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5 Tips on How to Cut Down on Procrastination in the Workplace
We all get a bad case of the Mondays from time to time. And everyone has experienced difficulty in finishing a long or complicated project every once in a while. Unfortunately, it may be impossible to eliminate procrastination entirely. Indeed, it may even prove beneficial to get away from a tricky assignment for a little bit. However, when it’s time to get down to brass tax, procrastination can be your biggest nemesis. The good news is that, with a little application and plenty of focus you can shake off the doldrums and be at your productive best in no time. Here’s how:
Budget Your Time
Providing yourself with a vague or unspecific work schedule will likely make your work more difficult than it needs to be. Rather than giving yourself a week or a day to finish a task, get down to the details with your planning. Map out how you’re going to spend your day down to the hour; the more thorough your plan is, the less room you have to get distracted.
Turn Off Your Phone
Whether you’re writing a report on a new line of culture vessels, or preparing a presentation on last quarter’s sales for your boss, checking Facebook isn’t going to help you finish your work. Nor is checking Instagram, Twitter, the newest YouTube video, or an enthralling Reddit thread. Unplug when you need to get serious work done –– your focus will show up in the results of your labor.
Keep an Open Mind
Just because you’re focusing on a given assignment, doesn’t mean you should shut your brain off to everything else. If inspiration strikes and you think of a new idea or a new way of doing things –– follow that tangent. There’s no formula to doing quality work, but ignoring your instincts is never a good idea.
Find “Your” Place
Even at work you can mitigate against distraction by controlling your environment. And it’s essential to cut down on stress if you’re going to do your best work. Remove unnecessary clutter from your desk and do your best to assign certain tasks to certain spaces in your office. For instance –– consider checking your email during lunch, writing reports at an assigned monitor, and brainstorming in a common area or with a fellow employee. Mixing things up will help keep your work fresh and your mind sharp.
Just Do it
Despite all of your efforts to cut down on the potential of procrastination, the only way to defeat it is to simply get stuff done. It’s a mindset that good professionals have, and one that you can improve the more you apply yourself.
