We’ve got a million things to do, but not enough time to do them, so where do we start? Down a two-hour Instagram or TikTok hole of course! Whatever your procrastination of choice, here’s the impact it’s having on your life and how you can stop it.
First, let’s crunch some numbers. Let’s say you spend an hour a day procrastinating (We all know it’s more than that, but I’m being kind). Seven hours a week, 365 hours a year, the equivalent to 15 whole days wasted in one year.
Based on my own age, if I estimate that I’ve been an ‘adult’ for 10 years, that’s ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY days I have wasted. Imagine what I could have achieved in one hundred and fifty days!
So how can you maximise your time? There’s only one thing for it. Get organised. Here are my top three steps on how I make my time work for me:
1. The Night Before is your Friend.
Start changing your routine. As tempting as it is to put your feet up after a long day of work. Don’t. Not yet.
While your cooking dinner, think about your lunch for tomorrow. Have you got something planned already? Could you have leftovers from your dinner? Make sure your lunch (And baby’s in my case) is ready to go in the fridge for tomorrow.
2. Pick your Outfits.
Think about what you could wear. Do you have a uniform? Do you need to wear a special outfit. Does something you need need to be washed? Is it a big day and you need to dress like a BOSS? Plan your outift and lay it out ready for the morning. If you don’t have a uniform think about having set outfits for each day of the week. This helps to minimise the amount of decisions you’re making to stop decision fatigue.
Shower the night before. If you’re too tired to think about showering by the time you go to bed, change your routine. Shower before you sit down for the evening.
3. Plan the Tomorrow.
Ahh, you’ve finished dinner, cleared up, the kids are in bed, you’ve had a shower and your outfit is laid out for tomorrow. Time to grab a cup of tea and put your feet up. Well, kind of. Step three, plan your day.
You can do this in a diary, on an app, in your calendar or in notes on your phone. I’m very much a pen-and-paper person, as I find I absorb what I’m writing so much more on paper.
I have personal planner sheets that I’ve created that fit how my brain works. First I write down on a schedule anything that has a fixed time.
Examples: When I wake up, Appointments, Meetings.
Next, I write my to-do list (I pull these off a ‘Master List’). Then I schedule these things into the blank spaces in my day.
Third comes the fun bit. Schedule in your time. These are the things you WANT to do. Whether that’s online shopping, writing a book or scrolling through videos. Knock yourself out, enjoy it.
Finishing a task early, treat yourself. Scroll until that time slot is up, and satisfy that procrastination monkey in your brain. Or choose something you want to do. This helps to keep that monkey in check but satisfied, without wasting time or burning the candle at both ends.
So that’s it, that’s my top three steps for organising your time and stopping procrastination.
Why not try it for the next week? I’d love to know if it makes a difference to you. If you want more hints and tips on how I juggle running a business and being a Mum I’d love to chat with you in the comments or by DM.
Love Hols x