Let's talk about being productive. Because as I am typing this post there are about five other homework assignments that I could and maybe should be working on, but I'm not because they aren't due within the next 12 hours.
I've noticed that I am most productive when under a time crunch and deadline. My extremely organized side recognizes upcoming projects and assignments weeks in advance and I know that I should start working on them, and many times I do. But it's not until I get down to the wire that I focus and check items off my to-do list faster than New Yorkers lined up for the cronut.
Does this describe you, too?
If there is one thing that school has taught me, it is how to procrastinate. The problem is some of my best work comes when I do it in a hurry. When looking too far in advance on my calendar, I become bogged down with how much needs to get done. Instead of prioritizing, I do nothing at all and scroll through my twitter feed for the twentieth time that hour.
I was reading an article yesterday about the two-minute rule of productivity. If it is a task you can accomplish in under two minutes like emptying the dishwasher or cleaning your email inbox, get it done right away. If the task at hand will take longer than two minutes, then spend at least two minutes getting started. If your goal is to go to the gym more often, then at least put on your tennis shoes and walk out the door. Once you have made that initial action, you are more likely to finish out the task. Want to start reading the book for book club instead of just skimming reviews? Spend two minutes reading the first few pages. Chances are you will get hooked and won't want to put the book down.
So the next time, your to-do list is a mile long, just take two minutes to start tackling those items because don't we all know that crossing several items off quickly makes us feel more productive? Just two minutes. What could you have accomplished in the time it took you to read this post? (Although I am glad you read to the end.)
11 comments:
YES! Thank you for this awesome reminder and words of wisdom during my final week of classes and upcoming exams!
I'm a serial procrastinator. and I dislike it greatly. I, like you, pump out my best work when in a time crunch. that's why I love to be busy, then I'm in a constant state of productivity. love this post!! xo - chels @ LLinaBC.com
This is such great advice. I get so overwhelmed by tasks and you're right, some of them take just 2 minutes! Why the heck not get them out of the way first and then give yourself time to focus on the longer tasks. I'm going to stop reading blogs now and get back to work!
Great tip! This is one of the toughest parts of working from home for me - not having set hours is great in many ways, and I can always meet deadlines, but there are plenty of days in which there's stuff I *can* get on with, but don't necessarily *need* to. Those are the tough days!
I've debated whether or not I could successfully work from home or not. Sometimes too much flexibility is a horrible thing.
You and me both Anna! Thanks for stopping by first before you move on to more important things :)
It's a gift and a curse. Glad I am not alone!
Best of luck! Don't spend too much time on Netflix instant streaming ;)
Nice tip! Starting is always the worst. I'm definitely a procrastinator too. And the big thing college taught me is that I'm most productive at 4am. . .which really doesn't work in real life after school.
Hmm that's a really interesting idea! I just wish there was a magical motivation potion or something :]
I do 2 different things. For cleaning we do 15 minutes a day for cleaning! It's usually right before bed. When working on tasks its 25 minutes of concentration followed by 5 break for 4x then a 30 minutes break. It has worked wonders for me.
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