Distractions and Procrastination:
Here comes a big obstacle. Distractions. “Oh, let me just check social media for five minutes,” and then end up aimlessly scrolling on it for an hour or so. Another one might be distracting thoughts. “What happened then? What did that person say?” Thoughts like these, which are irrelevant to the task at hand. We end up zoning out of our productivity zone. We have to avoid this.
For anything related to your phone, keep it aside. Do not think about it. Focus on the task you’re doing. If you have some work to do on your phone, then install app blockers and/or turn off the data connection if not needed. If it’s not about your phone, if it’s anything distracting that you could do later, you can have a piece of paper to write them down, and do them later. Once you’ve written it down, you shall not think about it until you complete the task you’re doing. If you face external distractions like people disturbing you while you’re working, have a set time that you’ve told your housemates about, when they won’t come to disturb you. Use all these and fight distractions!
Another big challenge is: Procrastination. It is related to distractions in a big way. Distractions can cause procrastination. It also might be due to you getting tired of what you are doing, may it be fatigue or loss of motivation. If you really feel tired and know deep down that you deserve a break, then take a break. If not, try to push yourself. “If I do this, the results will be better, and I’ll be more satisfied,” is what you should think. Sure, it’s hard, but just try and overcome your challenges little by little. Don’t try to do all your work at once, as that can overwhelm you– thus resulting in more procrastination. Go step by step. A little progress is better than none at all.
Distracting thoughts are the ones that make you procrastinate. Hence we must be stronger than our thoughts. Our brains are simply suggesting ideas of things we could be doing if we weren’t working. They are suggestions. You can, of course, deny them if you want. Visualise what would happen if you procrastinate. Are you really okay with that? You’ll be straying from your goal. Are you okay with that? You’ll be putting more tasks into the “future”. Are you okay with that? Ask yourself.
Work done today will save your time tomorrow. Every time we procrastinate, we are borrowing time from the future. Doing a good task will take the same amount of time, so it’s better to get it done earlier. You’ll also have more time for fun stuff then!
“Start early, because it gives you more room to make mistakes.”
JHS and AY Write 