobile phone or logging into Facebook. When you’re not distracted, a lot can be done in an hour. Have a break for 15 minutes then get going again.
Set yourself rewards
If you manage to get those 2,000 words done by 3pm, not only will you feel excellent about yourself, but you can treat yourself to a bar of chocolate, a cup of tea or a few episodes on Netflix.
Exercise makes you motivated
Do fifty jumping jacks and ten sit-ups. When your heart is racing, endorphins are running through your body and not only do you feel happier, but you feel more motivated and strangely energised. It’s healthier and quicker than a cup of coffee.
Block Websites
You can download some great website blocker apps on any laptop or phone. Temporarily shut down Facebook and Twitter for an hour or two. Some apps even let you limit the amount of time you’re allowed to spend on a certain website in a day: ten minutes tops on instagram and twenty minutes on twitter. Just enough time to give you that satisfying dose of internet scrolling before getting back to business.
Stop snacking whilst you work
Fiddling with food stops your hands from working, writing or typing. You may think that snacking whilst you work keeps you fuelled and stops you from wanting to make a long romantic walk to the kitchen. However, just the act of breaking off a piece of cereal bar or fondling with a packet of crisps breaks the train of thought and you’re back to square one.
Got all that? Great. Go get ‘em!
What other advice do you have to stop procrastination? Have your say in the comments below!
