Procrastination often leads to more anxiety and can rob us of our productivity. This video will try to get you to think differently when it comes to your daunting task in hopes of ending your procrastination and allowing you to be more productive.
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Parkinson's Law is the old adage that work expands to fill the time allotted. Simply put, if you’re given a year to complete a task, you’ll perceive that task as requiring a year’s worth of work. Now, it is important to accurately estimate how long a task will take, because you want to ensure quality work, but there are times when giving yourself less time can be more helpful.
It may seem counterintuitive, but with the current task that is stressing you out and making you want to procrastinate, it could be because you have too much time to complete it, and that large chunk of time has you perceiving the task is more difficult than it really is.
For example, with these videos on my channel, I used to give myself a week to complete a video, but noticed I wasn’t consistently producing a video each week, and was often stressed out during the whole week procrastinating on getting started. Now, I still strive to put out a video each week, but my deadline has become even stricter. I give myself one day to have the video made. And what’s strange is that viewing the task as only being a daylong, I perceive it as less stressful, and I’m finding it easier to fight off procrastination and be more productive, following through on my goals
You’ll never know if this is your problem until you test it out. Try giving yourself a stricter deadline, and see if it helps you finish your work.
Another counterintuitive suggestion is to schedule your play. Maybe you’re thinking, I know how to play, I do it too much and what I really need is tips on how to be productive and get to work. But there’s a saying that originated in 1659 that I’m sure you’ve heard of, it’s “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" The proverb means that without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring.
This something I’ve only learned recently, that our procrastination can come from not having a proper work-play balance.
For example, let’s say you have a perceived big and unpleasant assignment to complete and you’ve committed all your free time to completing it and you believe you don’t have time to relax and take a break.
But just like craving junk food when on a strict diet, if your work life is too strict, you’ll likely crave time to play and relax. So when trying to work, your mind might be somewhere else, taking the break that you’re refusing to give yourself. You try to resist taking a break for a while, but the stress of work becomes too overwhelming where you decide to escape to what is fun and relaxing. But the escape is short lived, or in the escape we are unable to fully enjoy it knowing there’s a lot of work to be done.
But what if you were to block out time for fun and relaxation ahead of time? It could be like giving yourself one cheat meal a week on a diet. It could allow you to be more disciplined and focused on your work, knowing that something fun was right around the corner.
I’m learning to humble myself and realize I’m not a machine that works all the time, and schedule time to rest and relax, and to do things that are fun and enjoyable. But what you may find odd, as that when you allow yourself time for guilt free rest and play that’s in moderation, you’ll often find it refreshes you, and recharges you to allow yourself to be more productive with your work.
Both not understanding Parkinson’s Law, that a task swells in perceived difficulty based on the time you give yourself to complete it, and not having proper play and rest time has contributed a great deal to my procrastination and lost productivity over the years and maybe it’s done the same for you. Give these ideas some thought and see if they can help you be more productive.
The Other Side of Life by Michael Unks-Affiliate Link to Amazon listed below..
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Music credits:
“Valium,” By No Thanks
*obtained from Epidemic Sounds under creator license
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• How to Stop Procrastin...
How to Stop Procrastinating and be Productive