“Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.” ~Franz Kafka
The ability to know how to stop wasting time and becoming productive is something we all struggle with irrespective of the successful podium we stand on. My life looks all perfect and put together but there are days when I am more of a potato than anything! Yeah, you heard that correctly.
There are days I just want to slow down in chasing my goals with no interest in taking charge of my life, other days I just want to walk away from my calendar, give myself some slack buried on my couch and waste my time on social media just lost in the scroll feeds and beat myself up at the end of the day.
If you are feeling the same way it’s totally okay, especially with the heavy wave of change that we just had to go through. Our lives, routines have utterly been changed making it more difficult to stay productive and not waste time.
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I want you to know that it’s okay to feel the way you are feeling; unmotivated, unproductive, struggling to know how to stop wasting time and becoming productive, walking away from your calendar letting your mind wander around, researching on how not to waste your life, how to stop wasting time in life, how to stop wasting time on the internet, how to stop wasting time on YouTube or how to stop wasting time online or on social media.
You are human, some days are just going to be better than others, there will be days where you cross every single item off your to-do list, days where you accomplish little to nothing and feel pretty crappy and that’s totally okay every once in a while but staying that way breeds limitation because growth is evidently a crucial aspect of survival.
It is not something that should become a habit, it is not alright if you are constantly procrastinating, spending unproductive time on social media, not adopting an actionable step to success, it is not okay to put up your white flag and surrender to laziness, unproductivity and time-wasting. Bad and low days will come but we cannot continually give in to those days.
You can be down on your feet for some time but you cannot remain there. So if you find yourself stuck on a pendulum of unproductivity or you are hanged around the clock and you are constantly wasting time, this will serve as a guide on how to stop wasting time and become productive as you treat yourself with care and tenderness.
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There are a few things to look out for that waste your time during the day:
- Not planning in advance
- Not having a to-do list
- Overloading
- Procrastination
- Too much multi-tasking
- Not being intentional
- Too much clutter
- Not batching errands and work
- Prioritizing the wrong things
- And of course SOCIAL MEDIA!
Being productive simply means making the best of your time. There is a common misconception around the concept of productivity: many people think that being productive means doing a lot.
Truth is, it is possible for you to be all over the place doing a lot of tasks and still not be productive. So, for full productivity to be achieved, you have to take it out of your mind that doing a lot does not mean that you are getting a lot more done.
People usually associate being productive with doing a lot of things at a time. But productivity is actually the extent to which time is effectively used for an intended task.
Many individuals struggle to increase their productivity because they are focused on doing it all at once. Tim Ferris has rightly said, “Focus on being productive instead of being busy”.
So in this article, I will be explaining some key ways on how to stop wasting time and becoming more productive. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to it we’ve got work to do!
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1. Develop A Productive Mindset
The mind is the most powerful tool that we possess as humans it can create a path to success or a dark funnel to failure hence for any sort of change to occur in your life you have to start from your mind.
You must learn to use your mind to its optimal level if you want to live life on a productive level and know how to stop wasting time.
Having a productive mindset is key to getting more done and most of us struggle with this, we know that we should have the right mindset, but we’re not sure on how to achieve it, when you develop a productive mindset you’ll be able to maximize your efforts, your energy and your time.
Developing a productive mindset isn’t about trying to accomplish everything, it isn’t about trying to get things done as quickly as possible but making the most of the time on your sleeve, making the most of the things you have and enjoying the process.
There are some elements you need to integrate into your thought process to develop a productive mindset that will enable you pursue your goals and manage your time more effectively:
– Motivation– Without it, you cannot improve and make progress.
– Vision- If you can visualize the things you want to achieve you can focus on them better, when you have a clear picture in your mind you can strive towards those goals.
– Persistence- A willingness to overcome adversity and obstacles allows you to achieve your goals.
– A positive outlook– Your attitude makes or break you, with a positive attitude you can meet any possibility head-on.
Before we move to the next point I want you to attempt these questions they will probe your mind to create space for that productive shift in your mind:
- What does being productive looks like to me
- Why do I want to be more productive
- What are the benefits I’ll receive by becoming more productive
- What are the things that are holding me back from being productive as I’d like
- How can you overcome these obstacles
- What are the areas of your life where you need to be productive
- Tools you need to take in order to be more productive
- Steps you need to take in order to be more productive
2. Set Goals
Clarity is the most important factor of self-productivity and setting goals is the most efficient way of clarity. To set your goals, you have to decide what it is that you exactly want to achieve and write them down.
It is important to write these goals down and they also ensure clarity and gives you a sense of purpose.
A life hack for setting goals is to set deadlines along with them because they help to create a sense of urgency. No matter how many, you must always follow your goals; make sure you do something every day that leads you towards your goal.
Before we proceed to the next point, let these questions serve as a goal-setting guide that will enable you set smart actionable goals:
– What goals do I need to set?
– Realistic target completion date.
– Why is this goal important to me.
– What are the positive results I will receive when achieving this goal.
– Skills I need in order to achieve this goal.
– Steps I will take to reach this goal.
– Tools/ things I will need to help me reach this goal.
– People I can turn for help if I need it.
– How I will know when I have reached this goal.
3. Use Your Mornings To Focus On Yourself
Mornings usually set our mood for the day, you could either wake up feeling refreshed and energetic or feel drained and uninterested in getting out of bed. It is advisable to wake up early so you give yourself time to plan out your day and plan your day in such a way that you can tackle all the most important tasks before midday.
