We’re all familiar with the concept of a ‘to-do’ list and have likely used them many times in a bid to make our day super productive. We’ve probably tried to make ourselves feel like we’re winning by adding a few things we’ve already finished or got started on so we can quickly tick them off. However, sometimes, we’ll have felt disheartened when we’re approaching bedtime and discover that most of our list needs migrating to tomorrow’s to-dos because we weren’t productive enough, have too much to do, or, we got distracted by other things.
Creating a ‘not to-do list’ can be a wonderful tool to help us identify and eliminate tasks, habits and distractions which prevent us from focusing on what really matters and stop us from being as productive as we would like to be. In a nutshell, a ‘Not to-do list’ is a list of activities you choose to avoid doing so that you can manage your time effectively. This might include things like the following:
anything which distracts you on a regular basis
things which drain your energy
bad habits that you want to remove from your working time
things which don’t currently add value to your life
unnecessary tasks i.e. things which don’t need to be done
other people’s responsibilities
Ideas for items to add to your not to-do list
Your Not to-do list should be highly personalised depending on your own wants and needs but here are some ideas to get you started.
Checking your emails repeatedly throughout the day
Mindlessly scrolling social media
Checking your phone in bed – either last thing at night or before you get up
Drinking coffee after 3pm (when you have work the next day)
Going to bed later than 11pm (Sunday – Thursday)
Spending time thinking about / stressing over things which are out of your control
Reading negative news
Things that are not my responsibility
Doing tasks which would be best delegated to someone else
Multi-tasking (or attempting to)
Saying yes to tasks or events that aren’t a priority right now
Working whilst eating lunch
Spending time with individuals who drain your energy
Forgetting to take regular work breaks
Doing work after 5pm
Procrastinating by watching lots of productivity videos (binge watching) on YouTube
Keeping ideas, thoughts and must dos in your head instead of writing them down and scheduling time to deal with them
Not identifying your top priorities for the day
Eating unhealthy snacks which make you feel sluggish
Making excuses to avoid / put off difficult tasks
Aiming for perfection – forgetting that done is better than perfect
Setting too many goals at once
Final words…
I hope you’ve found today’s post useful and it’s helped you to consider tasks, habits and distractions which prevent you from being as productive as you could be. I would really appreciate it if you took time out from your busy schedule to drop me a comment sharing your top three things to add to your ‘Not to-do list’.
Last week, I caught up with a lot of pages in my creative traveller’s notebook journal. I’d had photos and bits and pieces printed for a while and wanted to get them stuck in with typed and handwritten sections of memory keeping and decorative stickers. I’m impressed with how much I got done and for today’s Monday Matters, I’ve decided to share some simple ways in which I ensure I stay focused on the task in hand, concentrate well and improve my productivity levels. So, here’s some tips for better concentration which you can apply today:
Keep hydrated
Throughout the day, I make sure I always have a large bottle of water or squash on my desk to sip from. Keeping myself hydrated helps to prevent headaches, lethargy and decreased alertness – all of which can negatively affect mental performance and workflow. Having a large drink container means I only need to refill during longer breaks and I don’t get thirsty in the middle of tasks.
Eat a healthy diet
We all know that too many junk foods (those which lack nutrients, vitamins and minerals and are high in salt, sugar and fat), are bad for your general health but did you know that they can play havoc with your energy and concentration levels too?
According to my research, the best types of food for improved concentration are:
foods high in omega -3 (I’m trying to snack on chopped walnuts whilst working but I really don’t like them! haha)
foods high in antioxidants e.g. berries, tomatoes and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are particularly good and help improve brain function
foods which provide a dopamine boost such as bananas, avocado, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, seeds and chickpeas are great for increased motivation, better mood and improved attention levels
a moderate amount of caffeine, for example from green tea, a small amount of dark chocolate or one or two cups of coffee per day (maximum) can increase mental alertness
foods high in Vitamins B6 and B12 which improve cognitive function – I get my B6 and B12 from fortified oat and soya milk, wholegrain cereal, eggs, nuts and seeds but none vegetarian sources include lean meat and oily fish.
foods high in fibre such as veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans which all help to keep blood sugar levels stable preventing spikes and dips in energy
Get some exercise
Exercise is a great stress buster, mood improver and mindful activity, all of which can help with concentration. After a good workout (following the initial tiredness), our mind feels sharper and our cognition improves too. I do yoga, Pilates, Legs, Bums and Tums and Zumba each week but I also make sure I fit in a walk each day, preferably in nature as I find it really calming. I also take mini exercise breaks between working sessions which might involve dancing to a favourite upbeat tune, doing some basic stretches or completing a five minute low impact fat burning exercise such as high knees, modified jumping jacks and oblique crunches.
