We all start each day with the same amount of time, 24 hours. For some of us, that time goes by in a flash of productivity. We set and keep goals. Realistically, most of us end the day wondering what we accomplished. We spend our time running from task to task. When the day is over, we realize that we have to do it all again tomorrow.
If only we could buy a few extra hours each day, then we would finally be able to accomplish our to-do lists. Life doesn’t work that way. You can’t buy time. What you can do is learn to use your time more efficiently. It’s time to start turning back the clock. Here’s how you do it:
Stop procrastinating
We all procrastinate, it’s human nature. There are four types of procrastination:
- Anxious procrastination: Feelings of anxiety and stress overwhelm you and leave you feeling unable to work.
- Fun procrastination: You would rather do anything else but work.
- Plenty of time procrastination: Long deadlines make you feel like you have plenty of time to accomplish your work, so you leave it to the last second.
- Perfectionist procrastination: You want your work to be the best, and the anxiety of trying to do that overwhelms you and leaves you unable to start.
We all have felt each of these types of procrastination in our lives. The trick is to recognize which type of procrastination you are dealing with at the time. Once you know, you can figure out how you are feeling and why your feelings are keeping you from completing your work, here’s what you need to do to overcome your procrastination.
Start with the important stuff
We live in a world of distractions. Every bing on your computer and phone competes for your attention. If you give your time to each interruption, you’ll never devote your full attention to a project. That’s why you need to classify your work and start with the essential tasks. Create a list of what is most important to do and schedule a time to complete each item free of distractions. This way, you can devote your whole focus to the task instead of being sidelined by another distraction.
Take breaks
Scheduling breaks helps your brain to reset and will improve your focus. Try the Pomodoro method, from the book The Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo. The primary approach is to work for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. Repeat this interval four times and then take a more extended 15-20-minute break. Give it a try today, and see if it helps improve your focus.
We all start the day with the same amount of time. It’s what you do with it that helps you build the life you’ve always wanted. Start using your time more wisely, and you may find that you’ve been able to buy back a little more of your day!