How to cope with digital procrastination

Are you busy or productive today? Busy means you are switching between different devices and browser tabs, getting distracted by every incoming message, and increasingly experiencing a “so many things, so little time” feeling. I did it for a few days this week, and felt myself completely exhausted and unaccomplished. Online environment encourages us to try to control and accomplish as many things as possible. By doing this, we set ourselves up for failure, as it’s simply impossible to accomplish all of them.

A desire to accomplish more overwhelms our brain and inevitably pushes us into digital procrastination.

Being productive is different. Productivity is all about focus. To gain focus, you have to let go of things you won’t focus on – no matter how attractive or urgent they seem.

Here is one thing that helps mea lot and that you can do NOW to become productive, and stop digital procrastination.

Switch off all your devices and get in a place, where you won’t disturbed for the next five-ten minutes. Take three deep breaths (mandatory). Now answer these two questions:

1. How do you want to feel about your day tonight? I.e. satisfied, light, accomplished.

2. What is ONE thing that you can do NOW, in the next hour that will make a difference to how you will feel tonight? Not two, three or fifteen things – only ONE. In the next hour.

Write it down on your piece of paper and put it on the screen of your laptop. Now you will be productive for the rest of the day. And be kind to yourself. Procrastination comes a result of pushing yourself too much, so give yourself a break from your work and devices every so often.

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