Tips and techniques to try and beat procrastination and become a hub of productivity!

I don’t know about anyone else but I am a real victim to procrastination.  Which is really frustrating as you look back and think “That would have been done by now if I just got on with it!”  I think that as a creative person I am probably more susceptible to being distracted.  However I am trying really hard to stop procrastination and actually working on being more productive.  As I am sure I am not the only one that suffers I thought I would share with you all some of my top tips to beat procrastination.

Write a list

If you have written a to do list it is a lot harder to get distracted by items that aren’t on the list.  In the same way you can self-discipline and remind yourself that if it isn’t on the list it doesn’t get done.  This is fairly simple however if you have a number of difficult or lengthy tasks to do you can find that you become easily distracted by items not on your list.

Pomodoro Technique

I find that procrastination is more likely to creep in if a task is taking too long or if I am struggling with the task.  The pomodoro technique is brilliant in this situation.  It is a working method that has you work solidly on single task for 25 minutes and then you earn a 5 minute break.  Or as I like to think of it a 5 minute procrastination session.  By breaking a larger task down into 25 minute bite size pieces it is easier to focus

For more information on the pomodoro technique have a read of this article by Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryancollinseurope/2020/03/03/the-pomodoro-technique/

Address the problem to beat procrastination

Procrastination is sometimes your mind trying to avoid doing something else.  At times this could be as a result of anxiety or a problem that you are maybe not addressing.  To give you an example when trying to encourage the children to do their homework they will often become distracted and won’t complete their tasks.  The real issue underlying is that they are stuck with their work and they need some help in order to proceed.  In the same way your mind may be wandering and becoming distracted as there is an obstacle.  Try to identify if there are any issues that maybe you are subconsciously trying to avoid.

Accomplish less with multi-tasking

Many of us fall into the trap of multi-tasking thinking that we will achieve more.  However without concentrating on one task you are actually encouraging yourself to become distracted.  If you are allowing yourself to become distracted your are just allowing procrastination to take place as well.

Self-care breaks

If you are prone to work yourself too hard your procrastination could actually be your mind trying to tell you to take a break.  By taking a break and coming back to a task fresh you are going to be far more enthusiastic about completing your tasks.  Ploughing on when you have forced yourself to work for a considerable amount of time is not going to be beneficial to you or the completion of the task.  Take a break and come back fresh.

Remove distractions

If you are supposed to be working having something like the TV on is only going to encourage you not to work.  Find the things that keep you focused, many people find that music helps them concentrate.  However if you are more likely to sit there singing and dancing away, then music is not going to help you.

If you are easily distracted by your phone or apps try turning your phone to silent of moving it to somewhere where you can’t access it while you are working.  There are even some apps available that will lock aspects of your phone for a period of time.  Therefore forcing you to get on with your work as you can’t access your distractions.

Are you a slave to procrastination as well?  Let me know what you do to give yourself a prep talk and stop doing it.  Or let me know any techniques that work to help you maintain productivity.

If you have found this useful you may also benefit from reading self-employed positivity post https://www.claireyatfairycrafters.com/how-to-find-self-employed-positivity-if-you-are-struggling