Practice Creative Procrastination
Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought, “How in the world am I going to get done what I need to do today?” Or walked into a weekend and thought, “Where is Monday, there is too much to do and not enough time to do it!” The truth is, there is not enough time in a day, a week, or a month to get done all of the things on our to-do lists. Whether it is home projects, business, or schedules, we have a lot of commitments and not enough time.
So how do we go about spending our time during the day, and how can we make it so we feel accomplished, satisfied, and efficient? By procrastinating the things on our lists that just don’t hold enough importance. Get rid of or delegate those small tasks in your day that don’t produce enough value or that you just don’t have time for. Do the worst of your list first, knock it out, and move on. By the end of the day, the little things that didn’t make the cut can be delegated to a spouse, a coworker, or eliminated from the list. When you look at your list and it feels daunting and overwhelming, ask yourself what you can cut out. Once you can start cutting out the small things you will feel more capable of tacking your daily list. And while you are at it, learn to love this 2 letter word… NO. A friend of mine told me that I need to say “no” at least once a day. So what do you say “no” to?
Saying “no” isn’t about being better or being too busy, it is about protecting your time and building boundaries. So what can you say no to? What is in your schedule that is time consuming and doesn’t produce much value? It can be anything from tv, movies, video games, to internet, facebook, or sitting around. These things can be super time-consuming and often don’t give much payback. Instead, fill those time slots with things that bring value to your heart. Spend time with your family. Work on a hobby. take care of your body.
Examine your list and choose one thing a day to eliminate. Maybe it isn’t something on your list, but something you feel can be a waste of time in your daily routine.
Over the last five days we have looked at several ways to avoid procrastination and get better control of our schedules. Start by making a list of goals and things you want to accomplish. Write down long-term and short-term goals and the steps you need to accomplish them. Next, make a couple lists of things you do or need to do. Make a daily list of step-by-step things you need to get done in that day. Make a weekly list, a monthly list, and a project list. By making a step-by-step daily list, it allows you to see where you may spend time on things that aren’t productive or not valuable to your schedule. Once your lists are made, narrow your most valuable tasks down to the top 20% and focus on working toward them. Decide which task is most valuable and work toward that daily. Once all of that is done, look at your list and eliminate one thing that brings no value to your long term goals.
Although this sounds time consuming, once it’s done, it’s done and you will have new habits that will help you to be up to 80% more effective! Happy Friday!