25 ways to get stuff done

Today I really wondered what to call the post. If I learned something from the last days stopping procrastination is not possible. At least not for me. Maybe you have this amazing thing called self-control. If you have, I am envious! :’) At times I am tired, at times I just don’t have enough time. And my to do list grows on a daily basis. There is literally no end to it. The more I start, the more there is to do. In any case I have achieved a lot the last days trying out the methods listed below. Rather than calling the post how to stop procrastination, which is way too negative anyways, I’d like to call it how to get stuff done. Down there you will find 25 tips and tricks to get things done:

Before you start with the preparation, going back to the last blog post, eat that frog. Get the worst task done. Then you can indulge in planning and reading!

 

Are you back? Nice to see you again! Before you get started a decent plan can really help with reducing procrastination. How can you stop procrastination, when you don’t even have an overview of what to do?

Preparation:

1. Create a master-list of all the things to do. You can add the action steps you previously prepared for achieving your goal. Brainstorm everything that comes to mind. If it helps you to draw, draw it.

 

2. Now break those tasks up into monthly junks. Make the steps as small as possible.

 

3. As Marie Forleo explained verberize the list. Your to-dos should start with easy, one step verbs. It is important that the tasks are really clear. E.g.

• go to the supermarket
• buy bread

 

4. Use the 13 Folder method. You can use real folders or what I like to use is OneNote. As shown below create a folder for each month. And a to-do list for each day. Not only is the tool nice to organize your to dos, but you can also see the progress you make. The other folder is my master list, which includes all tasks.

 

5. Don’t put too many to dos on your list. Stay below 8 points and aim to achieve the top three. Definitely at least the first one.

 

6. Organize the list with your MIT (most important task) on top. OneNote has many useful tools for that. If you want some more organization within the tasks you can use the ABCDE method, as explained in the last post. Or you can organize them chronologically.

 

 

7. Schedule meetings (including friends and family) and important dates in your calendar. Also schedule junks of uninterrupted work time, when you do the tasks.

 

8. Each night before you go to sleep review the next days to dos. Have the priorities changed? Do you have to add/ remove any tasks? Is your MIT clear?

 

9. Generally, work on being in decent shape. Drink, eat and sleep enough and look out for your health. It’s easier to tackle a task, when you haven’t pulled an all-nighter and barely can open your eyes. Moreover, the better and more positive you feel the less you procrastinate.

 

 

10. Is your work environment cluttered? Are there many distractions, such as the TV open magazines? Open YouTube pages? Remove all distractions. Better yet prepare a workspace/ room/ coffee shop, that is specifically used for working. Try to have all necessary materials on hand. By the end of the day clean your workspace and prepare for the next days to dos.

 

 

Time to take action:

 

If you struggle with starting, the following tricks might help.

 

11. Play your power song when you start working. Decide on one song that makes you feel motivated. Every time you hear the song your brain knows it’s time to work.

 

12. Commit to working on your MIT for 5 minutes for the day. Once you have achieved that and you really don’t feel like continuing stop. You promised to yourself 5 minutes. And don’t feel bad about it. Goal achieved. Better than the last days.

 

13. Start with small bites. Maybe just 1 word a day, one jog, one word. Don’t think about what tasks will follow. Every time thoughts about future tasks arise, empty your mind.

 

14. Start with the easiest part. If you have a day you really struggle with starting, try doing the easiest part of your MIT first. Once you are in the flow continuing gets easier.

 

15. Make it fun. Now you probably wonder how to make an awful task fun. You have to work out? Watch your favorite TV show on the side.

 

16. Don’t try for perfect. Target 80 percent perfect. Worrying too much about perfections might cause more procrastination.

 

17. Distract yourself from the feeling of not wanting to do something.

 

18. Just sit and do the task until the uncomfortable feeling passes.

 

19. Smile while you feel uncomfortable or use power gestures. If you smile your brain will start thinking, if I smile it must be fun.

 

20. Use the 5 seconds rule by Mel Robbins. Simple, but yet efficient. Don’t give yourself enough time to think that you don’t want to do something. Count don’t from 5, and just do it.

 

21. Every time you don’t want to do something tell yourself the mantra: Just do it!

 

22. Use the pareto principle. Work 25 minutes on your task and then take a 5-minute break. Then start again. An app I really like for that purpose is Forest. You set a time, during which you won’t use your phone. During that time a tree grows. If you use your phone before the time is over your tree dies.

 

23. When you get tense try relaxation methods, such as breathing. Another method is to tense up your muscles for 5 seconds than relax, tense, relax. Do that until you are relaxed.

