We've all been there... facing an empty screen with exhausted ambition when your conscience keeps on crying out "do something!". Procrastination has become one of our generation's most fatal enemies, along with distractions and excuses that keep surfacing, it is responsible for stopping us from fulfilling simple, daily tasks. With the new year approaching, the perfect time to abandon futile practices and add these 5 tips to your routine in order to start a productive 2023 has arrived!
#1 Make Short Lists
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Got far too much on your plate?...write it down! By enlisting your tasks and being able to visualize what you're yet to do, it becomes much simpler to prioritize obligations and narrow down daily chores. These can be written down on an agenda, on a whiteboard in your room, or on your phone's notes app, but it should always be in an easy-access place that you can frequently check to mark what you've accomplished and what you'll make yourself busy with next.
#2 Time Your Breaks
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Everyone deserves a break, and studies have proven that taking as little as 30 minutes' rest can increase productivity by as much as 45%. However, going off track after claiming that you'll take a "small break" is extremely common, and what once was planned as a 10-minute break easily turns into an "I'll finish this tomorrow". Thus, it's best to set a strict schedule for breaks, such as establishing that, during the day, you'll take four 10-minute breaks, and set alarms at the end of each 10 minutes, knowing that there'll be another break soon during the day.
#3 Set a Goal For Each Day
Working for an immediate goal becomes easier than striving to achieve the entirety of the things on your to-do list, which is why you must prioritize certain tasks and assign these to be fulfilled on certain days. For instance, designate three chores for today --the most urgent will be those that you'll work on the soonest--, and your daily goal will be to accomplish these, and so on for every weekday; this is a hack that will soon become a great habit.
Said practice will also boost your motivation to keep working after sensing the satisfaction that comes along with successfully fulfilling the tasks you otherwise might've been procrastinating.
#4 Nourish Your Mind and Body
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In order to be productive, you must have the energy levels required to achieve various tasks, and these depend on how you're nourishing both your body and mind. Regarding the former, you should focus on getting plenty of sleep, nutrition-- having a balanced diet--, and exercise, which will reflect on your productivity.
When talking about the latter --your mind--, be sure to add activities that you enjoy to your daily occupations -- such as listening to music-- to avoid becoming drained and exhausted after a day of avoiding procrastination. Caring for both dimensions of your being will lead to excelling in your daily task performance.
#5 Recognize What You're Capable Of
One of the biggest determinants of productivity is your mindset; you must esteem yourself as capable of achieving every goal on your to-do list, and recognize which barriers you've set upon yourself as limits to greatness. Look into yourself and identify your abilities and weaknesses, and focus on improving the latter and strengthening the former to be able to embrace your productivity in every obligation.
Lastly, attempt to pinpoint which limits you've set on yourself --such as taking too frequent breaks when you still have the energy to keep working--, and destroy these barriers to go the extra mile and completely overcome the anti-productivity foe behind procrastination.
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With these 5 tips, you're certain to start your 2023 with the most productive mindset and achieve every goal you establish for yourself! Say goodbye to procrastination and become the best version of yourself ready to accomplish greatness!
