The countdown is still on! We’re not letting up on the holiday season just yet. So whether you’re catching up from your Christmas vacation and time out of the office, or just having trouble focusing before the big New Year’s Eve party coming up, we have some insight on how to stay productive, even when it seems impossible. On the 10th Day of Office Tips, EthoSource said to me… prioritize the tough stuff!
One of the biggest reason for procrastination is not that you’re lazy, but that you’re trying to avoid something daunting. A lot of the time, these tasks are the most important. Whether we’re nervous about tackling them or simply dreading the difficulty of the process, it’s in our nature to try to avoid it until the very last minute. Save yourself the nagging annoyance of this lingering task all day, and get it done first! Mornings are typically when we have the most energy since we’ve not spent it on any other tasks that we may have that day, so when you’re feeling the most fresh and on your game.
Another way to make sure you prioritize your most dreaded tasks first is to avoid the temptation of your to-do list. Obviously, you have to get to those eventually, but it’s often easy to be drawn to thoughtless, tedious tasks that aren’t urgent. It’s all part of that avoidance thing we mentioned earlier. Completing this little tasks create a false and temporary sense of accomplishment, while your big tasks still linger on. Make sure to prioritize the things on this list based on how urgent they are, and how meaningful they are to your business’ success. Out of the 50 things you have to do today, chances are less than a handful of them are actually going to be key contributors to your company’s growth. Keep those on high-priority because those are the tasks that will actually give you a genuine feeling of satisfaction and when you see the results, it’ll feel even better!
So remember, no matter how dreaded a task may be, evaluate it’s importance and urgency before you get caught up in minor responsibilities that solely help you avoid the inevitable. It’ll all be worth it in the end!