It seems like business productivity goes way down around the holidays and this year, for whatever reason – be it the economy, the weather or a combination of factors – the drop feels even more pronounced than usual. To combat procrastination, we’ve tried some relatively simple solutions that have had noticeable results. If you’re looking for ways to be more productive, consider:
Prioritizing your to-do list: At the end of every workweek, make a master to-do list for the next week and a shorter list with just the priority jobs that need to be completed on Monday. This will help you stay focused and enables you to get started on your priorities as soon as you arrive on Monday morning. Continue to make daily priority lists throughout the week as needed.
Setting a deadline: If an item on your list doesn’t have a specific deadline, create one. Setting a personal completion date will help ensure list items don’t slip through the cracks.
Making a game of it: Sometimes people can get more things done on their list if they make a game of it. Try to see how many list items you can cross off in a day. This can provide good motivation without a lot of effort.
Starting a project, any project: As many writers suffering from writer’s block will tell you, sometimes just doing something will spur more productivity – so pick an item from your list and get going!
Finishing the thing you dread most, first: Although it’s human nature to push activities we dislike to the bottom of the list, resist the urge. If you put it off, chances are that it will stay at the bottom and may never get done. But if you tackle the hardest items first, not only will they be finished, but also, other list items will seem easier to complete by comparison.
A word of caution: To-do lists can be extremely helpful in combating procrastination, but be careful not to spend too much time on them. If the majority of your day is spent making lists as opposed to crossing-off completed activities, then you may be using your to-do list as another procrastination tool!
