In order to make the impossible, maybe you need to ignore what most people say. If the impossible thing for you is to be a productive person, and you don’t believe anymore in the tips you read because none works, it’s time to try what a few had courage to. Check out seven strategies that dive into the human spirit and assess with honesty your problems with time management:
#1 Give up motivation
Who says that is Shoma Morita, a Japanese psychiatrist influenced by Zen Buddhism. And his makes much sense, “Is it accurate to assume that we must ‘overcome’ fear to jump off the high dive at the pool, or increase our confidence before we ask someone out for a date?” he asks. “If it was, most of us would still be waiting to do these things.” Instead of trying to get motivated, embrace your fear, the negativity and dreading of doing the next task ahead. Tell yourself “I’m not in the mood to work on this” and then, start it. A simple sentence, a calculation, an e-mail sent, a call, even though poor, is enough to unlock you and put you back in the game.
#2 Procrastinate
For a long time, the gold rule of productivity was: start you day by the most important task. However, if you’ve noticed that it only makes you more anxious and blocks your thinking, postpone that task. That’s right you read, postpone it, with responsibility and method. Just start by another task, simpler, and your brain will understand that the super important task is than you imagined, because it’s no more on the top of the list. The more tasks you complete, the more confident and productive you feel. The Stanford professor John Perry adds: “The procrastinator can become a useful citizen and an effective human being.”
#3 Work less
It may be hard to believe, but working more hours doesn’t necessarily solve your problems. And it never means being more productive. “When deciding that you will work less hours, you will need to think better when tasks need to invest your time, “says the professor at Harvard Business School, Leslie Perlow. One tip is to think of everything that you can enjoy if you leave your work early. A movie, gymnastics, diving, bar with friends, a dinner for two. All that you promise and always give up because the work presses you. The next strategy can help you to work less.
#4 Say less “Yes”
This is one of the most powerful ways to regain control over your routine. The problem is not with you: you say “yes” because it is much easier than saying “no”. Either because you don’t want to upset or disappoint someone and because it’s not easy to resist temptation. To change this, there are two strategies that we recommend:
A) Understand what kind of things you don’t do, for example: “I don’t check my e-mail before lunch”, “I don’t interrupt a task to start another” and “I don’t lie down after 11pm”. Be accuracy: instead of “I can’t” say “I don’t”. Not because you are intransigent, but because you need some rules to find your work style.
B) Commit to your choices. Write them on a post-it to be always visible, or let your friends and co-workers know them. Thus, the greater your chances of not falling into temptation.
#5 Acept rejection
Being rejected can makes us more creative, stronger, in short, more competent. You doubt? In a study of John Hopkins University, Professor Sharon Kim gathered two groups. They were told that they might (or might not) be considered for future exercises again. When both groups returned 2 weeks later, the first one was told to complete a few tasks before joining the next group (inclusion). The other group was being told to complete tasks, but wouldn’t join the next group again (rejection).
The result: the people being rejected from joining the group again consistently outperformed those that were included. Pois foi justamente o segundo grupo o de melhor desempenho na tarefa. The conclusions from study author Kim are that “Social rejection can inspire imaginative thinking, particularly in individuals with a strong sense of their own independence”.
#6 Do an impossible task
It’s a controversy strategy that may work just fine. Give yourself an absolutely impossible task to accomplish. And every time you think “I’m doing wrong”, continue. According to the psychologist and researcher Robert Epstein, that puts your brain in shock. It’s like going to the gym and lift an extremely heavy weight and fail after a few repetitions. Your brain is like a muscle: it expands and is activated. Any other “normal” task after that will seem incredibly easy and will make you go much further than never.
#7 Keep your goals to yourself
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