 

 

24. Don’t let tasks pile up. That sounds pretty obvious, but often we collect a heap of tasks and get overhelmed.

 

25. Imagine yourself doing the task. Think about feeling happy about the task. Do the task in your brain over and over again, until it doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable anymore.

 

After finishing your task:

• Review what went well. What didn’t go so well.
• Standardize the process.
• Review the tasks for tomorrow.
• Clean your workspace.
• Take a deep breath.
• Dance a little success dance. And congratulate yourself for a job well done.

 

Some suggested tips I found, that haven’t worked for me, or I haven’t tried yet:

• Making procrastination more painful, like giving your friend money if you fail.
• Rewarding yourself when you finish something. (Why reward myself later when procrastination is already like a reward in advance?)
• Learn skills you lack in order to avoid future procrastination.
• Forgive yourself for procrastination. (eh yeah..)
• Have an accountability buddy.
• Make plans and goals public.
• Work according to your inner schedule.
• Ask yourself why you avoid the task.
• Prepare an awareness bracelet. Each time you try to procrastinate turn it around. Write down what your reason for procrastination was. Sometimes being aware of what you are doing is already a start.

 

 

Eat that frog! 21 ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time: Book Review

Yeah, I have been procrastinating on a book review about procrastination. Shame on me. I could say my sister came back from abroad, but that would be an excuse. Let’s say it was the little devil in my ear saying: Don’t do it. The last days, before the procrastination wave hit me, I’ve been reading on procrastination. One of the books I’ve found on the topic was “Eat that frog!” by Brian Tracy. Let me give you a brief overview of my main learnings:

1^st  Eat the biggest ugliest frog in the morning. Do the worst task first and nothing worse can happen.

2^nd Take immediate action. Don’t stare at the frog just dig in before you have the time to think about about how ugly it is.

3^rd Develop a positive addiction on starting and finishing important tasks. Apparently finishing tasks gives you a good feeling and apparently, you can get addicted to that feeling.

4^th There are no shortcuts, only practice. You can practice a behavior until it becomes a habit. Sit down do the task over and over again despite feeling like running away and at some point, you will get in a habit of just doing it.

5^th Visualize who you want to be.

6^th  Clarity: Have clear and understandable goals. The goal has to be very specific. Either decide for yourself or sit down with your boss and discuss your goals and objectives. Then write it down. Writing down a goal makes it touchable and real. Set a deadline and milestones. Next, make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. and organize the list into a sequenced plan. Start. Do sth. every day!

7^th Plan your days the night before. Prepare a master list, a monthly, weekly and daily to-do list.

8^th Apply the 80/20 rule. 20 percent of your activities account for 80 percent of your results. Do those 20 Percent first. Until all points of the top 20 percent are finished don’t start with the 80 percent lower value tasks

9^th There is never enough time to do everything so do the most important. Procrastinate on small and low-value tasks.

10^th Use the ABCDE Method. Start off with A, then B, if there is time left you might do C. Delegate and eliminate the rest.

A = Very Important

B= Should be done

C= Would be nice to do

D= Delegate

E= Eliminate

11^th One step at a time. Don’t look too far into the future. Focus on immediate tasks.

12^th Master your skills. Insecurity leads to procrastination.

13^th Once you get going keep going. Don’t get interrupted.

14^th Swiss cheese a task. Start in the middle of a task. One random piece at a time.

Those were the main points I took away. In the book, you can find additional tasks after each chapter. In summary, the book started out pretty well. I enjoyed the tasks and learned a few new methods. After a while tho the author focused too much on time management. And I, as a real procrastinator can say one thing. I have never had issues with my time management. It’s not a lack of time but a strong feeling of not wanting to do something. Personally, I like to read books with a little more content, but there are a few gems of information in there. Definitely worth reading as a side lecture, especially, when you are new to the topic.

And one thing I really enjoyed. Reading this book and other procrastination books motivated me. I did not write the post on time. Truth. But I got pretty much done, that I’ve been procrastinating on for a while. And it’s always nice to see that other people struggle with procrastination as much as I do.

Day 3: Why we procrastinate

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow

– Mark Twain

Imagine this situation: It is late at night and you prepare for a presentation for the next day. You are anxious. What if I can’t finish this on time? What if it’s not good enough? The worst part you’ve known about this presentation for at least a month. So why haven’t you finished it so far? A family emergency?

No.

Just plain old procrastination.

I have been in this sort of situation a thousand times. Consequently, I decided to do a “30 days without procrastination” challenge. In order to do so, it is time to learn something about procrastination. Know thy enemy or so.