Checking your mail or social media can get you hooked up with things that are not so important. Don’t allow others to dictate what you should accomplish in a day. That should be your sole decision.
Be selfish with your mornings and carefully plan out every task you want to achieve that day. The ability to make a good plan is a measure of overall competence. This is one of the most important criteria for how to stop wasting time.
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4. Apply The 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule also known as the Pareto principle states that eighty percent of your results come from twenty percent of your actions.
To be productive, you have to figure out that particular task that its completion would make a big difference in achieving your goal. Focus on the most important task that is likely to yield more results. “Resist the temptations to clear up small things first”. Brian Tracy
Make a list of your most important activities and focus on them, do not be tempted to quickly finish up the smaller tasks first. Discipline yourself to focus on the tasks that move you forward, increases your efficiency, and would make the biggest impact.
You know, you could procrastinate the smaller tasks so far you eat the biggest and ugliest frog, that is, completing the hardest tasks. Don’t get used to it though!
5. Focus On Your Most Important And Hardest Task
The way to figure out which is your most important task is to write them down and look at the particular task that brings you closer to your long-term goals. Brian Tracy said “If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first” and the frog in this context is the most important task.
You can group your activities for the day into several groups and then know the one to tackle first. I do this a lot and with this, I have been able to stay on track, be productive, prioritize the necessary and important things and this has enabled me know how to stop wasting time.
- Important and urgent
- Important but not urgent
- Urgent but not important
- Not urgent and not important
Discipline yourself to do that task immediately and don’t sit too long looking at that ‘ugliest frog’ because it would only scare you and make you procrastinate on the important tasks first. To avoid wasting time, it is best to be very selective and do the most important tasks first.
Start with that big and most important and see how your confidence will be boosted and this would give you enough motivation to carry on with the less important tasks.
6. Be Time Conscious
You may think you are good at managing time but if you take deliberate actions to keep track of the time you spend doing any task, you will be amazed at how much time you spend doing almost nothing. And time consciousness is very important when it comes to knowing how to stop wasting time.
These questions will give you an assessment on how well you have to spend your time and the necessary changes to make in order to stop wasting time and becoming productive. They will also guide you on how you can stop wasting time, and start using it wisely.
– What I would do if I had more time in my day.
– The benefits of effective time management include:
– Obstacles that get in my way of making the best use of my time.
– Ways I can overcome these obstacles.
– Steps I can take to gain control of my schedule.
– Tasks I perform best in the mornings (reading, problem solving, phone calls, etc.).
– Tasks I perform best in the afternoons (research, computer work, physical activities, etc.).
– Tasks that take me longer than necessary to complete (that I can delegate to someone else).
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7. Avoid Multitasking
The brain cannot fully focus when multitasking, and this takes longer to complete tasks and are predisposed to error. Attempting to do numerous things at the same time in a bid to save time or meet up a deadline could affect efficient productivity.
Some researchers have concluded that multitasking is a myth because the brain cannot effectively do more than one specific thing at a particular time. A word commonly used in place of multitasking is “switching costs”. But whichever word is used, the most important thing is to avoid doing more than one thing at a time.
On little tasks like house chores, you may get by with multitasking but when it comes to your actual big goals and most efficient tasks, you need to focus on one at a time. Choose that particular task that would move you closer to your goal, put all your focus and motivation on that one task, and block out every form of distraction.
To improve focus on a task, pick that particular task you want to work on, totally avoid any distractions and if there’s a need, write down that distraction and continue with the task. If it would take longer to finish up the tasks you take short breaks so you don’t get overwhelmed.
8. Create A Routine System
Create a system that you are naturally accustomed to. It doesn’t make you seem uptight or OCD, it just helps decision making faster, effectively manages time, and allows you to stay organized.
Create a schedule from your top priorities to the least important ones. Plan every day meticulously and keep track of all your schedules so you stay in check. Become addicted to that excitement you get after every task you complete. It’s also a part of the routine and at the of the day, go through your schedule or to-do list and see how far you have gone.
9. Say No Graciously To Things That Do Not Matter
To be productive comes along with a great sense of discipline and determination and this requires that you know when to say no firmly to things that do not matter. Although you need to effectively manage every opportunity you also need to be able to identify what matters, what task to prioritize, and what not to.
If you dedicate your time to things that do not matter, you end up being unproductive and not achieving your end goals. Before you go to that meeting, outing or gathering ask yourself if it is really necessary. Let your goals be the one that drives to do a task.
10. Seek Help Where Necessary
Try delegating simple tasks when you can. Understand that you cannot be perfect and you might need help from someone who is doing better or knows better in the field you are trying to be productive.
Don’t hesitate to seek help or assistance where you feel stuck. Although you must be intentional about who you ask for help from; it should be someone who has succeeded in your desired field with visible results.
One of the biggest defects in life is the inability to ask for help, I want you to know that regardless of what challenge you are facing right now, the stage of unproductivity and time wastage you are going through you can send me a direct message on Instagram or send me an email and I will be more than willing to help you walk out of that limiting and unproductive state to a more productive and successful state.
So, there you have it! Great tips on how to stop wasting time and becoming productive. Everyone at a point in their life decided to be productive but procrastination is the worst enemy of being productive and sometimes it gets frustrating.
Ignorance can also be a reason for wasting time and not becoming productive but this article has enlightened you on how to stop wasting time!
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FOR YOU:
Thank you so much for reading this article, I hope you have learned a thing or two regarding how to stop wasting time. Please, do not hesitate to reach out to me via the comment section. I love seeing your comments and reactions. From the team and I, we wish you more productive days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
