How to start doing something and not postpone tasks until later? Catch 8 Productivity Tricks 🙌
The school year has begun, but the mood is somehow not academic at all. I want to hide under a blanket, where tasks and delaines cannot reach you. The bad news is that sooner or later you will have to get down to business. The good news is that doing them can be turned into an interesting game or ritual. Let’s see what tricks will help you get off the ground 💪
1. Come up with a ritual
Small, repetitive steps help build associations between ritual and productivity. This should work like a reflex: you do a certain action – drink coffee, clean the table, make a to-do list – to tune in to productivity.
2. Make a to-do list
Every minute spent planning saves 10 minutes of labor. Divide big things into very, very small ones (for example, meet a courier, drink a glass of water, answer a message).
3. Apply the five second rule
The author of motivational books, Mel Robbins, suggests applying the five-second rule: if you are too lazy to do something, take a breath, exhale and mentally count from five to one, like when you launch a rocket. When the count is zero, just get up and get down to business.
This rule helps those who think too long about the consequences of actions. It’s impossible to think through all the options in five seconds, you just get up and do it. It is important to count in reverse order: in forward order you can count infinitely, but back you can only count to zero.Sourcegiphy.com
4. Take just one step
In general, anyone, even tiny, even the most insignificant, is already better than nothing. If you need to write a term paper, to start, simply create a folder for it on your desktop. Yes, it’s just a mouse click, but it’s better than no action.
5. Eat a “frog”
The “frog” is unpleasant but important things that must be done first. As Brian Tracy, an expert in the psychology of success, explains, we tend to start by doing simple things like getting a manicure or reading a book. They bring pleasure and the feeling of a successful day, but they do not develop us. “Frog”, albeit the most disgusting, is swallowed quickly – which means that space is freed up for new things.
6. Play the role
If [insert your name] can’t make a huge to-do list for the day, then turn the responsibility over to your favorite TV or book character. Imagine that you swapped bodies with him for a day – how would he or she behave in such a situation? Perhaps you would have tackled it bravely like Superman? Or have they cheekily delegated them to another person like Cheryl Blossom? Or did you approach the process as creatively as Phoebe Buffet? If it’s not you who’s getting down to business, then there’s nothing to lose — so go ahead!Sourcegiphy.com
7. Do nothing.
Try to sit up straight, put your hands on your knees and do nothing for at least 5 minutes. About halfway through, you’ll want to do something to calm your restless mind. When the right number of minutes have passed, you will want to do at least something, just not to sit.
8. Assign a reward
We postpone some things because we do not see any practical benefit for ourselves. Well, really, why do you need to solve equations if you are going to enter the philology department? Promise yourself a small reward if you complete the task on time: a favorite drink, a leisurely episode of a TV show, or twenty minutes of sleep.
