4 Ways to Overcome Procrastination and Stay Productive
Ever found yourself staring at a blank screen, with your mind racing with numerous ideas, but your hands refuse to get the job done? Welcome to the club! As creatives, we're often the masters of procrastination. Yes, I’m also guilty as charged!
Well before you judge yourself or me even one of the most creative individuals, Leonardo da Vinci, the creative painter of Mona Lisa and many other masterpieces, was notorious for this bad habit. But you might not be as lucky as he was. But let's face it, procrastination can be a career killer. Imagine being a freelancer who always misses deadlines. It's like telling your clients, "I can’t be trusted for your job." That’s not good for your career.
The truth is, meeting deadlines isn't just about being efficient; it's about proving your worth. When you consistently deliver on time, you're showing your clients that you're reliable, professional, and dedicated to your craft. In this article, I’ll walk you through some working systems I have implemented to overcome procrastination and get my efficiency level on the high.
1. Deal with your distractions
In my experience, the first step to get over procrastination is to get distractions out of your way. You need to ask yourself some important questions like what can you change about your working environment to improve your focus? If you have a room in your house that can be a dedicated home office, do all your work in there, and keep the room free from distracting items like televisions and tablets. If you have no such space in your house, try working in a quiet coffee shop or your local library.
Your means of killing distraction might be by turning off notifications on your phone. You can also use focus music to help keep out distracting noises. These steps against distractions have been so helpful to me, I know social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Linkedin take most of my time, so I intentionally turn off the notifications of these apps to help me focus while working.
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2. Make a list of “achievable” goals
This might not be the first time you have heard this, but when you start practicing it, the change will start becoming noticeable. Just as the popular motivational speaker, Brian Tracy, advised in his book Bull’s Eye: Power of Focus, “think on paper.” I have a journal where I write my tasks, I’ll advise you to get yours. I also found out that it’s better to make this list of my daily goals the night before so that my mind will be set on what to do as I wake up.
Make sure that the goals you can achieve within the timeframe you set. Even though we might agree that no goal is unachievable, we can also agree that it is possible to set goals that are unachievable within a timeframe. I will advise you to prepare ahead and break your goals into smaller bits, this will help you ease in and help you avoid being overwhelmed by the volume of the tasks.
3. Do one thing at a time
As much as multitasking is a strength, it could also be a weakness. It might also be a reason why you might not be able to focus. Trust me, I've been there. The key is to pick one task, give it your undivided attention, and see how much faster and better you'll get it done. When you're constantly switching between tasks, your brain gets overwhelmed. It's like trying to listen to three conversations at once; you'll end up not really hearing any of them. This mental overload leads to a loss of focus, which is the perfect breeding ground for procrastination.
4. Ask for help
Procrastination is even worse for introverts, speaking from experience. We tend to bottle things up and avoid asking for help. But let me break it to you, delegating tasks can be a game-changer. Don't be afraid to ask a friend or a coworker to lend a hand or even outsource work to a freelancer. It's okay to not do everything yourself. Remember, sometimes, the best way to get something done is to step back and let someone else take the lead.
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Meet The Writer!
I'm Favour, a content writer, copywriter, and graphics designer with a passion for making brands shine. I help businesses and individuals create content and designs that convert. My goal? Make your brand awesome, one word/image at a time.
When I'm not working, you can find me playing (bad) football, eating (too much), or watching football highlights (guilty pleasure!). Do you want to say something to me or do you want me to be of help? Connect with me via https://linktr.ee/favouraderibigbe.
