Ready to stop procrastinating and make some progress? Try one of these four simple hacks to motivate yourself into action. Give them each a try over the coming days and weeks and find the ones that make the biggest difference for you. Whenever you find yourself procrastinating, come back to this list and employ one or several of these hacks. Your productivity will soar.
Tip #1: Pick Something Small
One of the big reasons we procrastinate is because something feels overwhelming. There’s too much to do, so we choose to forget about it for a little while. It’s a coping mechanism, just not a very productive one. Instead, pick one thing, something small that you can do right now to move you in the right direction. This creates momentum and makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something! Trick: I always write “make list” on my to-remember list to get the ball rolling! Ha!
Tip #2: Time blocking
Another hack that works like a charm is to set a timer. Your phone has one built in, as do most smart watches. Set it for twenty-five minutes and then plan something nice for yourself as a break (see yesterday’s blog for a list of some ideas). If you don’t complete the task in 25 minutes, repeat this process til done. You’ll be surprised how you are motivated to “beat the clock” and get your reward!
Tip #3: Take it in bite sized pieces.
When we think about a big looming project that has a deadline, we often go down the overwhelm rabbit hole. Breaking down a project into some doable steps and writing the steps on your to-remember list instead of the whole project, allows our brains to relax a bit and feel less overwhelmed.
Tip #4: Celebrate your accomplishments!
Reward yourself for each task you complete. Be grateful that you had the time, energy and capacity to complete it. Pat yourself on the back. Take a 5 minute break. Staying in a positive state of mind will help you stay on track to move to the next item on the list! You’re worth it!