If you’re like most people, you occasionally find yourself hitting deadlines with just seconds to spare. If this is a Productive Habits for you or even if it just happens on occasion, congratulations. You are a procrastinator!
Procrastination is defined as an action or behavior of delaying or postponing important tasks or work. It affects many highly successful and intelligent people, but we can and should overcome it.
By being more organized and intentional about managing your time and your energy levels, you can conquer procrastination once and for all. In today’s blog post, the best assignment writing service has shared some of the most effective methods for overcoming procrastination. So let’s start our journey of beating procrastination and becoming the best version of ourselves!
9 Productive Habits To Beat Procrastination And Meet Deadlines
Procrastination is a destructive force. It can take over your waking moment, leaving you completely overwhelmed. The best way to sit on top is to adopt productive habits and avoid unhelpful ones. Here are the 9 productive habits that anyone can adopt to beat procrastination!
1. Know The Root Cause
It’s important to know the root cause of your procrastination habit. This means that before you start working on the habit, you need to understand why you procrastinate and what triggers your procrastination.
Procrastination can be caused by several factors such as stress or lack of motivation. However, there might be underlying reasons that are causing these issues in the first place. For example:
- You may have low self-esteem which causes your lack of motivation.
- You might score badly in your previous assignment which resulted in high-stress levels.
- Or maybe your professor or classmate has said something insensitive about your work which made it harder for you to start something new later on.
2. Stop and Focus
Once you figure out the reasons for your procrastination, you need to focus on beating the procrastination. You may have heard of the Pomodoro Technique. It involves breaking up your work into short bursts of time, with breaks in between. For example, you could set a timer for 25 minutes and work for those 25 minutes before taking a 5-minute break.
The idea is that you’re more productive when you’re working on one thing at a time. Rather than trying to juggle multiple projects at once which often leads to procrastination. The Pomodoro Technique also helps keep your attention focused on the task at hand by having clear start and stop times. You know when it’s time to take a break.
If you need help focusing while using this technique, try using whiteboard markers or sticky notes. Write down what tasks you need to complete during each interval so they’re easily visible without distracting from other tasks in progress.
3. Set A Time Limit For Each Task
When you take on a new project or assignment, it’s easy to get caught up in all the endless possibilities of what could be done with it. You might want to take professional assignment help instead of working on your assignment. The key is to set tangible goals and deadlines and then stick to them.
When you’re working on something that will take more than five minutes, plan out your steps. Make sure they’re doable within the time limit you’re giving yourself. Plus, divide big projects into small tasks that you can complete quickly (and efficiently).
You might think something like “write an essay” sounds pretty simple. But when faced with writer’s block and pressure from looming deadlines, even the simplest tasks can feel overwhelming at first glance. To avoid feeling “overwhelmed,” divide large projects into smaller ones (like writing one sentence at a time). Which are easier to accomplish individually but eventually add up toward meeting larger goals like completing an essay.
4. Do Not Multi-Task
Multitasking is a myth. Research shows that multitasking can lead to stress and anxiety because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When you think you’re doing two things at once (like checking email while talking on the phone), your brain is working hard to switch between tasks. In reality, it can only do one thing properly and if you try to do two things at once, both will suffer.
So when you have something important to do, don’t make the mistake of thinking that multitasking is an option. Instead, focus on doing just this one thing until it’s finished before moving on to another task.
5. Eat That Frog
This habit is a classic, and it’s one that I’ve found to be extremely useful. The idea here is to focus on your most dreaded task every day at the beginning of your workday. Before you let yourself check email or social media and start browsing around online.
So what does this mean in practice? Well, if you’re like me and you tend to put off writing until the last possible minute, then do the opposite. Write first thing in the morning. And once those words are down on paper or into a computer file, move on to something else that’s less intimidating, like responding to emails or organizing your desk.
By doing this daily for several weeks in a row, it becomes much easier and faster for you to complete your task on time without procrastinating as much.
6. Use The 5-Second Rule
The 5-second rule is a habit that will help you in starting a task. It’s also known as the 2-minute rule, but some people prefer the 5-minute version because it makes them feel more productive.
The idea behind this habit is simple: when you need to start something, spend exactly five seconds thinking about what your first action should be and then do it. As long as it takes less than five seconds to start that first step, everything is fine. If not (for example if you have to walk over to the kitchen or open your laptop), just repeat until it does take less than five seconds. That way even procrastination won’t be able to stop you from getting started!
7. Break It Down
It’s much easier to complete a task if you break it into smaller parts. When you break something down into smaller steps or activities, it’s easier for your brain to process that information.
You can also make sure each task is manageable so that procrastination doesn’t get the better of you in the first place. For example, instead of thinking about writing an entire book in one go, break the book down into smaller projects. And then set the deadline for each task. By doing so, you’ll feel more motivated to complete your writing and reach your goal.
8. Make A To-Do List And Update Your Progress Daily
You’re already keeping track of your daily obligations, right? Well, if you are, you should consider turning that into a daily to-do list. This is a great way to manage your time and priorities. Because it allows you to see which projects are done and which still require work. If you don’t have a to-do-list ready and you’re interested in starting one up, here are some tips:
- Use an app or program like Trello or Google Calendar that allows for multiple lists (such as “work” vs “personal).
- Set aside time each day for updating this list and stick with it.
- Make a list of what needs to be done today, not tomorrow. Otherwise, you’ll always have something more pressing on your mind than taking care of things right now.
- Make sure each task has a deadline associated with it so you can prioritize them effectively.
A to-do list can be a useful tool to help you manage your time. However, if you don’t update it daily, your to-do list will become outdated and not reflect the when and what you need to complete.
9. Keep Track Of Your Energy Levels Throughout The Day
Understanding how your body works will help you plan out times when you need to be at your best. When you’re fresh in the morning, your energy levels are high and you’re more likely to be productive. So if you have a big project due on Friday, make sure to start it earlier in the week. Similarly, if your energy levels start dropping after lunch, try to avoid working at that time.
Tracked your energy levels to understand how they correspond with your work. If possible, keep a diary of when and where each task was completed. You can do this in a spreadsheet or on paper as well. Just make sure the format is consistent across all entries so that it’s easier to analyze later on.
You can even include notes about how specific tasks affected your mood if applicable (such as completing a task before an interview). Once again, this will give insight into why certain days were more productive than others and help build better habits for future productivity.
10. Take Breaks In Between Tasks
Your brain needs to recharge after concentrating for a long time, so it’s important to take some time out of your work cycle. You should also make sure you are getting enough sleep and eating well as this will help you stay focused and productive throughout the day.
If you find it difficult to stay motivated, consider setting yourself some challenges that will help keep your mind occupied during the break period. For example, try switching off all electronic devices and listening to music instead. Or going outside for some fresh air, whatever works best for you.
11. Be Kind To Yourself
Procrastination is a habit, and it’s much easier for habits to form than it is for them to be broken. This makes many people start getting hard on themselves. When you’re procrastinating, it’s easy to beat yourself up and feel ashamed. However, this is counterproductive.
If you want to beat procrastination, then start creating new good habits that help you overcome this habit. The moment you’ve finished a task that has been sitting in the back of your mind for several days or weeks, reward yourself. Such as taking a walk outside or reading an article from your favorite website. It’ll help take the edge off of beating yourself up and make sure you don’t get too hard on yourself next time!
Conclusion
Many things in life are difficult at first, but we get better with practice. You can also improve your productivity by adopting the above-described habits. As long as you keep your mind open to the possibilities that this mindset has opened up for you. Then I’m confident that you will see dramatic improvements in how consistently productive you feel each day.