Beating Distraction and Productive Procrastination: A Beginner’s Guide
Right before I sleep every night, I like to reflect on my day and set an intention for the next day. I wake up the next morning with fresh hope — the hope of making this day better and more productive than the day before. I am sure a lot of you relate to this way of thinking. Our mood generally reflects the kind of day we’ve had, and more often than not, this is influenced by how productive we were that day.
Productivity is a very personal concept, meaning that you may perceive your level of productivity differently than another person. For most of us, the process involves creating to-do lists and checking off boxes. The more tasks you check off, the more productive you feel you are.
Some recent articles I read made me realize that the tasks I was checking off my list weren’t necessarily the ones that create the most impact. Our inherent tendency is to first tackle easier tasks that take lesser time, which is often not as impactful as perhaps tackling the bigger task we have been putting off for weeks. This phenomenon is popularly referred to as ‘Productive Procrastination’ — an illusion of productivity, more quantitative than qualitative.
It may also help to pause here to understand the Pareto Principle, which has found its application across industries.
The essence of the Pareto Principle (or the ‘80/20 Rule’) is that “80% of your results will come from 20% of the action.”
In terms of our to-do lists, it is generally the bigger (and often scarier) tasks that drive the most impact. Devoting that 20% of relentless and focused effort to these, will get you 80% of the desired result.
A big reason for why I was falling prey to Productive Procrastination was the amount of distraction I encountered throughout the day. The challenge has only increased with the ongoing pandemic and working remotely.
A typical distraction from work is notifications — an email in your inbox, an instant message, or your phone. Whenever I was working on a big task (the 80% impact driver, if you will), I found myself doubly tempted to look at these notifications and respond to them.
Since the bigger tasks require focused effort and more time, the easier choice is to take a break and respond immediately to these notifications instead. These actions provide instant gratification, and make you feel like you just checked off a box.
How do we break out of this loop?
An effective solution I recently came across is to take ‘creative breaks’ from work. Instead of mindlessly browsing or looking at your phone every 10 minutes, set aside designated break times and use those to create something: it could be writing an article (like I am at the moment), or reading a book, or sketching, or just getting out of your chair and stretching a little. An entrepreneur I follow uses this time to needlepoint while listening to audiobooks.
Using your breaks as creative avenues or just as a timeout from your screens can be a great way to give your mind some rest or develop a long-lost/new hobby instead of going down the distraction rabbit hole.
Having tried this approach for over a month now, I definitely feel more focused when I work on the bigger, more meaningful tasks on my to-do list. Whenever I need a break, the creative outlet gives me a sense of accomplishment that I can channel very effectively when I resume working. These creative breaks could be a potential game-changer when it comes to beating both distraction and procrastination, as well as helping you develop your creative interests in the long term.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this process and whether you already are or would be inclined to try it. Feel free to share in the comments below!
I also plan to write a follow-up to this article in a few months to reflect on my progress.
