Remote Productivity: 7 Tactics to Beat Procrastination

Remote working is a fantastic way to work, but it has challenges. Sometimes it is hard to get into the working mindset when you think you have all the time in the world. You might have some distractions when the world is at your fingertips (ahem, looking at your phones). Then, before you know it, you are delaying your tasks without an actual reason. That's what procrastination is.

We will give you some procrastination-fighting tips - so you can tackle your most dreaded tasks today!

First, put your phone on airplane mode

We know you want to scroll, but it is the worst way to spend your precious time working (unless scrolling on social media is your job). Airplane mode is an excellent option for those remote workers because it turns off all connections and notifications on your phone. Of course, you can still use the device for work purposes, but the temptation to check social media or play games will be restrained when you're in airplane mode. If you don't like airplane mode in general, you can use anti-procrastination apps like Forest.

Another tip, please also close that Facebook tab and Youtube tab. Think as if all social media is unreachable for a few hours. Your friend's avocado toast story can wait until you finish your task. Changing your mindset makes it easier to stay focused and get more done throughout the day instead of wasting time on empty things.

Set a schedule and stick to it

Setting a schedule for your day will help you accomplish more and be more productive.

A good schedule lets you plan how much time you want to spend on specific tasks. You then have the freedom to tackle those tasks in whatever order makes sense for your workflow.

It is beneficial to set mini goals and larger ones throughout each day. For example: "Today, I'm going to list people I need information from before I start working on this project." Or "Tomorrow morning before work, I will make my daily list of tasks." By breaking down large projects into smaller steps, we create a sense of accomplishment along the way, which helps us stay motivated when things get tricky!

Keep a calendar

While it might seem obvious, the best way to keep your day organized is to use a calendar. Whether you are using a paper calendar with a pen or using the calendar through your phone/computer doesn't matter. Write down everything you need to get done, so you can know when each task will take place and plan accordingly. If you need to send out invoices at the end of the month, mark a reminder on your calendar that says "send invoices" on that specific date. Or you can also set reminders and create focus times to keep organized and increase efficiency.

Writing down these goals helps prevent procrastination because it lets us know what we want from life and where we want our career paths headed. Getting into this mindset helps us feel more motivated when tackling complex tasks.

Start your most dreaded task first

Shocking news! Doing your most challenging task will indeed improve your productivity. Tackling the big rock in the room will help you develop a productive mindset and make staying focused on the job easier. We often avoid doing our most complex work because it seems like an impossible challenge that even Hercules could not complete in one sitting. It might seem counterintuitive, but if you tackle that big project first and get it out of the way as soon as possible, everything else will seem less daunting.

Don't multitask

Multitasking is a myth. The scientific evidence shows that it's impossible to focus on two tasks simultaneously because our brain can only maintain one thought simultaneously. So, when we think we're multitasking, we rapidly switch from one task to another. Focusing on the task at hand is more challenging, so if you want to get things done quickly, take your time. If you try to do too many things at once, then none of them will get done correctly, and your productivity will suffer as a result.

So how do you stop multitasking? Create a list of things you need to do, go one by one, and then thank us later.

Stop trying to be perfect

Like Beyoncé said, "Perfection is a disease of a nation." The more you try to be perfect, the more likely you procrastinate. The thought of never being less-than-perfect will stop you from doing anything! If you can't do something perfectly, there's no reason to start.

This self-destructive way of thinking causes you to be overly critical of yourself. Because if you're trying to be perfect, then everything will always be wrong in your eyes. There's no reason to be critical or judgmental at the beginning. Commit, and perfect it later.

Ready to overcome it

Now is the time! Stop being easy prey to procrastination; we know it has a way of creeping into our lives. But we also know you can beat it! Pat yourself on the back because you've just taken a big step towards being safe from the claws of procrastination by reading this blog.