Indeed, there would have been days when you felt your entire day was spent doing nothing. But the good news is that it’s not just you who has felt this way! Understandably, we find it challenging to remain productive with all the temptations in our lives, from the constant notifications and addictive social media apps.
The struggle between your motivated inner self and the devil in you that tempts you to procrastinate might often lead you to be either productive or not. High stress levels, last-minute rushes, and missed deadlines are all fruits of procrastination.
Nevertheless, learning to overcome your inclination to be lazy will result in more productivity. To do so, you might require a few tricks. These tricks can help you to get maximum advantage of yourself to be more productive.
Intrusive technologies of today can destroy your potential for productivity. Nevertheless, by adopting the following strategies, you might just be able to deceive your brain into improving your time management skills and keep you from the diversions that get in the way of achieving your objectives.
Take Advantage of Your Procrastination
You’ve probably got a thing or two to do on your list that you’re not exactly looking forward to. Science indicates that simply getting started is the most effective method of pushing through those uninterested tasks. In addition, you can also try a different approach and fool your brain into thinking those tasks are not that bad. This is known as productive procrastination.
The psychological ploy is to rank other tasks among the higher priorities than the essential ones to make the decision easier. For instance, you can rank tasks like rearranging your workplace or learning a new practice higher since they are vital but offer more flexible deadlines. You may discover that additional jobs have been added to the list, making the initial one seem even more enticing.
In basic terms, you are using a mental deception that lowers the rank of the work you fear by placing it lower on your list of priorities. The superior tasks become less complicated as you complete each little one. Even though it will not always be practical, productive procrastination can occasionally be advantageous when it seems tough to get going.
Adjust the Temperature & Lighting
Without a doubt, your environment has a significant effect on your productivity. Leo Widrich at the Buffer blog explains that controlling the temperature and lighting in your workplace can lift your productivity while demanding no effort on your behalf.
To emulate the ideal working temp, you should have an air conditioner in the summer, and a space heater in the winter – or at least try to keep yourself warm with a sweater!
But don’t let it stop there. In terms of productivity, lighting is also crucial. Although there is little direct research on lighting, more daylight exposure should increase productivity. Although the notion that rising early can make you more productive has been disproved, one significant importance of waking up early is spending more time in the sun’s natural light.
Beyond hindering productivity, poor lighting can cause eye tiredness. You can avoid eyestrain by taking breaks, using a computer glass, or using apps that can adjust the color temperature of your screen according to the time of day, in case your computer screen is getting a lot of glare or if you are obliged to work under direct light. The more relaxed you are, the more willing you will be to keep working.
Take Your Work to a Café
It might seem impractical that the noise of a coffee shop might help concentration if you have a habit of isolating yourself from the outside world when working. Strange as it may sound, studies have shown that the ambiance of a coffee shop can increase productivity, similar to how white noise can help a baby sleep. You may need to find the appropriate amount of distraction to improve productivity.
Take a Nap
Taking a nap in the middle of the day can be difficult. Still, research shows that midday naps can increase productivity significantly. The ideal time for a power nap is between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM – for best results, you should limit your nap to 15 to 20 minutes. A well-timed nap offers plenty of benefits, such as improving memory, cognitive function, and overall productivity.
Chat With Yourself
For a mentally stable worker, daydreaming is quite suitable. Talking to yourself can boost task performance, relax your brain, and make you more confident. Give yourself an occasional pep talk when you struggle to go to work – it’s weird, but it works!
Compete Against Yourself
Setting contests against yourself can effectively help non-competitive people and competitive spirits. At work, set yourself a goal to beat or amaze yourself with the quickness with which you complete the tasks. If a tedious task lies ahead, set a timer for an hour and compete with your procrastination. It could keep you focused and resist the need to glance at your social media accounts in the middle of the work day.
Sprint, Pause, & Repeat
There may be times when you are occupied with a task so boring it brings a tear to your eye, or you may need to write a lengthy report with charts, infographics, and text. Consider breaking the project into manageable steps to simplify the task. Afterward, you can concentrate on the introduction or the first graphic. It enables you to “sprint” through one job and then pause before heading to the next.
Allow Yourself To Stop
Starting a task is sometimes the most challenging part when getting into your work for the day. Nevertheless, it is simpler to focus on additional jobs once you taste the success of completing one. If you’re having trouble picking your feet off the ground, choose an important task and convince yourself that once you complete it, you can quit working. As a result, you may experience an overwhelming feeling after completing the job, which will encourage you to continue. Plus, you might still feel a sense of success, even if you do take a break!