So why do we procrastinate? There are multiple reasons. Some scientists see procrastination as a short term mood regulation method. Task avoidance as a tool to regulate our emotions (1). Basically, if a task causes negative emotions we fall back to task avoidance. Delaying the task leading to more stress in the long run. Deadlines move closer and important but none urgent to-dos will forever stay on your to-do list.

If you wanna procrastinate at this point, here is a quiz to check your level of procrastination:(2) https://procrastinus.com/procrastination/measure-my-procrastination-3/

In the following, you will find a list of possible procrastination causes:

Lack of focus:

Maybe you are one of those people who get easily distracted and have a difficult time focusing on one subject for an extended period of time.

Adrenaline Junkie: 

Maybe you like the way you feel when you have a limited amount of time to finish a task. You enjoy the stress of a tight time frame.

Too many options / Inability to decide

Maybe you have a high number of options? Or don’t easily make decisions. A combination of both would be especially deadly regarding procrastination.

Bad time management

It could be possible, that you are just bad at time management. What if you actually think you have plenty of time when actually a task takes longer than expected?

Lack of energy

A lack of energy often causes procrastination. Are your energy levels low? Are you always too tired to do anything?

Lack of motivation

Maybe you don’t have enough incentive to achieve a goal or do a to-do. Maybe you don’t see a big enough long term benefit.

Fear or anxiety 

I think a big part of procrastination, especially for me, is fear and anxiety. There are many fears that can lead to procrastination, such as the fear of failure or humiliation. As well as the fear of disapproval or the fear to succeed.

Depression 

Maybe you are depressed. Studies show, that people, who are depressed often postpone tasks.

Perceived lack of control

Did you just move? Or a lot changed? When you feel out of control a coping mechanism often includes procrastination.

Task aversion

Sometimes your heart isn’t really into the task. Maybe it goes against your values or you really would like to avoid the outcome.

Feeling overwhelmed

Sometimes tasks or actions turn out so big you are simply overwhelmed. Where to start? Instead of tackling the mountain of an issue you might delay.

Not wanting to miss out

At times you have many options and you would like to try everything. Rather than choosing, you postpone the decision.

Outcomes and rewards in the far away future

Sometimes our goals are so far ahead and so are the rewards we expect. Therefore, they aren’t incentive enough to get us started.

Vague goals/ tasks

The goals and tasks are so unclear you have no idea how to start and what you will achieve by the end of it.

Senseless tasks

If you think your task doesn’t make any sense and you have to wonder why you should do it you can turn up postponing it.

Obviously, in order to grow, I want to overcome procrastination. Knowing why I procrastinate is an important part of beating it. This is how I am going about it on day 1.

As a first task, I take a pen and paper and write down all the goals for this year. Next, I write down, which actions need to be taken to accomplish them. In the next step, I break the tasks into monthly to-do lists. Then into weekly to-dos and finally, write down what has to be done on a daily basis.

Additional Literature:

• (1) Sirois, F. and Pychyl, T. (2016). Procrastination, health, and well-being. p.164.
• (2) The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Stuff Off and Start – By Piers Steel

 

 

Day 2: Setting Goals (Mind Maps and Smart Goals)

There are multiple ways to set a goal. I decided to start off with a mind map. I basically wrote down everything that came to mind within 5 minutes using yesterday’s results.

There in the center that’s me :’)

On one side I wrote down material goals on the other non-material ones. I also collected and answered a number of questions, that helped me look further into my goals:

Day 1: The Decision to Change (Ikigai and the Wheel of Life)

I am in a dilemma. With my boyfriend living in one country and my family living in another, I need a flexible job. Or at least some kind of solution. I am kind of desperate in that department.  Moreover, I can’t stop wondering if this is all my life is meant to be? A 5 to 9 secure office job? If I had told myself as a kid that I was aiming for an office job I would have cried.

So, I decide right here right now to do some soul searching. And honestly, it took me quite some days to get to this point.

But how to start? What do I want? What are my goals? What’s my purpose?

I am not a believer in a lifelong purpose. Like a single soul mate. That’s ridiculous, but the next purpose I can focus on. Something that is important to me. Something that matters and that gives me direction.

What did I do today? At first, I headed to Google. Which was sooo overwhelming. It seems as if everyone has a solution on how to find your purpose and how to set goals. I looked through the first pages of Google, Quora, Reddit, and YouTube and wasted a hell lot of time.

Since I didn’t want to get lost in even more information, I decided to go with the first two things that I found interesting. Action before theory.