Work to improve your sleep
At the moment, I generally enjoy a really good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start my day. However, in the past, I’ve really struggled with insomnia and know the effect that tiredness can have on both the body and mind. Sorting your sleep out takes commitment but is vital if you want to stay alert and productive during the day. A good place to start is to ensure you find a restful and relaxing activity to do just before bed. However, if you’re really struggling with poor sleep this in depth post should help too.
Take regular breaks
I’ve shared before how I use The Pomodoro Technique to help me take regular breaks during my working day. Taking a short break enables you to rest and recharge ready to continue your task or start a new one. Just make sure that what you do during your break isn’t something just as taxing and mental exhausting as your work related task. Here’s a few ideas:
stretch your legs
grab a refreshing drink
re-fuel with a healthy snack
do a mini meditation
close your eyes and listen to a favourite piece of music (I prefer classical)
tend to your houseplants
declutter your workspace
read a few pages of a book or magazine
close your eyes and do some deep breathing
go outside and explore your environment using your senses
do some doodling
find a new recipe to try (extra points if it’s a healthy one!)
Identify your priorities for the day
Each evening, I like to sit down with my bullet journal and evaluate my day. I then take five minutes to decide what my priorities should be for tomorrow. This could be particular tasks such as shop orders or preparation for a session at the university, but equally, might be wellbeing activities such as enjoying a brisk walk after breakfast or spending some time tending to the garden to get me motivated to do some focused work.
Eliminate distractions
Modern life and technology provide constant sources of distraction which can seriously affect our concentration levels and work rate. However, most of these things are completely within our control and we can choose to do something about them. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
turn off your email notifications
choose a time (after lunch) to check and deal with emails
put your phone in another room
leave your laptop turned off and adopt pen and paper methods for a while
create a work plan for the next day in the early evening
remember your priorities for the day – work on them first and exclusively at the beginning of your working day
adopt a social media ban habit between set hours of the day
tidy your desk up each evening and between task so you have a tidy environment to work in
Slow down
It might seem counter-intuitive, but slowing down can really help you focus better and get more done. My favourite way to do this is through my morning routine, where I get up early, have a leisurely and mindful breakfast whilst curled up on the settee and then fill in my Five Minute Journal. After that, I do some quiet reading, usually of some kind of self-help type of book but sometimes I choose a beautifully descriptive memoir that I’m currently reading called Twelve Moons. Other ways of intentionally slowing down include:
leaving gaps in your plan for the day to do something relaxing such as sitting out in the garden and feeling the sun or a gentle breeze on your face, working on a puzzle such as a wordsearch or jigsaw, or reading a magazine.
making time for a hobby or a special interest each day, for example, you might read, paint, draw or learn how to play a musical instrument
eating at the dining table and be really mindful of what your eating and how it smells and tastes (leave your phone in another room)
having ‘tech free’ time each day – no phone, laptop, tablet, TV or radio. Enjoy the break and use the time to think or journal about how things are going for you right now
practicing gratitude – this could be as part of your morning routine or something to do before bed
Remember multi-tasking is a myth
It’s a modern belief that being able to multi-task (doing two or more tasks at once) is a desirable quality that leads to better results through an increase in productivity. However, various studies by psychologists have found that our brains are not capable of working on multiple tasks at the same time and what we actually do is quickly switch our attention and focus from one task to another. The negative effects of this include higher stress levels, lack of focus, mental blocks which hamper progress, fatigue, poor problem solving skills and mistakes. The better option, is to select one task at a time, eliminate distractions and cultivate ‘deep work’ which science professor Cal Newport defines as peak concentration that lets you learn hard things and create quality work quickly.
Final words…
I hope you’ve found today’s tips useful and they’ve given you some ideas for simple changes you could make to your working day to aid your concentration and focus. Some of the points may resonate with you more than others and I would suggest you give one or two of these a try first. You should also know, that even though I have good awareness of strategies for aiding productivity, I do have days where I break my own rules and consequently get much less done. However, if I feel like I haven’t achieved a great deal, I will usually sit down in the evening to reflect on why and make plans to do better tomorrow. And, even more importantly, I’ll remember to be kind and self-compassionate by not berating myself for the lack of progress with my to-do list.
What’s your best strategy for improving your focus and concentration? How does it help? Let me know in the comments.
The second instalment of my Monday Matters series is focused on procrastination, something which effects most, if not all of us on a fairly regular basis. In fact, studies have shown that around 20% of the population are chronic procrastinators! In this post, I will consider what procrastination is and why we procrastinate, the forms it takes, and most importantly, steps we can take to minimise it in a bid to become more productive and achieve our goals.
