There are 24 hours in a day but sometimes it feels like they are not enough, especially if we have tons of things to do. Do you feel like you have a never-ending to-do list? And when you look at the list, you see some of those that you just don’t want to do. I’ve been there, the overwhelming sight of long task-list is for sure going to want you to go back to bed and ignore everything. This procrastination can further hinder you from becoming productive. This keeps you from maintaining a positive mindset about the things you have to do and eventually, can lead to a feeling of burnout towards your tasks
Is it possible to do more in less time? Yes. Does working 10 hours mean you are a more accomplished person than someone who only does less than that? Not at all. What I believe in, however, is leaning toward working smarter than working harder. YOU CAN still be productive and efficient if you learn how to do more in just less time.
How to do more in less time. It won’t be easy!
How to work more in less time, study more in less time or even do more chores around the house in less time will be a real challenge but a rewarding one once you get the hang of it. At some point, there will be thoughts and emotions that will get in the way of you completing your task. You may need to have a more creative approach to doing things efficiently. You may also need to consider that maybe, your methods of getting stuff done are not that efficient and it’s time to come up with a better approach.
I would like to help you get out of the procrastination mode and accomplish many tasks even if you don’t have so much time to invest. I will share with you 4 smart ways in which you can be highly productive without beating yourself up. These are the tips that I apply to myself and have greatly helped me accomplish so much in a day that I still have time for the things that matter the most.
1. Set clear goals
When you want to accomplish something, make sure you have a clear set of goals. Most of the time, if you’re doing a goal-setting exercise, it’s best to write these down so you can visualize what it is that you want to achieve on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
Be mindful of where you want to go by choosing the right goals. And because you now have a goal, identify the steps that you need to do to get there. Then, take action by doing all of this, right now. Setting clear goals will be for nothing if you won’t continue to take action and stay committed, so don’t spend too much time planning! Imperfect action is better than nothing!
2. Build habits
To build good habits, there is a need to understand what they are. Habits result from a repeated behaviour that eventually becomes something that you automatically do without thinking. There are good habits and bad habits. It takes time to build the former and it’s difficult to break the latter. In your goal of doing more in less time, you have to practice building good habits and recognize that you want them to be part of your life.
One tip is to choose a good habit that is easy. If you want exercise to be part of your daily habit, set aside even just one minute doing a physical activity today. If you want to cultivate a writing habit, work on producing three sentences daily. If you want to bring mindfulness into your daily life, find an easy way to do it every day.
You may be doing small progress but it definitely counts. Don’t worry about moving up the intensity of those habits – you have time for that. The most important thing is that you’re able to stick to each easy habit and work on it consistently. Over time, that simple habit will become automatic for you that increasing its difficulty will seem easy.
3. Go back to your purpose and intention
Sometimes, negative thoughts and emotions can take over. This prevents you from achieving your goals and letting you accomplish the things you want to do in a day. And at times, it will even feel like you want to quit. We all have these thoughts -but remember, your negative thoughts are not the truth.
To clear your thoughts and get back to the present moment, remember your whys- why you started. Remember your purpose and your intention. Think about why you have those goals in the first place. Use this to motivate yourself to move forward and get things done.
4. Get rid of what doesn’t serve you
Upon looking at your list of things to do, you can tend to become fixated on certain tasks that you don’t have control over. It’s helpful if you recognize the tasks you know you can change and accept that sometimes, there’s a need to let go of meaningless tasks that don’t serve you any purpose at all.
If you have failed to finish a task on time, forgive yourself and don’t beat yourself up. That will only make you feel more overwhelmed. Admit that there is nothing perfect and that we make mistakes – so not being able to strictly stick to your routine can happen. And it’s alright.
You can stop and assess if you need a break or if your tasks can be simplified with simple productivity tips. In any case, get rid of that all-or-nothing mentality, and adopt a gentle mindset towards yourself by knowing you are doing the best you can with what you have every day and that is enough!
I hope this inspired you to take action right now to start doing more in less time and stop procrastinating! You don’t need to be always on to reach your goals, you just need to change your mindset to work smarter instead of harder! Tell me in the comments, how often do you procrastinate? What tips have you tried?
- How To Develop A Positive Mindset - November 11, 2020
- 4 Life-Changing Ways To Do More In Less Time - November 28, 2019