We all struggle with procrastination. Our brains don't give us a choice. They want to relax to conserve as much energy as possible. Over 20% of your daily calories go toward your brain. So you shouldn't feel bad for procrastinating.
Where it gets out of hand is if you're a chronic procrastinator. That's the person who vegges out until the last possible second. Then gets up to do something until that second has passed and keeps procrastinating.
I am of the belief that if you want to fight procrastination you have to turn your brain off. Stop thinking and start doing. But that's not always possible. Especially if you like to analyze everything like me. So recently I've tried to look at ways in which I can do my most productive work.
Starting the day right has been one of the most beneficial routines I've implemented. I can do all my work by noon and enjoy the rest of the day. Keep in mind I sometimes wake up at 4 am. But most of the time, I am able to do a full day's work within 2can
The biggest contributors have been some of the new habits I'm implementing. They make sure that I am accomplishing goals and make me want to do more. Here are the biggest changes I've made in the morning.
Turning my phone off
This may sound ludicrous to some people. But the biggest change I've made is to turn my phone completely off before I go to sleep. I'll even place it in a different room if I have to. I didn't realize how much my phone will cut down on my productivity.
From opening it in the morning to checking notifications, looking at emails, etc. And once the social media apps are open, I don't want to get up. So not having any interaction with that at all, has been a game changer. I can get out of bed feeling rested and start my day.
You may think you need your phone as an alarm and that is understandable. But why would you need an alarm if you're not fully rested? I've been playing with my sleep schedule lately and haven't used an alarm for over a month. I would rather let my body rest for as long as it needs than force it up. So usually I would go to bed much sooner just to wake up when I naturally feel like it.
Meditating
Recently I've also started meditating again. After getting up and writing my journal, I try to sit still for at least five minutes. It helps me center myself and every meditation so far has ended with me smiling ear to ear.
It's still important to do work that you enjoy. So you can wake up wanting to do more. Meditation makes the start of each day better. I used to try and get all the benefits of it by extending my meditation time to 20 minutes. But I am not building for that yet. Over time I am looking forward to improving this skill.
It may sound cliche that meditation would be on this list. But I can promise it's not. I don't like wasting time, much less thinking about breathing. Yet, this has helped me have a clear head. It's the thing I do right before I start writing, and with a clear head, I'm able to produce content much faster.
Working out
This was the most counterintuitive activity I've added. Usually, I would be more tired to start the day if I was working out. It didn't help that I had to exert myself, even more, to get more done. So I toned down my workouts to account for that.
I've never felt better. It's an easy way to get in shape by doing a little bit at a time. And it's also helped to keep me focused throughout the day. I would usually work out at least 3 hours a day between martial arts and weight lifting. But having moved that to 20 minutes has been more than enough to maintain my shape and not pass out from exhaustion.
Fasting all morning before my work is done
Once all the above have been completed, the last thing that remains is working on my tasks. Between writing and posting videos, that makes up all my work daily. The clarity I get from work has never been easier. Usually, I would waste my time, writing a paragraph every ten minutes and then scrolling on my phone.
I never realized how distracting social media can be. Since I made the switch it's been life-changing in terms of output. But fasting has done even more. There is nothing better than earning your meal. Like our ancestors would have done hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Every time I work, I either want to do it faster or better. That's because I'm also motivated by my metabolism. Fasting stimulates human growth hormone which makes you more aware of your surroundings. And that's for good reason. You want to be able to hunt with a clear head.
By using this method to focus on work instead, I've been able to finish all my tasks in record time. If a writing post takes me an hour to create, now that time has been cut down to half an hour or less.
So look for some of the things you can do to increase your output if you feel like you're not focused enough. For me it's getting technology out of my face, meditation, working out and fasting. Which one helps you combat procrastination the most?