Managing your time and completing all necessary responsibilities can be a full-time job. Take a look at the following tips to help overcome procrastination, making you more satisfied and productive.
Share Your Plan
Peer pressure can be a major resource in this situation. By vocalizing your plan, the people around you can help keep you accountable. Whether this is your mom, roommate, or significant other, merely sharing your goals and plans will have an incredible impact on your productivity.
Face Your Fears
Often, we can put off starting a new project or task because it’s something we haven’t done before or we don’t know how to start. The fear of failure can be a major factor, but the key to pushing past it is to just give it a shot. Remove the negative self-talk and remind yourself that the only way to learn new skills is by trying. Failure is inherently part of the process so don’t let it take over your productivity.
Timing, Timing, Timing
Timing is everything. Throughout the day, our motivation, emotions, and moods fluctuate. Use your happy moods to tackle that project you’ve been dreading, rather than when you are already at a low. This will help keep your motivation up and burn-out low.
Avoid Perfectionism
While this is easier said than done, reminding yourself that not every step of the plan has to be perfect will aid your productivity. It’s better to complete the task than to not get to it all because of perfectionism. By eliminating stress over the little details, you will be able to tackle those larger projects.
Make a List
Whether it’s typed out on your computer or a physical list, jotting down all of your responsibilities will assure you get them all done. Once you write them down, it’s helpful to organize them based on priority. Lists can take the form of pro-cons, brainstorming, check-list, etc.
Just Start
At the end of the day, finding the motivation to start is the hardest part. Once you get started, you’ll notice everything falling into place. If you’re really struggling to sit down and get started, start with small tasks, such as calling a colleague or checking your emails.