Having a to-do list is all well and good – in theory.
You may start each day with a plan of how you’re going to tackle your day – but how often does this come to fruition?
Whether it’s getting distracted by emails, having a last-minute task sprung on you or finding yourself doing other, smaller tasks to put off the bigger (and scarier) ones, it’s easy to fall into the trap of not being as productive as possible.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. The average worker often spends more than half the day procrastinating by carrying out tasks that serve little to no value.
While it can be tempting to stick to these tasks for comfort, burying your head in the sand and ignoring the bigger, looming projects you’re putting off can lead to a loss of productivity and, worse, an increase in anxiety.
Thankfully, there are a few tried and tested methods out there to help you get back on track.
Time Blocking
We wrote an article on the effectiveness of time blocking and batching, here.*
Essentially, it’s the process of dividing your day into blocks of time, with a clear objective to carry out within these designated spaces.
For example, if you’ve got a blog to write, you might set yourself a task aside for 30 minutes to get this done. It can help to put your phone on “do not disturb” during this time, and mute email notifications to minimise distraction.
The Pomodoro Technique
A cousin of the Time Blocking strategy, the Pomodoro method is a simple yet effective technique that helps you get into a flow state.
Traditionally, this technique is based on 25-minute stretches of work, although you can alter this to suit your tasks, if required.
It’s the method of setting a physical timer for an allotted time period, and concentrating ONLY on that task for the duration of the timer. This is followed by a short break, of between two- to five-minutes – you may choose this time to grab a drink or stretch, before repeating the process.
This allows for a more streamlined approach to tasks, and it’s important to avoid checking emails or social media while carrying out your work.
By dividing your morning to-do list into time chunks, you should (hopefully!) have a much better grasp of your day, rather than tackling it head-on without any structure.
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