How To Stop Procrastinating: 5 Productivity Tips To Get Things Done FAST

Get more done in less time, overcome procrastination, and become a master at time management with these five super simple productivity tips that I've been using in my daily routine for the last 10 years. Yes, that elusive state of mind that we all strive for every single day. Productivity. We all know what it feels like to be unproductive. And ironically, even sitting down to do this video on productivity was something that I put off until the very last minute because every time I sat down to do it, I'd find myself distracted by something else. It is no secret that it is far too easy to become distracted these days more now than ever before, thanks to social media and emails and text messages and the bazillion other notifications we get sent to our smartphone on a daily basis that seriously derail our productivity train. But it is not just this that's to blame. The truth is that the human mind is literally wired for a constant state of distraction. So in a recent study, two Harvard psychologists found that the human mind is actually wired for the state of continuous distraction. And they found that we spend around 47% of every waking hour mind wandering. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about here. One minute you're working and then the next minute you're thinking about that time you embarrass yourself by falling out of your desk in French class in the fifth grade. Yep. So this begs the question, are we doomed to deal with chronic procrastination and unproductivity forever? Now, while I do believe that procrastination breeds breeds productivity, yes, you know what I'm talking about. When you leave something to the very last minute, there's nothing like the looming pressure of a fast approaching deadline to get those keys tapping. But that cycle between procrastination and then that mad dash to get things done in time isn't exactly sustainable, nor does it breed your best work. Luckily, I am here to tell you that there are some mindful habits that you can easily implement into your daily routine to dramatically improve your focus, productivity and even the quality of your life. And these habits are even more insanely important to master once you become your own boss and no one is around to kick your butt into gear but you. After being a freelance copywriter for over 10 years, I've developed a pretty good system for maximizing my own productivity and getting more done on a daily basis. So in today's video, I'm going to share with you the five things that I do every single day to breeze through my to do list and produce my best quality work even when I'm feeling super unmotivated like I was today. Plus, I'll share some words of wisdom from my posse community on how they get into flow when the procrastination bug bites. And make sure to watch to the very end for a super juicy bonus tip, which is honestly the key to not just being productive, but also living a fulfilled and satisfied work from home life. So buckle up and get ready because we're about to shift into GSD mode. Hey guys, what's up? It's Alex coming at you this week with a video to help you smash your to do list, wow your clients and truly live your best life by working smarter, not harder. So if you're a self identified chronic procrastinator like me, give me a thumbs up below to let me know you're here. And if you're new to the crew, welcome. I put out a new copywriting, marketing and freelancing tutorial every single week. So you know what to do. Go ahead and hit that subscribe button below. And don't forget to ring that bell to be notified when my next tutorial goes live. All right. Now before we dive into my tips, I think it's really important to actually define productivity because we all know we want it. But what is it exactly? Well, according to the good old googs, productivity is the effectiveness of productive effort as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input. Yeah, productivity is a quantitative measurement that you can't actually quantify at all. And can you ever be 100% productive? How do you gauge productivity? Well, how productive you feel you are and how accomplished you feel at the end of each day is directly related to your individual goals and expectations. So maybe you spend an entire day brainstorming seemingly useless ideas that will actually someday lead to a multimillion dollar product launch or lead you to starting an eight figure business. Who knows? While on the surface it might not seem like you accomplished much that day, you've actually done quite a lot of important work. I am a firm believer that there's a time and place for everything in your work schedule. A time for brainstorming, a time for planning, a time for implementation, and a time for review and reflection. So the very first step in maximizing your productivity is just to release the impossible expectations of constant hustle and grind. Listen, life is about balance. And that is true when it comes to your work life too. Not every day will be an implementation day, and that is okay. Learn to recognize the value in brainstorming and planning. And yes, rest and reflection too. So, with that in mind, here are my five productivity tips. Tip number one Ease into your mornings all right, now, first things first. You need to make sure that you're starting each and every day in the right state of mind. Which, trust me, is easier said than done when you consider the normal stress and chaos that a lot of us encounter during our morning routines. Maybe you spilled your coffee all over your white shirt this morning, or maybe you were up with a screaming baby all night long. Maybe you're going through some tough break personal stuff. Or maybe the first thing you saw this morning when you woke up was that mean text message or bossy email. All of these things can sabotage your productivity for the day before you even get started. So something that I like to do before I sit down to work is first I remove all distractions, I put my phone on, do not disturb, and honestly, just doing that one thing can have the biggest impact on your productivity. Then I go to the kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee. And then I spend about 10 to 15 minutes either sitting alone in silence or or connecting with my partner, Jackson, as much as possible. I like to ease into my mornings. So my set point for the day is slow, steady and mindful, not rushed or stressed. So I'll sip my coffee, I'll listen to the birds or watch the fireplace, depending on the time of year. And I take some deep breaths while I plan my day ahead. So this allows me to regulate my nervous system, calm myself down from anything that was hectic or stressful the day before, and then focus my energy on the work ahead of me. Now, even if all you have is five minutes, I highly recommend you do this. Really protect your morning time. All right, Tip number two. Time block your day. So this is key to maximizing your productivity. Find out when you work best, morning, afternoon, evening, or night, and then time block your day accordingly. So