How to Avoid Procrastination and Achieve More in Less Time

<p>Imagine it's another Friday working on your computer, only to find that you've only got 45 minutes to finish up all your tasks. You start working on your report, but your eyes keep glancing at the clock.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Midway through the report, you check your email. There, you see that you have 15 new messages waiting for you. You immediately open the messages, read them all, and then continue working on your report.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Before long, you realize you've spent 30 minutes on nothing. You may not need to imagine this scenario if you've experienced this at work, school, or even at home. You may have also felt how hard it is to be productive when everything gets in your way.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The harder you try to have a large project done, the more distractions you encounter. Procrastination is a big issue.</p> <p><br></p> <p>So, what can you do to avoid procrastinating and get more done in less time? Consider these tips:</p> <p><br></p> <p>1. Start with smaller goals. Studies show that we procrastinate the most when we have significant goals. When you start with a large project, you feel overwhelmed, and your initiative starts to wane.</p> <p><br></p> <p>● If you start with a smaller goal, say a 10-minute task, you feel more confident that you can accomplish it, thus increasing your productivity.</p> <p><br></p> <p>2. Try to utilize "activation energy." One way to avoid procrastinating on essential tasks is setting a timer for a set period that might appear short to you. But don't set the timer so short that you can't get through it.</p> <p><br></p> <p>● Instead, set the timer for 15-20 minutes, and let yourself get through the tasks. Setting a timer for a brief period like this -- and shutting all distractions for that period -- forces you to stay focused while knowing that you have a deadline.</p> <p><br></p> <p>3. Arrange your tasks. If you tend to get easily distracted, try to arrange your tasks so that they interact with each other. For example, you might put tasks next to each other on a