Do you make these 5 common time management mistakes that distract real work?

Have you ever found yourself stuck trying to accomplish the same task for 4 hours? You know you are behind on schedule, but it does not seem to matter. You have held at home for months. Despite what everyone else has said, cabin fever is beating the best of you.

With the days spent inside, there are not many physical barriers you can create. Meanwhile, all these productivity gurus talk of making use of the extra time to finally invest in hobbies. In the end, 4 months have passed, and you still have not touched that new guitar.

If you are facing this problem, let us take a look at these common time management mistakes that you can learn to avoid.

Failure to prioritize

Not all tasks are created equal. Make a list of 3 tasks to accomplish on a particular day. For example, if you are back in school and overwhelmed with the amount of virtual learning, make a point to complete your classwork for each class on different days.

Remember, strive to check all 3 boxes. The consistency appeals to the right side of your brain. It is much easier to prioritize if you have structure and accountability checks, such as online learning. If this is not your case, be mindful that prioritization is a learning process. Do not be too hard on yourself.

Putting too much on your plate

Having a checklist is not enough. You must make sure the tasks you put on the checklist earn their place. Psychology has shown that any checklist with more than 7 boxes to tick is more likely not to be completed. Swamping yourself with an enormous list might destroy that consistency, you worked hard to create in the above step.

Our brain overwhelms us when being confronted in front of a massive wall. Do not be greedy with work. Slow and steady is critical. It is not worth it to put yourself through more difficulties than you already have to put up with.

Procrastination

I might sound like a broken record repeating this line here. But the classics ring true. There is nothing more detrimental to your productivity and getting things done than procrastinating. You will waste so much time worrying about a task instead of actually completing it.

The best way to curb this tendency is to create time slots for your tasks or follow the Pomodoro method. The structure forces your brain to focus on the task at hand while knowing it will eventually get a break.

1. Time slot: this is a traditional time management method. On your schedule, whether you are an analog, digital, or both person, set aside the exact time you think you will need to dedicate to each daily task.
2. Pomodoro method: this is a new technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. You will work in intervals of 25 minutes, alternating with periods of short breaks.

Whether you choose to use one of the above methods, or none mentioned here, it is useful to create a sustainable system that you can follow. Of course, there is no such thing as sticking with one over time. Do go and explore your options as your life and priorities continue to evolve.

Failure to put away distraction

There are so many things that can avert our attention from the task at hand. The cat is making some bizarre noise in the kitchen. Or Lucy the dog is itching for a walk. If you are sharing a living space with a couple of people, there is no telling how much noise is happening around the house. Because of all potential disturbances, you must put away potential distractions that you have control over, such as phone, book, or TV. 

You might want to consider the notification settings on your phone and computer. Turn them off while working. Make house rules with everyone so they can respect your peace. Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling of finally achieving focus then suddenly being interrupted.

We are treading in unknown waters. Work and life now intertwine without much separation. It is up to us to grasp the control of our life.

Not putting breaks on your schedule

Just like how you explicitly put aside time for work, you might also set times for breaks, I.e., writing “break time” on your schedule. The trick may positively affect some people. You can visually see the time spent working versus break times. Moreover, our brain can only work for at most 4 hours. Any more than that, our mind starts to falter.

For some of us, the act of deliberate schedule break time creates a structure, similar to what we had during regular times in public places. Also, we all experienced recess from kindergarten to at least grade school. Going back to an experience from our childhood might create that much-needed positivity.

Not exercising (BONUS!)

There is another surprising bonus for you! You might not be able to concentrate because you are not getting enough physical activity time. We now spend less time walking to our cars, browsing all the shops at the mall, or simply stop going to the gym altogether. 

Healthy body, healthy mind. Now that we are all at home, our step count certainly plummets. The body is not getting enough movement. Unbeknownst to us, our mind is also affected by this drastic change.

Exercise helps bring some scheduling to your day. It serves as a positive distraction from everything else you work. It is feeding your body “food,” fulfilling a biological need. Time spent on exercise is productive time. Exercise is the medicine you are missing.

Avoiding these common time management mistakes takes effort. You need to invest in yourself to see through the roadblocks and get things done. There are millions of solutions to our problems. Overall, we are flawed human beings, and we are just going to stumble from time to time.

Time management is a skill that you can learn gradually over time. Instead of trying to get everything perfect, let us create a small system for you to get there. Download the free checklist down below.