What is procrastination?
The act or habit of procrastinating is where we put off or delay doing something, in particular a task which is unpleasant or burdensome, but which really requires our immediate attention. It can take on many forms such as not tackling the pile of ironing you’ve been meaning to do for the past week, leaving a bill payment until the last minute, avoiding a difficult conversation with someone at work or telling yourself you’ll start developing a more healthy lifestyle starting next week. Whatever it looks like, procrastinating can pre-occupy our thoughts and be a cause of stress, anxiety and even depression. It can even take over our lives and have a huge negative impact on our future.
Signs of procrastination include filling your day with low priority tasks, leaving a high priority item on your ‘to do’ list for a long time (for example, if you use the bullet journal system, you may repeatedly migrate a particular item to the next day or following week), making endless cups of tea, coffee or snacks, reading emails lots of times but not actually actioning any of them, or waiting for the right time or the right mood to get started with something.
So, why do we procrastinate?
Procrastination is a voluntary and unnecessary delay in undertaking something, but most people struggle to control it. There can be different reasons for not undertaking a task and these generally relate to poor time management, fear of failure (or sometimes even success), lack of motivation related to low mood or an unrealistic view of the self.
For some of us, as we think about starting a task, we can develop feelings of anxiety about getting it done. This can then cause us to become overwhelmed and then avoidance starts. Not getting the task done then becomes a source of guilt and shame and these negative feelings create a never ending vicious cycle.
Perfectionists are also frequent procrastinators. Because they hold such high standards, they often fear being unable to complete a task perfectly, so end up put it off for as long as they possibly can. This performance related anxiety causes them to seek out much less threatening or ‘safer’ options.
How can we minimise the effects of procrastination?
The first step to minimise procrastination is to begin to be more self compassionate. Forgive yourself for procrastinating and try not to feel guilty about it. Accept that everyone procrastinates at times and it’s okay to do so. Also, remember that it is particularly common in people who suffer from issues with anxiety or low mood.
When you have developed more understanding towards yourself, you can then work on your ability to take responsibility for your actions (or inaction!) and begin to believe in your ability to make small changes to enable yourself to be more productive. Here are some ideas I’ve collected from my compassion group work and from my reading:
Ignore your mood and just get started – it doesn’t matter if you feel like doing it or if it seems like the right time, some tasks just have to be done. And besides, it might take you less time than you expected or you might feel a whole lot better when you get it out of the way!
Break a project down into small manageable steps that can be accomplished – just a little bit of progress towards a goal will help us to feel better about the task and increase our self esteem and motivation to continue.
Do some planning – at the start of each day, create a timeline of how you intend to spend each hour and try to stick to it as best you can, for longer projects, set deadlines for each task. That way, if you don’t finish what you had planned for today or this week it will affect your future plans.
Get the worst or hardest bit done first – as Mark Twain once said ‘If it is your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.’ By completing your most important task first you’ll have the satisfaction of this achievement which will hopefully provide you with the motivation to get even more done.
Think about your use of language – use positive affirmations as a way forward e.g. I can eat healthily, rather than I need to go on a diet, I am someone who exercises rather than I want to do some exercise. This helps to change the distance between yourself and your behaviour.
Set time limits and then reward yourself for sticking with it e.g. 40 minutes of work and then I’ll have coffee, a biscuit and 10 minutes catch up on Facebook, when I’ve tidied and cleaned the living room, I’ll sit back and watch my favourite TV show.
Minimise distractions – put your phone in another room, turn off your notifications, close all of your social media and email tabs, work in a clean and clutter free environment. Choose a place where you are most likely to be productive. This could be your home, the library or a quiet café.
Change your internal dialogue – instead of fixating on how much you dread a given task and forcing yourself to do it, try changing your mindset, deciding in advance that its completion will make you happy. Also, rather than using phrases such as “I need to…” and “I have to…” try changing to “I chose to…” or “I would like to…” as these imply that you have a choice and help you to feel empowered in making a decision to act.
Let others know what your goals are – telling family and friends what you want to achieve can help in several ways. Firstly, it can hold you accountable, and secondly, they can offer you support and encouragement along the way.
Remember, done is better than perfect – focus on just completing a task rather than getting hung up on minute details. Then you can celebrate the fact that it is finished. You can always go back to it to make improvements another time.
I hope you’ve found today’s blog post helpful in terms of developing your understanding of procrastination and how we can minimise its effects. If you have any more tips, please do share them in the comments.
Keeping it creative 