The Most Stressful And Depressing 45 Minute task
I’ve Ever Done
- “I’ll start on it after this show goes off.”
- “I need to clean up the kitchen first.”
- “I got time.”
- “Let me take a nap first.”
- “Let me check TikTok for a minute.”
- “I’m not feeling this right now.”
- “No I’m not doing anything so yea I can go with you.”
I’ve use these excuses or some form of them many times in my adult life. You would have thought I would’ve learned from all the times I was suppose to been cleaning my room as a kid but instead I was playing video games or daydreaming. All the kids were outside playing while I was stuck inside fishing old pizza boxes and dirty socks from under my bed.
“Stress comes from ignoring things that you shouldn’t be ignoring” - Jeff Bezos
What I’m really talking about is being productive and procrastination kills productivity. When you set a goal, that goal can only be achieved if you complete the task associated with that goal. The goal is the destination, but the task is how you get there. You have to complete each task. Have you ever had a huge to-do list and think, “I’m not gonna get all this done, so let me chill out for a minute before I get started.” But getting started never happened. When you don’t get task completed you can feel defeated and/or stressed out. These feeling can lead to a number of other mental and physical issues. What should’ve taken 45 minutes turns into 4 or 5 days (Damn! Damn! Damn!)
Let’s talk about solving this problem. How do we stay on the path to our goal? Here are four tips:
4 Tips for Minimizing Distractions to Get More Done
Increasing your productivity doesn’t take a magic wand or require you to get an advanced degree in statistics. If you are struggling with a lack of productivity, you need to take a closer look at your daily habits. Being unproductive is nobody’s fault but your own. Here are some of the top tips that you can incorporate into your daily life to minimize distractions and get more done.
Tip #1 – Learn to Anticipate Yourself
When it comes to productivity, you’re your own worst enemy. According to a study by the University of California Irvine, office workers are only able to focus on a task for an average of three minutes and five seconds before they become distracted. Surprisingly, 44 percent of those distractions are internal. The good news is that internal disturbances are the only kind that you can control. Learn to know your patterns and plan for these distractions.
Tip #2 – Send Out Busy Signals
More than half of your distractions are external distractions that come in the form of email, people, phone calls, and chatter from other offices. If you want to stop these external distractions before they start you have to give out the right signals. If you utilize instant messenger, set it to busy and wear headphones, even if you aren't listening to music. Providing subtle queues may seem passive aggressive, but they will also save you from annoying distractions.
Tip #3 – Make Technology Work for You
At times, technology may seem like an enemy, but technology can be your anti-distraction buddy. Turn off your email alerts, create an auto-response to text messages, and set your phone to go to voicemail. Block out chunks of time on your calendar as "busy." Unless you are dealing with life and death situations at work, your coworkers will be able to manage without you for a few hours.
Tip #4 – Learn to Say No
If you are already overloaded with work and you feel like you never get anything accomplished, then you need to learn to say no to new requests
and projects. You can nicely let people know that you would love to help, but your plate is currently full.
If you are starting to have more and more unproductive days, it’s time for you to determine your distractions and put a stop to them. By being proactive, silencing technology, and learning to say no, you will find that you will start to become more productive. You will finish your task faster; therefore, reaching your goal quicker. Being more efficient leads to a better quality of life. Time is the most important thing we have, use it wisely.
Sincerely,
Jay
P.S. The best thing you can do is create a successful plan: