{"id":1198,"date":"2020-08-11T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/?p=1198"},"modified":"2020-08-11T11:50:51","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T15:50:51","slug":"how-to-tell-if-procrastination-is-ruining-your-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/11\/how-to-tell-if-procrastination-is-ruining-your-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Tell If Procrastination Is Ruining Your Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Productivity tools and practices can distract you from actually getting work done.<\/li><li>Procrastination happens when people feel the need to avoid feelings of failure.<\/li><li>Being more flexible and adaptable in your work can help you get more done.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Planning is crucial to productivity. At least, that\u2019s what gurus would have you think. But all the pretty planners, color-coding, and overpriced to-do apps in the world can\u2019t solve the problem of procrastination. Indeed, many people lean on planning as a way of avoiding the work they need to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, planning feels good and productive. Few things are more satisfying than writing a list or updating your planner. Unfortunately, experts say that spending a lot of time organizing your life can be a sign of procrastination, uncertainty, and perfectionism. Here\u2019s how you can tell if your productivity routine is actually holding you back from getting things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You feel anxious while doing your planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts advise that you listen to your gut as you break out that planner. Do you feel like you\u2019re in the flow and able to tackle the tasks on your list? Or do you have a pit in your stomach and feel icky about all that you have to do? If the latter, you\u2019re likely using your planning as a way to control the chaos and avoid the potentially unpleasant tasks you have to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, start diving into your work whenever you feel anxious. If you feel most creative and productive in the morning, take that post-coffee jolt and save the email-checking and list-making for later. Don\u2019t let the appeal of \u201cgetting organized\u201d distract you from the work that needs to be done. Focus on reflecting at the end of the day: you\u2019ll start to feel more on top of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You stack your schedule every day.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you identify just a few key priorities for the day, or do you schedule every minute of the day in order to maximize your productivity? Over planning is a sign of procrastination, and by doing so, you\u2019re likely impairing your ability to get things done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s face it: stuff happens. Meetings run late, you get hungry, tasks take longer than you expected. When you pack your calendar full, you\u2019re removing any capacity to accommodate change \u2014 which can cause stress \u2014 and you\u2019re forcing yourself into an impossible situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Build leeway into your schedule: it may feel like you\u2019re relinquishing control, but the opposite is true. You\u2019ll feel <em>more<\/em> in control and more capable of tackling your work. Your life will also feel less hectic and scattered, which will make you feel more capable of tackling your to-dos rather than hiding behind your task list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You craft your to-do list in terms of goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting goals is essential to personal development and productivity \u2014 but it can also be a way to hide your feelings of insecurity or avoid the possibility of failure. Many people enjoy the process of goal-setting so much that they forget to do the actual work. You may have read some articles advising you to devote set amounts of time per day for your goals. But life doesn\u2019t work that way. Your to-do list should be flexible enough to accommodate life\u2019s curveballs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why experts recommend that you set goals, but think of them as <em>guidance<\/em> rather than <em>rules<\/em>. Focus on what you can accomplish each day rather than viewing your to-do list as an endless march toward your goals. Make adjustments if needed, and forgive yourself if you don\u2019t meet an arbitrary daily quota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You\u2019re unwilling to take action unless things are perfect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever planned a project into oblivion, you were a victim of perfectionism disguised as productivity. Many people wait until everything is perfect before taking action. In the meanwhile, the momentum they already have for the project fades. As the saying goes, the ship has sailed, and you find that you spent too much time <em>planning<\/em> to actually take action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be willing to jump in feet-first, and trust that you\u2019ll adapt to curve balls and new information. That\u2019s not to say you should skip essential tasks before launching a project, but it\u2019s okay to work on things as you\u2019re inspired to do so. You don\u2019t have to have the perfect to-do list to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wrapping Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To maximize your productivity, resist the temptation to over-plan your work. Filling out planners and making to-do lists feels good, but it\u2019s an excellent method of procrastination that distracts us from actually getting things done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When in doubt, listen to your gut: do you feel stressed and overwhelmed, or do you feel empowered and capable? If you\u2019re making lots of lists and still feel uncertain, you might be hiding behind your productivity scheme. Be willing to step outside your comfort zone and throw yourself into your work \u2014 even if your to-do list isn\u2019t perfect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Productivity tools and practices can distract you from actually getting work done. Procrastination happens when people feel the need to avoid feelings of failure. Being more flexible and adaptable in your work can help you get more done. Planning is crucial to productivity. At least, that\u2019s what gurus would have you think. But all the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/11\/how-to-tell-if-procrastination-is-ruining-your-productivity\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How To Tell If Procrastination Is Ruining Your Productivity<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_eb_attr":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1199,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198\/revisions\/1199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}