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Introduction
Have a good idea and want to take action, but don’t know where to start? How about wanting to start a project, yet you keep putting it off because an interesting YouTube video pops up on your screen? Later, you regret that decision. What if I told you it wasn’t about procrastination, but rather about not having a system in place to help you navigate the task you want to do? These are the 3 methods that helped me overcome my procrastination tendencies:
Whiteboard
The best decision I made was to get myself a large whiteboard. One big enough to write all my goals down, so everything was visible and nothing was missed or hidden. Having it written and in sight has helped me curb my distractions significantly since I don’t have to think about what I need to do as that has already been decided. Having arranged the goals by urgency. It has made it 100% easier to start, prioritise and stay focused. It also feels fulfilling to tick off every task I’ve completed that day.
Productivity planner
The next item that I use is a productivity planner. This allows me to structure my daily tasks in order of importance. In addition, allows me to assign time blocks in my day to focus on a specific task and use that time only for that task. It also gives room to break down large projects or tasks into small manageable steps making it less scary to tackle. Overall, an amazing item that helps me manage my time better and keeps me accountable daily.
Focus Timer
The last item is a physical focus timer. Using a timer helps reduce decision fatigue since you know how long you have to work for and when to stop and take a break. The length of time you set doesn’t have to be long. The best thing about having a physical focus timer is that it removes the distractions you might encounter if you used your phone as a timer, such as endlessly doomscrolling. Being able to visibly see the time ticking down helps prevent getting distracted and wasting time. I found leaving my phone in another room and using a physical timer helped me actually complete the tasks I needed to get done.
Conclusion
Using practical methods can go a long way to help deal with procrastination since it lets you get clear on your goals and stops you from overcomplicating it. Making your objectives visible directs your attention to what needs to be done. Focus is becoming less common these days due to the constant distractions, information overload and reduced attention spans. But that can be changed gradually by implementing methods that eliminate the distractions and overwhelm.
