I am the worlds biggest procrastinator. Any excuse to let my mind wander elsewhere and I’ll take it, no matter what else I should be doing and how important it is. But, sometimes you do have to make your brain focus so here’s my top five ways to stop procrastinating and get stuff done!
One: Plan Plan Plan | I literally rule my life by lists. If I didn’t, I would never get anything done or I’d miss things right, left and centre. Especially on days when my time is limited, lists help me focus and really assist in micromanaging my day into something productive (otherwise you’d find me four days later, covered in crisps in front of Netflix wondering what I’m doing with my life). I always plan what products or items need to go into posts, what things I can pair with them or what way I can write about them, then I’ll place everything that needs photographing into piles so I know what I need to do!
Two: Negotiation | I’m constantly negotiating with myself. Whether its ‘should I get up now or in five minutes?’ or ‘should I have the cake?’, my life is a constant battle of wills. I find this plays a huge part in the amount I procrastinate, as I find myself saying I’ll do it later as it’s only a one hour tv show… aaand the routine goes on and on. So, what I try to do is say ‘Helen, gurl, if you do all of your blog stuff photography and editing before midday and try to get at least 3 posts written/scheduled by 3pm, you can watch all of the Hannibal you like.’ Usually it works, chocolate works too. Try it.
Three: Limit Distractions | If it’s not my phone, it’s a person, or a noise or something. I get distracted quite easily when most of the time I desperately need to focus! Try to limit any interruptions or distractions and focus on what you have to do. Even if that means turning your notifications off or even, dare I say it, putting your phone on airplane mode, it hugely helps your concentration and reduces the amount you procrastinate!
Four: Food + Water | I get majorly distracted when I’m either hungry or thirsty. Like, I literally cannot focus on what I have to do to the point it makes me mad if I am even the slightest bit peckish. Being fully hydrated massively helps, too, as I always feel like I have a hangover and a foggy brain when I haven’t had enough water. If you’re doing a task that requires a few hours attention, make sure you have something filling or, alternatively, have snacks and a glass of something at the ready so you can
Five: Just Get On With It | Tell yourself to get a goddamn grip and get on with stuff. Sometimes you don’t want to, but hey, you’ll feel so much better afterwards when you do!
And if you still find yourself procrastinating, do so productively! Try tidying your room or tackling the ironing or rewriting that about me on your blog that you’ve been meaning to do for ages. I always find having everything clean and tidy seems to put my brain in order, despite not being the most fun task in the world! How do you stop yourself from procrastinating?
Helen x
ps. Check out this lovely blog: Living for the Now!