this is how I time block my days. I reserve time for creative brainstorming, time for handling project and admin tasks, and time for meetings. And because I know that I produce my best work in the mornings, that is when I dedicate my time to being creative. So the mornings are typically when I get the most writing, content creation and client work done. Then as I move into the afternoon, my creative fire starts to dwindle a little bit and I move more into the left side of my brain. So that's when I'll do any editing or responding to social media comments and emails or administrative tasks like sending invoices or paying bills. And then I'll schedule any meetings for the last few hours of the day. As I'm winding down, I like to have conversations. Here's the thing, everyone has different creative time, though. So start to explain, experiment with your workflow and take notice of when you're at your creative best. Then schedule everything else around that. Protect your creative time fiercely. All right, number three is to make a list of MITs. All right, now, this is something that I do religiously. Mapping out my MITs, or most important tasks really helps me to prioritize what I need to get done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. So every Monday, I jot down my MITs for the week, and then I assign days to accomplish each task. So I like to separate my daily tasks using the 1, 3, 5 rule. So I'll do one big task, say, like writing a piece of copy. Three medium tasks, which could be reviewing work or getting into the studio like this to record a video. And five small tasks, which could be as simple as responding to an email that has been sitting in my inbox for a while or scheduling a call. So I start at the top, doing the big or most difficult task first, and then I work my way down to the medium tasks and then, of course, the small tasks. So this helps to make sure that my creativity and energy tank is full when I need it most for that big creative task. If you wait to do the hardest thing until later, your tank will be empty. And not only will it be more difficult for you to focus on that task, but it will take you longer too. And that is when I feel the most unproductive, when I get to the end of the day and I still haven't done that big thing on my to do list. And tip number four, try the Pomodoro technique. So the biggest secret to being productive, taking lots of breaks, which I know, I know feels very contradictory, but give it a try. I'd recommend using the Pomodoro technique. So, this technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. This technique uses a timer to break down work into small intervals separated by short breaks. So traditionally, this technique is done with 25 minutes of work followed by a five minute break. Now, the genius behind this technique is that it makes a big task much less daunting. I mean, just the thought of sitting down to write an entire sales page can be so overwhelming that you put it off for maybe weeks, right? But when you approach it from the mindset of, hey, I just need to work for 25 minutes, it becomes a lot less overwhelming and you're way less likely to procrastinate. The key to this method is to actually take those breaks though. So stand up, leave your desk, maybe make a quick healthy bite to eat. If your break involves checking emails and replying to work inquiries, then it isn't really a break, is it? Now I do believe there are some exceptions to this rule because every rider knows the importance of flow state state and when you are in it, you don't dare leave it or you might never find it again. So if my 25 minute timer goes off and I'm in the middle of a really juicy flow state, I won't stop. I'll keep writing, but then I'll take a longer 15 to 30 minute break later when my creativity starts to dwindle. So you can set your own timer or feel free to use one of the many free Pomodoro timers you find online. Just Google it now. Tip number five Work on One Thing at a Time so multitasking might seem like an efficient way to get more things done in less time, but studies show that multitasking can actually decrease your productivity by 40%. This is because constantly switching from one task to another is stressful on the brain, resulting in less efficient focus and a lower quality of work. So if you do have multiple things to do in one day, this is where your MIT list really comes in handy. Learning to prioritize your workflow is one of the most important things that any entrepreneur can do. So if you really want to shave time off your tasks, following a few tips like learning keyboard shortcuts can save you a ton of time. And I am a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts. They have been a game changer for me. Now before I sat down to record this video, I was feeling super unmotivated. So I asked the posse over on Instagram for some advice. You guys shared so many incredible productivity tips with me and I wanted to take a minute to share just a few of them with you here. So Mara says meditation helps her, Romit says change your state, revisit your why, and visualize the consequences of procrastination like Netflix or napping, which are my vices. My girl Natasha says do a sweaty hiit workout, write a gratitude list or put a timer on. Lucy says go out for a walk in nature with your dog if you have one. Anna says just start writing badly. Action first and motivation second. And Jensen says take a midday shower. I love that idea because I always get the best ideas in the shower. So thank you so much for your tips posse. And if you have any productivity tips that I missed, go ahead and drop them in the comments below. And now for the super juicy bonus tip I promised you. Do something you enjoy. I know, I know it sounds cliche that if you do what you love then you'll never work a day in your life, but there is so much truth to that statement. When you're doing something that you genuinely enjoy doing, then you're less likely to dread the day ahead. Being happy at work and loving what you do is a serious productivity booster that actually enhances your performance. In fact, according to this study from the University of Southern California, it has proven that people who enjoy their jobs are more likely to be optimistic, motivated, learn faster, make fewer mistakes mistakes, and make better business decisions. So this really is the biggest secret to not only more success in your career, but more fulfillment in your life. And while we won't always enjoy every single task we have to do in a day, if you're feeling the procrastination gremlin start to rear its ugly head, start your day by doing the task you enjoy most first. It's a good way to kickstart your engine and start getting things done. Good luck and until next time, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. Alright guys, if you enjoyed that video, make sure to check out the next one from me right here. And you can click right here to get a free gift. Hey guys, what's up? It's Alex. And in this video I'm gonna let you in on a little behind the scenes action on my secret copywriting process.