deepstash
Beta
Deepstash brings you key ideas from the most inspiring articles like this one:
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
6
Key Ideas
Save all ideas
When you don't feel like working on your tasks, take a few moments to plan your day.
Even if you do it as a form of procrastination, to postpone doing the actual work, it will help you by keeping you on track for the rest of the day.
1.40k SAVES
1.77k READS
Break the project you don't want to start into smaller pieces.
Breaking it down into small tasks and adding those to your to-do list isn't exactly fun, but it is less overwhelming than working. And it's also useful: When you finally do get around to starting, you've got a strategy.
1.01k SAVES
1.25k READS
Clean something every time you don't want to get started on a work project. Don't listen to a podcast or turn on the radio. Just clean. Make it as boring as possible, so that your mind wanders.
This does two things: it delays actually working on your project and it gives you time to think, possibly generating ideas that will come in handy whenever you get back to the project you're trying to put off.
1.28k SAVES
1.55k READS
Every job involves at least a few simple tasks that don't require your full attention, and these make for great productive procrastination.
The best tasks for this have a few things in common: They need to get done, they don't require a lot of focus, and they're different enough from your main project that they feel like a break.
930 SAVES
1.11k READS
Any kind of exercise works.
Use the time that you're stuck to get up and do something physical for a bit. It's good for you, and research shows that regular physical activity can also help with your cognition.
882 SAVES
1.03k READS
Reach out to your co-workers when you're stuck.
Catch up with your co-workers. See what they're working on. You'll learn something, feel better connected with the people around you, and maybe even find a little bit of inspiration.
619 SAVES
898 READS
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
5
Key Ideas
Acting without first reflecting can make things worse. Regularly reviewing how you spend your time will give you insight into how you got to your present state, how to move forward strategically...
Knowing your inbox isn’t overflowing can save you a lot of mental stress, which helps you focus on more important tasks. You can reduce your message by:
Dump your ideas, notes, lists, and saved articles that don’t have another home into a digital document. This clears some mental space—without adding papers and notebooks to your actual junk drawer.
5
Key Ideas
This is the compulsion to immediately work on new tasks, despite long-term costs and tradeoffs.
While the procrastinator delays important tasks too long, the precrastinator...
This is the compulsion to immediately work on new tasks, despite long-term costs and tradeoffs.
While the procrastinator delays important tasks too long, the precrastinator doesn’t delay unimportant tasks long enough.
The ultimate cause of precrastination is short-term, emotionally-driven decision-making.
Just like in procrastination, precrastination involves making a decision based on what feels good in the moment rather than what’s in our long-term best interest.
3
Key Ideas
People shy away from routines, systems and frameworks because they want to have “freedom.” But in order to get things done, you need rules.