It’s relatively easy for a YouTuber, a Mindfulness Guru, or a 19-year-old life coach to Google a few productivity tips and half-measures, arrange their recording location, and make a video that says you should fake it until you make it, take a walk, or block time on your calendar and honour it. Or for the guy from the manosphere to yell at you to “get you to have the Sigma mindset” or something like that.
And voila – now you are no longer scrolling, no longer procrastinating and are hyperproductive. You get up at 5 AM, journal, meditate, run and sell some stocks – all while the sheeple still sleeps.
They might even convince you that all you need is some discipline, man. But it’s not long before you go back. That is because the change is hard – and because oftentimes, in the Real World™, it is not enough to get motivated.
Let us then say BASTA to all that nonsense. Let us focus on things that can actually make an impact and lead to a better life in the Real World.
Plan your tasks, use Time Blocking.
You might consider adding focus time to your calendar. And this does not apply only to work. Yes, I said above that this type of advice is often heard, but the difference here is that these time blockers are meant to protect and reserve time for your tasks and empower you to have guilt-free fun outside of these dedicated focus times.
If you have hobbies – and you should have hobbies, because life is about more than work – you might even consider adding hobby time blocks to your private calendar, as you would schedule focus time for deep work in your work calendar.
Dedicated time blocks, even for hobbies, will make you less likely to skip these tasks. It might still happen, though. If that happens, try not to be angry with yourself.
If you skip your time block and do something else instead, try talking to yourself in the same way your satnav talks to you when you miss your exit. Stay calm and gentle, and look for other ways to get there, or simply wait until the next dedicated time block for another opportunity.
Do it for just 5 minutes.
Getting started is the hardest part. That is why you should try to tell yourself that you will only do the chore for 5 minutes. Then attempt to do it for 5 minutes. But the chances are you will feel that since you already started, you might as well make a little more.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Even better, you might make progress by telling yourself that you will do this task for 1 minute, and if you do not like it, you will go back to scrolling. The chances are that you will not go back to scrolling for a while because doing the tasks feels good. Yes, it feels good. Happiness does come from solving problems. The hard part is to get started.
Plan the hard days
and know exactly when they are.
As with the time slots for your minor tasks, you should plan your larger tasks days ahead. Think doctor’s appointments – but for your tasks and plans. You plan event days, and then you’ll at least give yourself time to mentally prepare for them.
For really big and challenging tasks, you might consider doing them right at the start of the week, after you have had a restful and healthy weekend.
If you wish to take it further, commit yourself to the work by sharing your intentions with friends and family. Tell them precisely what you have planned and when – and you will be extra interested in doing the job – and doing it well.
Keep a Diary or a Journal
Keeping a diary, where you put all our thoughts, feelings and experiences to paper, should keep you interested and motivated (ugh, I hate that word) to lead a more interesting life and procrastinate less.
The theory is that if you do not skip your tasks, you will have more interesting things to write about and will be glad you took the time to do that task, instead of wasting more time on mindless scrolling.
Think Captain’s Log, from Star Trek, for example. You will lead a more interesting life if you’ll be writing about it later. Be warned, however, that you should do this for yourself, to get out of your head and get things started, not because you hope to impress someone later.
I suggest getting off digital devices for this and using a Notebook or an e-ink device that is free of distractions.
Find your productive time.
We are not talking here only about the days of the week – some people might be more productive at the beginning of the week, some are more productive in the middle and no one is very productive at 16:47 on a Friday.
You should take some time and be very mindful, very demure, about when you usually do your best work.
when you are usually most productive
You might be a night owl or an early bird. You should try to find out what your type is and, if possible, do your work then.
Yes, society is not very well designed with regards to the night-owls, as these people are often considered lazy, as opposed to it only being a different chronotype. Still, the public perception is thankfully slowly changing. So, ideally nowadays you should have fewer problems adjusting your work and lifestyle to the hours when you are the most likely to be productive and successful.
Try to practice Healthy Living.
I have often found that procrastination is simply a defence mechanism against boredom and a busy mind. Living a healthy life should help with both of those problems.
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Taking a short walk, even just 15 minutes, can significantly improve our mood and reduce the temptation to engage in mindless activities afterward. Aiming for a healthier and more active lifestyle is always beneficial, so there are plenty of reasons to give it a try.
