The Focused Life: 5 ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Thriving
If you've ever found yourself caught in a swirling tide of distractions or struggling to muster the motivation to tackle important tasks, you're not alone. The battle against procrastination is one that many of us face. In fact, a recent study carried out by Darius Foroux revealed that a whopping 80% of average workforces procrastinate between 1 and 4 hours a day.
In the digital era, maintaining focus has become an elusive skill. The constant barrage of notifications, clickbait and the temptation of endless scrolling can lead us astray. So, how can we stay focussed? How can we maximise our time at work so that we still have time to enjoy the things that make us happy?
We’re on a mission to enable you to thrive in a changing world. This means acknowledging the things that hinder you and discovering the positive drivers that move you forward.
But, where to start? “What makes you thrive?”: It’s a big question. Below you’ll find our ultimate guide to figuring out your key drivers and avoiding that all-too-familiar procrastination slump.
Flow is the state of mind where you’re operating at your absolute best. You might be so deeply engrossed in your work that time seems to slip away, or so in the zone that the coffee you brewed an hour ago remains untouched. The state of flow is essentially the opposite of procrastination, a place where productivity knows no bounds. Sounds pretty dreamy doesn't it?
Unlocking this complete state of immersion involves mastering four key principles:
1: Choose an activity you’re currently finding challenging but that matches your skill level
2: Make sure the activity holds personal meaning and significance
3: Find an uninterrupted block of time (ideally between 1h30-2hs) to dedicate the activity to
4: Drown out the distractions. Try muting your phone or turning your emails to Do Not Disturb!
Follow these concepts and you might just be surprised at the quality of your work and how satisfied you feel after completing it!
In a study by Harvard Business Reviewit was found that out of 100 productivity hacks, Timeboxing was considered most useful.
Timeboxing is a similar concept to Flow in that you blockout time in your day to work on a certain project. Essentially, rather than writing an overwhelming to-do list, you add your tasks to a calendar and assign a certain amount of time to each one.
Timeboxing has many advantages. It’s visual, acts as a record of work you’ve completed, and can actually save you time. By assigning a set amount of time to a task, you’ll likely find that you’re driven to finish the task in time. Whereas assign a whole afternoon, a day, a week… you can guess how long it’s likely to take.
An important aspect of staying focused and defeating procrastination is setting clear and achievable goals. Effective goal-setting can guide you towards success and give you the motivation to persist even in challenging times.
When setting goals, make sure they’re specific and clear. Breaking your goals down into smaller steps can help make your goals feel more achievable, and celebrating each milestone will keep you on track.
It’s important to remember that embracing fun and enjoyment is equally essential in boosting your productivity. In a recent Indeed report,it was found that burnout at work has increased by 52% over the past year. Balancing work with leisure not only prevents burnout but also recharges your mental batteries, making you’re more effective when you return to tasks.
Kickstart your journey by completing our new Thrive Quiz, designed to reveal how you can stay focussed and live your best life, in and outside of work.
We’ve partnered up with Haptivate to design a carefully crafted questionnaire that generates an instant report detailing where you currently are in your journey and positive actions to take forward. It’s that easy.
This article was brought to you by multiple breaks, x2 Timeboxing sessions and getting into the zone with Flow. And with that, let’s say a final farewell to procrastination and embrace the power of focus!
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