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This article will cover more about time management fundamentals that can help you achieve what you desire in life.
Time moves in one direction, memory in another.
William Gibson
So, if you’re struggling in managing your time, or you wanted to improve and be productive, I got you. You are definitely on the right page! We will be talking about the great “Procrastination” and how you can get rid of it while also discussing tips and tricks that you can use to be more productive.
What is Procrastination and how does it affect Time Management
This became quite a bit popular on social media and the internet as memes because everyone can seem to relate. While time management has been neglected by most people in society, procrastination on the other hand gains a lot of attention.
Procrastination is simply the process of delaying tasks and it has a huge effect on your productivity. Things that you can finish in 5-15 minutes end up taking an hour, or day, even weeks, maybe months, or might end up not being done at all. It completely ruins time management and completely promotes “laziness”.
That meme above is one great example that shows procrastination as a whole.
If you wanted to be successful, you might probably want to remove procrastination from your system. It might not be that easy but is totally achievable. You can also check my other post, Be Successful with These 3 Things here.
Understand Procrastination and Focus on Time Management
I recommend you go check first this talk as well by Tim Urban called, “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator.”
This talk really helped a lot in my mindset. If you are a bit lazy to watch, don’t worry. Let me summarize for you.
Tim Urban used visual representation to show how playful a procrastinator’s brain can get.
Non-procrastinator, their brain was controlled by rational decision-makers.
It looks like this:
On the other hand, the brain of a procrastinator looks like this:
There is this “Instant gratification monkey” who distracts the rational decision-maker from doing things. The monkey lives in the moment and doesn’t care about the past or the future. It loves to do easy and fun things and will take you to its dark playground where all the non-productive fun happens.
You don’t want this monkey to be the driver of your life as it will get you nowhere. But fear not, there is this panic monster whom the monkey is afraid of. However, the panic monster is usually dormant most of the time. He will suddenly wake up any time a deadline gets too close or if there is danger, public embarrassment, a career disaster, or some other scary consequences.
When the panic monster wakes up, here’s what happens:
Still no Time Management tho-
Since the monkey is scared of the panic monster, he will then run up and hide in his tree. The rational decision-maker can then start working on a project or task.
However, since most of the time was wasted playing in the dark playground with the monkey, you might end up over-working yourself but we don’t know what the results will be.
So, the point here is that you need the panic monster in order to get rid of your monkey and then start being productive. To do that, you just need to set a deadline to make sure the panic monster would be up scaring the monkey away.
The Power of Mindset.
Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.
John Wayne
I hope you pay attention to the Ted talk above. One of the reasons why I put it before everything else is because of its effect. It will legit contribute big time from your point of view. If you want to be productive and be a better you, then you have to start focusing on your mindset. Instead of trying to explain what I mean, let me illustrate it to you.
If you are waiting for the day when you will wake up feeling refreshed, motivated, inspired, blah blah, I’m sorry to burst your bubble but it will never gonna happen.
It’s an Illusion, such a thing does not exist!
Do you think that when you’ve done nothing all week but sleep or lay down, you will wake up inspired all of sudden?
Well, maybe. However, if you have the kind of mindset where you just sit down, wait for inspiration to come, and do nothing, then you are what they call ‘lazy’. People always use excuses over excuses to avoid doing something and man, I got to tell you. That thing is bad. The secret to being productive is being able to control your every action with the proper mindset.
As Stephen King says;
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
There might be some days where you will wake up feeling good but the chances are very low. Plus, if you just rely on this then just a Lil bit of bad news for the day can ruin everything and will make you go back to doing nothing.
Stop this cliche!
Let’s do something fun and let’s see whether it’s cliche or not.
“How do you manage time?”
Try asking your friends that, or maybe search on the internet. Did they say something like “I plan my day.”, “I follow to-do tasks.”, something like that? If you searched on Google, what do you see?
It is always like that! It’s what everyone knows to be the best way to manage time.
While it is completely true, it is not gonna work out as easy as it sounds if you don’t have the proper mindset.
Have you ever had this experience where after watching a certain movie or show, you kinda get inspired and wanted to be like the character you love the most? For some, it’s probably nothing, but there are some people who take it to the next level and work really hard to become that person. Their brain was programmed to do this and that which will then lead to their success.
It’s all in the mind.
What you need is a determined, positive mindset if you wanted to be productive and beat the clock. Listening to motivational podcasts like “The Mindset Mentor” will surely help you out.
So, what I’m saying probably is mixing up so let me put on step by step for you.
How to Manage Your Time & be Productive
1. Have the proper mindset
The more positive you are, the more productive you can get.
Being able to put yourself together and control your every action is extremely important. With the proper mindset, it will help you go further.
Listening to motivational podcasts, meditation, and reading books will help you a lot for sure.
2. Set Your Goal
Think of the thing that you really want to achieve and focus on it.
Imagine what it will be like to achieve your goals and it will surely help you stay on track and work your way up.
3. Build up a routine
While setting a goal might be a little easy, building up a routine may not be as easy as it is but it will help in your productivity as it will help your body adjust to a routine.
Think of what you wanted to do every time you open your eyes in the morning and before you close it in the evening. Was it skin care, meditation, or work out maybe?
Do it every day and stick with it. You’ll be amazed by the results afterward for sure.
4. Plan Your Week
You already have a goal and a routine and now is the time to plan your week. You can do it every Sunday night before you go to bed. Make sure you prioritize and stick with the schedule!
5. Put up a Rest day!
There is nothing more rewarding than relaxing after you’ve done all the work you were supposed to do for the week.
Plan what day it is that you can rest and relax. When you get to the point where you are feeling tired and exhausted from working, having a rest day you can look forward to will definitely be helpful. The satisfied, relaxed feeling is something you can’t miss!
6. Be Consistent and don’t Forget to Smile.
I challenge you to be consistent! Do it not only for 1-2 weeks but for the rest of your life. You can change it every time tho.
One thing’s for sure is that, knowing that you’ve been productive will give you a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Smile and show it to the world!
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