Stop Procrastinating

Today’s question comes from Flore, in Kenya:

How do you avoid procrastination?

Well, the short answer is I don’t. I’ve known I had to write this for a month now. I also knew I was going to be traveling so I had to finish it on the weekend.

Did I? Of course not! Here I am, in between an interview and a meeting, typing away like a monkey on Adderall.

Lucky for you, one of my favorite forms of procrastination is researching how to overcome procrastination. So here are the most useful techniques I’ve found down the Google rabbit hole.

Combined, the following hacks have helped me become an acceptably productive person (except when there’s a new season of Game of Thrones. I am not a robot!).

# Eliminate temptation

Stop wishing one day you’ll have the will power to ignore Whatsapp. Just put your phone on airplane mode and use apps to block distracting sites on your devices.

I use Freedom on both my computer and phone. The app allows you to temporarily block access to time-wasting websites, so you can research a story without getting pulled away by Twitter storms.

If guilt helps you stay motivated, then you will love RescueTime, which tracks where you spend time online. Trust me, seeing the amount of hours you devote to YouTube is sure to put you off cat videos for a while.

# Build a bubble

Most of us are not working from a quiet cabin in the woods. That means we need to set up our own creative bubbles — whether it’s in a busy Starbucks in Seattle or a tent in Djibouti.

Turn your laptop into a Zen temple using Backdrop (it hides your messy desktop) and Tibetan singing bowls, rain or white noise. Writers may enjoy Omwriter, a hipster, minimalist writing environment with pretty backgrounds and audio tracks to boost concentration.

Noise canceling headphones are also a great investment.

# Clear out your inbox

Inbox clutter is highly distracting but cleaning it up can take decades. Introducing… E-mail Game. This app turns answering e-mail into a fun race against the clock. Otherwise, just “select all” and press “archive.” Sweet relief.

# Optimize your to-do list

Endless to-do lists are deeply ineffective. So I suggest having two of them:

A) A weekly to-do list: with every single thing you would possibly need to do
B) A daily to-do list: with only three must-complete tasks.

Got’ em? Write them on a post it. Stick them on your desk. And don’t add any others until you get them done.

Struggling to prioritize? Take a blank sheet of paper and divide it into 4 columns. Label them:

- Important + Urgent
- Important + Not Urgent
- Not Important + Urgent
- Not Important + Not Urgent

Write down all your tasks under the correct heading. Work on the first two categories. Only then tackle the third (likely e-mail). Ignore the rest.

# Work in short sprints

We’ve all been there. You have to edit an hour-long documentary or write a 3,000-word piece, so you get overwhelmed and end up watching some Norwegian crime series on Netflix.

Try sprinting, also known as the Pomodoro technique. Instead of the daunting, “I’ll work on it until it’s done,” set up a kitchen timer to 25 minutes and work non-stop during that time.

When you’re done, take a 5-minute break (ideally, away from the screen). Then start another 25-minute session. You can get an app like Pomodrone or Forest to track your progress.

# Be accountable

Share your goals with friends who will keep you on the hook. Have no friends? Try StickK. This platform was created by a behavioral economist at Yale University and punishes your laziness by giving away your money to a charity of your choice, if you fail to complete a goal (they currently have $33 million on the line!).

# Plan ahead

There’s no bigger recipe for disaster than firing up your laptop before knowing what you’re going to do on it.

To avoid this, plan your week on Sunday and your workday the night before. It only takes four minutes to write down a quick to-do list and it will save you endless hours of zombie scrolling.

Finally, stop beating yourself up for procrastinating. That’s why god invented deadlines! You will eventually get it done. I bet you always have.

L

PS: Still not ready to go to work? Why not send me a question? dear.laura@womeinjournalism.org

Hosted by the Coalition for Women in Journalism
Curated by Kiran Nazish