How to Have Your Most Productive Day Ever!

It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again: everyone is guilty of repeatedly putting things off. You tell yourself, “I’ll do it later” or “I have time…I’ll do it over the weekend.” You can hear your mom’s voice in your head sternly quoting the age-old saying, “never put off for tomorrow what you can do today,” but no matter how well-meaning you are, procrastination always seems to win.

- Shihaam Hassanali

Postponing is a common problem. You know what you ought to be doing, but instead, you spend your time escaping the task at hand by watching Tv, aimlessly surfing the Internet (hello, Bored panda!) and listening to music. These tasks you’re avoiding like the plague can be mundane (sorting through old files, cleaning out the linen cupboard or arranging a bookshelf), but more often than not, it’s the bigger things that require more attention, time and commitment, that you try and put off (studying for that economics exam, updating your CV, job hunting or confronting someone on a situation that’s bringing you down).

You wind up making excuses to avoid seeing the chore through, and feel uneasiness every time you reschedule. So, no matter the reason, how do you kick this habit to the curb and get on top of all the things you’re evading?

Write down goals and deadlines

Making a list of all your tasks will put them in perspective. Place the more cumbersome items at the top of the page, followed by less worrisome ones. Once you’ve listed these out, set completion dates for each goal. This leaves no room for you to choose between finishing one task or another.

Break down your goals into manageable chunks