The first quarter of the year is racing by. Which might also means the supercharged productivity levels and motivation you had in the new year may have faded by now.
You might be feeling like many other business owners around the world… how can you get that much needed momentum?
The warm weather is almost done and the beach is no longer calling, so it’s time to get back into your routine.
Unfortunately, procrastination is knocking at your door.
Let’s kick it to the curb and get your focus back with these 10 tips (that will actually work!)
WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION?
Procrastination… it is a trap that many business owners fall into. Sometimes confused as laziness, procrastination is delaying or postponing tasks that need to be done because you can’t find the motivation to do them. It might be because a task is particularly dull or unpleasant, you don’t feel you have the skill set to complete it well, or you’d simply rather do something else.
Whatever the reason, the act of delaying those necessary tasks can have negative consequences. Procrastination is a funny old thing. It can really mess with your mind. Even the smallest instances of procrastination can leave you feeling guilty or anxious. And of course, those feelings only mean bad news for your productivity levels.
In the long term, procrastination can lead to total demotivation, making it hard to engage with your work effectively. As a business owner, this is particularly dangerous as it can negatively impact your reputation or cause you to fall short of your carefully planned goals.
So, how can you beat the procrastination beast and get focused? The following tips will be a great start and a step towards productivity.
5 WAY TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION
1: Recognise Your Procrastination Habits
Procrastination can strike even the most diligent workers at some point. So, the first step to beating it is recognising that you are procrastinating. Some key signs of procrastination are:
● Doing lots of low-priority or unimportant tasks
● Not attending to tasks even though you know they are important
● Picking things up multiple times without taking any action on them
● Starting tasks and getting distracted
● Waiting for the ‘right time’ to undertake certain tasks
2: Work Out Why You Are Procrastinating
Once you recognise that you are procrastinating, it’s helpful to work out your procrastination triggers so that you know why you are avoiding certain tasks.
Do you find the tasks boring? Is it because of poor organisation or being unable to decide what to take on first? Are you worried about your abilities or potentially failing? Or maybe it’s because you won’t be able to complete the task to your perfectionist standards.
Knowing why you are avoiding certain tasks can help you come up with a plan to make it easier for yourself to complete them.
3: Break The Habit
If you have been procrastinating about things for a while, then it might have become a habit or learned behaviour. So, you are going to have to take conscious steps to break that habit. Understanding why you are procrastinating will be key to developing strategies to combat your habitual behaviour.
For example, if you are procrastinating due to disorganisation, a prioritised To-Do list will be a helpful tool. However, if fear of failure is holding you back, upskilling yourself or potentially even outsourcing the task to an expert like a Virtual Assistant could be the solution.
4: Focus On Doing, Not Avoiding
It can take a lot of energy to avoid a task. So, you want to take that procrastination energy and channel it into doing instead. Instead of investing your energy into trying to avoid key tasks, focus on doing them first in your day.
That way, those important tasks will be completed early and not hanging over your head making you feel guilty all day long.
5: Deal With Distractions
Distractions can be a major procrastination trigger. Alerts pinging on your phone, colleagues coming for a chat, jobs outside of work calling for your attention… all culprits at pulling your focus away. If you can remove those distractions from your work environment then you’ll have less opportunity to procrastinate.
Look at ways you can make your work environment more efficient. Turn off your notifications, don't check your emails and set some parameters for your colleagues. Identify any common distractions in your work environment and put them out of reach until your tasks are done.
5 WAYS TP IMPROVE YOUR FOCUS
1: Take The Small Wins
Taking the small wins can help you to gain focus and momentum in your day. Look for the tasks that are nearly done and finish them off. Don’t be tempted to leave them almost finished as they are hard or unpleasant. Rather, knock them out quickly and enjoy the satisfaction of completing them.
2: Make A Plan
Having a plan will help you know what needs to be completed and when it needs to be completed. By assigning times or dates to the jobs you know you will procrastinate about, you’ll be able to look out for your procrastination triggers when these tasks are almost due. You can prepare yourself to be hyper focused ahead of time and minimise the risk of procrastination.
3: Make It Bite Sized
Big tasks can be really imposing. So, change your perception of how monumentally hard they are by breaking those big tasks down into smaller chunks. Then, choose one of the small parts that you can do right away so that you get underway without even really thinking about it.
Then, work on the next small chunk and the next. Before you know it, that big, imposing task will be ticked off your list and you will feel amazing for it!
4: One Thing At A Time
Multitasking was all the rage… a decade ago! Now, it has become really clear that monotasking is the way to go. By focusing all your energy on one task at a time you can keep your brain running on the same track the whole time.
If you are flitting between tasks, starting a couple and then trying to circle back around to each, you need to refocus and remind yourself where you got to after each switch. But, if you focus solely on one thing until it is complete you don’t have to reset your brain multiple times. You’ll be more efficient for it!
5: Be Realistic
Just because you are beating procrastination doesn’t mean you have suddenly gained the power to do more work than is humanly possible! You’ll still need to be realistic about what you can achieve in a day or week. It is better for your mindset to complete every set task for the day than it is to have a list you can’t possibly complete.
After all, if you finish your tasks for today, you can always feel extra efficient by working ahead on tomorrow’s tasks.
NEED SOME HELP GETTING FOCUSED?
Sometimes all you need is a little support to turn your procrastination habits around. And an Executive Assistant can be the perfect productivity solution. By taking some of those repetitive tasks off your plate, an EA can help you focus on the things you love rather than getting bogged down by the things you don’t.
Here at Good Line, we specialise in stopping procrastination! We do that by taking on the tasks that are slowing you down. That way, you won’t have to procrastinate about them any longer, instantly improving your focus.
Get in touch with our team today if you’d like to know more about how we can help you.
