Despite recent strides in my productivity habits, I still catch myself procrastinating at work more often than I'd like. It's not that I make a conscious decision to put off a project; it just feels as though I wake up 20 minutes later and realize that nothing got accomplished. (Or, to avoid the passive voice and take much-deserved responsibility, I "realize that I haven't accomplished anything".)
I've been looking for techniques to improve, and got a lot out of LukeProg's articles on How to Beat Procrastination and My Algorithm for Beating Procrastination, based on Piers Steel's The Procrastination Equation.
But I also wanted a way to put the principles to use with the lowest activation cost possible. I can't expect unmotivated future-me to be too cooperative; I need to provide him with an easy path to get in flow.
So! I developed a 10-Step Productivity Checklist, pulling the concepts from Luke's articles and adding a couple points that are important for me. Now whenever I notice myself being unproductive I have a much easier time following the steps one by one until I get back in a good mindset to work.
Productivity Checklist:
-
What is the task? Make sure you're going to focus on one thing at a time.
-
Do you have something to drink? Get yourself some tea, coffee, or water.
-
Are distractions closed? Shut the door, quit Tweetdeck, close the Facebook and Gmail tabs, and set skype to "Do not disturb."
-
What music will you listen to inspire yourself to be productive or get in flow? Put on a good instrumental playlist! (I love video game soundtracks, further notes in comments.)
-
Why are you doing this task? Trace the value until you feel the benefit.
-
What are the parts to this task? Break things down as much as you can, until they're physical actions if possible.
-
What are some ways to gamify the task? Try to have fun with it!
-
What are some rewards you can offer yourself for completing sections of the task? Smiling, throwing your arms up in the air and proclaiming victory, or M&M's all count.
-
What's an achievable goal for this sitting? Set a reasonable expectation for yourself.
-
How long will you work until you take a break? Set a timer and commit to focusing.
Get into flow!
I'd love to hear from you:
- Whether these are useful
- Any ideas for good ways to enact these steps
- Steps that should be added/removed/tweaked
- Whether there are other posts/resources that you've found valuable
I hope this helps you as much as it's helping me, and that together we can make it even better!
Also: Is your work area bright enough? Turn on your desk lamp.
Feels like a free concentration boost to me.
Also: is your work area too bright? Turn off a light.
Hawthorne Effect