Perhaps the easiest thing to do in the world is to procrastinate…but only if there were no deadlines that exist. With tons of work waiting for your attention and action, there’s just no way you should waste time.
Below are some useful tips that will help you stay focused throughout the day:
#1: Evaluate How You Use Your Time
The first and very important thing you should do if you want to stop procrastinating is to know how you spend time and what things are causing any sort of distraction to you. Do you check emails more often than necessary? Are you spending office hours surfing the internet? Are you often on the phone talking to friends or family? Right after you identify your evils, you will be able to find ways to stay away from them.
#2: Break Down Your Responsibilities and Recurring Tasks
One way you could avoid getting overburdened by office work is to actually break them down into smaller, more manageable activities. For sure, there are tasks that you have to do on a daily or regular basis. Make a list of them and decide which part of the day you will be doing them. Procrastination starts with the mentality that you have so many things to do. By breaking them down to smaller tasks, you will feel like everything is manageable and that you still have time for leisure after work.
#3: Find a Way to Avoid Distractions
Phone calls, emails, surfing the web, and chatting are some of the most common distractions in the workplace. If you want to work efficiently and effectively, you’ve got to be able to avoid the things that take your attention away from the things you should do. Decide how often or what times during the day you should check and answer emails. Make a phone call to your family or friends during lunch breaks and surf the web when you get home instead. Having the discipline to do these things will guarantee that none of your work will be delayed.
#4: Keep Your Desk Organized
A cluttered work environment is never conducive to productivity. Aside from the fact that clutter makes it difficult to find the things that you need, it also affects your state of mind. Instead of feeling peaceful, you’ll find yourself feeling tired easily. Take time to fix your things and organize your desk. You will be surprised how having an orderly workspace can make you more effective.
#5: Stick to Your Schedule
It’s a good idea to make a schedule of the things you should do, both at work and personally. However, there is no point in making a schedule if you’re not going to keep or stick to it. It is important that you understand the purpose of making schedules, which is for you to stay focused.
#6: Learn to Multitask
In a very competitive world that we have today, it is very common for workers to multitask. This is a skill that you’ve got to develop overtime if you want to be successful and not overwhelmed by too many tasks. If you need help in trying to overcome the challenge of avoiding procrastination, working with a career or personal coach will be beneficial.
Cecile Peterkin is a certified career and retirement coach, and a registered member of the Career Professionals of Canada and the International Coach Federation. She is also the Founder and Senior Career Strategist at Cosmic Coaching Centre, provider of career and life management services for middle managers and mid-career professionals across Canada, United States and Europe.