Declare war on procrastination

Procrastination can’t be eliminated but it can be limited. Implementing strategic rules into your life will ensure that you won’t have to rely on your willpower to overcome procrastination. Additionally, these rules will make procrastination less desirable.

Rule 1: Work progress journal

Your work progress journal can be compared to a normal to-do list. Each morning, you write down the main goals which you want to achieve during the day. Throughout the day you use this list to keep track of all of your todos. The most important task with this journal is the evening, where you face the cold truth. At the end of each day, you check all the tasks which you have completed. Chances are that you failed to achieve every todo which you’ve set in the morning. This is the time where you face the truth. For every task, which you didn’t complete, write down your reasons for not getting the work done. It doesn’t matter how silly your excuse is, what matters is that you give honest answers. Doing so, helps you to identify the triggers of your procrastination. Additionally, this step allows you to see more clearly what todos need to be done on the next day and it will give you more motivation to get stuff done. I have also written an article about a system which helps you to be more productive during the day, which doesn’t require more than 5 min of planning each day.

Rule 2: Feed the machine

Many people completely forget about nutrition. There are a few nutritional rules which help you to maximize your mental energy.

First of all hydration. Staying hydrated is extremely important for focus, as it keeps your energy on a high level. When you drink a lot, you also have to go to the toilet more often. You might be thinking that this is a bad thing; however, just like the little apple watch reminders to stand up, it is a good thing to get up once in a while and take a small walk. This will ensure that you stay awake.

Caffeine. Is it good or should you ban it? Well, the answer depends on you. Usually, drinking a coke or a cup of coffee isn’t bad at all, instead, it heightens your concentration. However, there is a fine line which you shouldn’t step over. Drinking too much coffee in a short period makes you jumpy and unfocused. So be aware of your coffee consumption and try to wait at least an hour before drinking the next cup of coffee.

Food is a source of energy and not one of satisfaction. Thinking like this will help you to be more productive in the long run. You should carefully choose, which snacks give you a short-term boost, and which ones help you to stay focused for a longer period. Generally, vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, peanuts, or natural granola bars are good snacks to keep you focused for a long period.

Never skip a meal! This rule is probably the most important one. For instance, skipping your breakfast to “kickstart” your work might feel good and productive; However, if you put off any meal, you will experience more hunger than your snacks can provide. Hunger also corresponds with low blood sugar, thus robbing your ability to concentrate. If you’re in a hurry, just try to eat faster, but not skipping or delaying the meal.

Rule 3: Build a routine

Building a consistent routine is difficult since your daily schedule varies a lot from day today. To declare war on procrastination, you must find at least one hour each week, which is free every week. Generally, morning hours and early afternoons are the best time to find free hours, since the late afternoons and evenings often get hijacked by unexpected events. So, once you’ve identified these free hours, you try to schedule work in these hours. What’s important about this step, is that you do the same kind of work, on the same days, during the same time of day. Doing so will ensure that your mind automatically gets into a focus state of mind during those “work hours”.

Rule 4: Choose your hard days

Once in a while, you will experience a busy period with lots of todos. This is where hard days can make your life easier. A hard day is a day on which you only focus on your work. On those days, there is no excuse to lay off some work. Hard days, should not be an emergency strategy for you to get work done right before it is due. Instead, you should plan them ahead of time, as you need to prepare yourself mentally for those kinds of days. Lastly, practicing hard days regularly is a very powerful tool to also get ahead of time, which in turn will make you more relaxed.