8 ways to beat procrastination at its own game

Get up, stretch, move your neck, rotate your shoulders during and even before or after work. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Somebody has said, “Hard work pays off later, but procrastination pays now.” But it’s all in jest. There is work to be done, projects to be completed, and deadlines to be met. Procrastination comes in many forms, but delaying the inevitable is just painful in the long run. Are there some ways to improve personal task management?

In fact, getting work done quickly leaves more time for life and for enjoying it.

You might think your office is noisy and disturbing, but it gets even tougher when you work from home. Distractions are many and it takes very little to derail the productivity train.

Here are a few productivity improvement techniques to keep in mind when working from home:

#1 Get the most undesirable tasks out of the way first Admit it, there are some tasks that just by their very nature invite procrastination. Boring, tedious, mind-numbing or sometimes difficult, these are the jobs that keep niggling the back of your mind even as you go through the rest of the day. Trust us when we say this, but get that undesirable task out of the way as quickly as you can. And then sink your teeth into the rest of the more fun work.

#2 Quit social media during the day
Facebook, Twitter and personal mails aren’t going anywhere. They’ll still be around after you’re done with work. Also, the constant beeping of your phone as every new comment or like happens, or the tweets that just don’t stop, can be huge distractions. Turn off notifications or, better still, keep your social media device away from you when you work.

#3 Check your phone during pre-fixed times for emails, notifications, etc
The above point doesn’t mean you are cut off from the world between, say 10 am and 5 pm. Reward yourself with 5-10 minutes of social media during fixed hours. Be true to yourself and stick to the pre-decided time. Staying away from the time-draining mobile phone is one of the most effective time management techniques.

#4 Get into a productivity zone
This will happen automatically once all your distractions are at bay. You will focus better and get more work done, faster. But, remember, ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Make sure you take small breaks to refresh your mind.

#5 Automate and systemise
Establish a personal productivity system, automated if possible, to stay on track. Delegate tasks as urgent, important, can wait, etc, and let your system do the rest. Using technology in the form of an automated system can actually help you stay organised better.

#6 Find your creative and productive hours
Once you allocate hours, you will be able to identify your most creative and productive hours. Get to your important tasks during those hours.

#7 Exercise
Yes, during work, and even before or after. Get up, stretch, move your neck, rotate your shoulders. Besides this sit-in-the-chair routine, fix a slot for daily exercise and keep your mind and body fresh.

#8 Lastly, don’t procrastinate
Like we said earlier, procrastinating is just delaying the inevitable and it puts a lot of unnecessary pressure in the end.

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.