Increasing Productivity And Avoiding Procrastination

How to get things done.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Procrastination

One thing I struggle with, both with work and with getting the chores finished, is procrastination.

The slightest hint of a shiny object and I am off.

If I don’t feel like doing something, it rarely gets done.

Jobs mount up and the will to do them becomes even less so. Finally, weeks later or just before a deadline, I have a massive meltdown. Somehow, everything gets done and the entire process starts again.

Keeping up with things from the beginning is much less stressful.

I have about a million things I need to get done, and so I asked some friends how they are so productive, while still keeping on top of everything else. The consensus was to use one of two methods.

The 15 minute method

This method involves setting a timer for 15 minutes. Regardless of if you want to do the thing or not, you do it for 15 minutes. Then reward yourself afterwards.

When the timer goes off, you may stop and have your reward.

Sometimes, if you are lucky, that 15 minutes will be enough to put you in the mood to keep going.

Pomodoro method

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It uses a timer to break work into intervals, commonly 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a "pomodoro," from the Italian word for 'tomato,' after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student. ~ ChatGPT

• Choose a Task: Pick a task you need to get done.

• Set the Timer: Set a timer for 25 minutes—your first pomodoro.

• Work on the Task: Work on the task until the timer rings. Then, put a checkmark on a piece of paper.

• Take a Short Break: Take a 5-minute break. This helps your brain relax.

• Repeat: Complete four pomodoros, then take a longer break, typically 15-30 minutes.

Find a brilliant free pomodoro timer here to help you plan out tasks into pomodoros.

I use the trusty tomatoes

I find something inherently satisfying about completing pomodoros, and working on one pomodoro at a time, rather than a whole task seems much less daunting.

Thats not to say just doing the thing for 15 minutes for a reward doesn’t work either - the behaviourist in me knows all about reinforcement of a behaviour with a reward to get more of the behaviour.

But pomodoros win in my book, as I am far more likely to accomplish a 25 minute stint than I am an entire project. When faced with overwhelming tasks like my entire level 6 clinical animal behaviour course, for example, I just put it off. 25 minutes is something I can easily achieve and so it is far less frightening.

As a side note - this article, along with the audio creation to go with it - one pomodoro.

Now I’m off for a coffee.