“ The essence of self-discipline is to do the important thing rather than the urgent thing.”
1. Barry Werner
Hard work will pay you off but smart work will pay you better. We often confuse the activity with accomplishments and just because we are busy does not mean we are productive.
3 tips you need to learn to stop procrastinating and start working:
2. Plan every day
Your ability to make good plans before you act on something is a measure of your overall competence. The better plan you have, the easier it is for you to overcome procrastination.
The good news is that planning saves time in execution. There is one popular 6-P formula. It says, “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.”
Always work from a list. When something new comes up, add it to the list before you do it. You can increase productivity and output by 25% when you begin working consistently from a list. Make your list the night before the workday ahead, and move everything that you have not accomplished yet. When you make a list night before, your subconscious mind will work on your list all night long while you sleep.
When you plan each day, you will find it much easier to get going and keep going. You will get more done faster than you thought possible.
3. Use the ABCDE method
The power of this technique lies in its simplicity. When you start with a list of everything you have to do for the coming day. Then place, A, B, C, D, and E next to each item on your list before you start your first task.
“A” is defined as something very important that you must do. If you have more than one A task, prioritize by writing A1, A2, etc.
“B” is defined as something that you should do. The rule is to never do B tasks before the completion of A tasks.
“C” is something that would be nice to do but if not done, it won’t have any negative consequences.
“D” means to delegate your work so that you can focus on something more important.
“E” is to eliminate the tasks which are of no use and only waste your time.
After you have applied the ABCDE method to your list, you will be completely organized and ready to get more important things done faster.
Develop a sense of urgency
Highly productive people take time to think, plan, and set priorities. They then work towards their goals and objectives. When you work on your most important tasks at a high, you will enter into the state called “flow”.
One of the ways you can trigger this state of flow is by developing a sense of urgency. With this, you develop a “ bias for action”. You take action rather than continually talking about what you want to do.
Wrapping up:
Time management is one of the powerful tools which helps you get ahead of everyone and beat the competition of doing more in less time. Use these tips and help yourself get better at time management.