Top 5 Productivity Hacks for Procrastinators

No one is immune to falling victim to procrastination. Everyone puts things off from time to time, so there is always room to increase our productivity once we know how to deal with our tendencies to procrastinate properly. To help you combat procrastination and become more productive, here are the top five productivity hacks for procrastinators.

Name It

The first thing that you need to do is notice that you are procrastinating and acknowledge it. It is essential that you do this without judging yourself or getting so stressed that you don’t have enough time. The next time you notice you are procrastinating, just say to yourself, “procrastinating” or “moving on.” This allows you to acknowledge your procrastination so you can move on.

Figure Out Where Your Time Goes

When we’re procrastinating, we all use different props to fill our time. To improve your productivity, you will need to identify what these are for you. Digital distractions are extremely powerful procrastination temptations that we need to try to resist consciously. To figure out where your time goes, start to write down exactly where your time goes.

Make Time Your Best Friend

Most procrastinators frequently fool themselves when it comes to the passage of time. You might often get to the end of the day and not understand where the day went. If this is something that happens to you, then you need to shift your relationship with time. You will need to become aware of how long each task takes you, rather than making a guess. 

Improve Your Time Estimates

Often, as a procrastinator, you may tend to estimate how long a task will take without factoring in any time for your procrastination. This causes you to take much longer than expected to finish a task. If you know that you tend to procrastinate, factor this into your estimation so you’re not always falling behind.

Meet More Deadlines

Often, the only time you manage to get around to focusing properly on your tasks is when you have a looming deadline. So, if you want to improve your focus and increase your productivity, you might want to start giving yourself more deadlines. The best way to do this is to get into the habit of promising to deliver certain things by a specific time/date.

Even self-professed procrastinators can improve their productivity. With these five productivity hacks, you can start to decrease the amount of time you spend procrastinating and get more done.