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If procrastination makes your list have too many items, find out what you can eliminate. For necessary but time-consuming tasks that don’t bring a lot of returns, consider adopting solutions that will do it for you.
Automating tasks you would otherwise be doing manually, is also very satisfying and can help you fight procrastination.
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Sometimes it seems daunting to start a project because of its scale, which is why it’s important to break tasks down into small chunks.
Subdividing tasks allows you to keep progressing by switching tasks when you get stuck but have deadlines to meet or taking a break isn’t an option. It also allows you to circumvent boredom as you won’t get stuck in the same task.
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Daily to-do lists can demoralize us, as we tend to keep pushing to the next day what we can’t finish in time, which makes the list grow and seem overwhelming.
Project-specific to-do lists consist of project-specific lists of all the actions you need to take to complete the project. They allow you to work through your tasks as you have time and better use scraps of time.
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One way of tackling procrastination is to focus on one thing, and then to give yourself permission to do whatever you want for the rest of the day. Select an important task you’ve been long avoiding, and take one day just for it.
After finishing the chosen task, you are likely to attend to other tasks that aren’t on your list and enjoy them more as they won’t seem like an obligation.
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When you don’t feel like tackling the hard tasks on your to-do list, ensure that your “procrastination” activity moves you forward. You are unlikely to tackle complex tasks, so make a “procrastination” list with tasks that are different enough from the items on your actual to-do lists, and are relatively quick and painless to do.
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Key Ideas
Your to-do list can be a tool that guides you through your work, or it can be a big fat pillar of undone time bombs taunting you and your unproductive inadequacy.
If the instructions are c...
Instead of letting tasks you're not quite committed to loiter on your to-do list until you're sick of looking at them, move them off to a separate list, a holding area for Someday/Maybe items.
Only concrete actions you're committed to completing should live on your to-do list.
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Create 3 different to-do lists:
The purpose of this list is to know the tasks the are not important and are not worthwhile. There are a lot of things worthy of your time and getting rid of those unnecessary tasks will give you more time to complete more important tasks.
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Time-blocking consists of assigning individual tasks to manageable time slots.
Instead of writing out short tasks alongside hours-long tasks on your list for the day and hoping you ha...
To set reasonable goals make a list for high-energy days and another for when you are reluctant to work. Both lists should follow an “if/then” model.
The first lists should have the more involved tasks, while the second list should feature more mindless tasks like cleaning out your inbox, organizing your desk, or even napping.