5 Tips for Creatives to Stop Procrastination
Tips & Advice
GearFocus
Jun 1, 2020
One of the biggest traps a lot of creatives fall into is the pit of procrastination. So many times when working on a project (especially big projects!) we find ourselves putting things off and delaying for just about any reason. That's why we asked our friend Alex Schneider to give us his 5 tips to stop procrastination.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are literally distractions ALL AROUND US. At all times of the day. So do your best to limit the number of distractions around you when you are getting into work mode. Probably the biggest distractor of all is your phone. So put the phone away where you won't be bothered by phone calls or the urge to check in on social media feeds. I know I have a tendency to check my phone while rendering which can lead to a wormhole of other things. So stop procrastination by removing as many distractions as possible.
If you are organized, you will have a concrete plan for how you need to tackle a project. You'd never start building a house without first mapping out a blueprint. So in the same way, get your space, project, calendar, EVERYTHING organized. If you have a tendency to procrastinate, clear your desk and your mind and you will see your productivity increase.
Having achievable deadlines is a great way to get you focused on your project and stop procrastination before it rears it's ugly head. If you consistently hit your deadlines, you set a great baseline of reliability for your clients. Even scheduling things further out than you think is reasonable will get you in the right mindset to get to work. Once your calendar begins to fill up, you'll find that you have things scheduled which helps with tip #2 of staying organized.
Studies have shown that if you try to work where you sleep that your brain will begin to associate the work with sleeping. Which will lead to you wanting to sleep rather than work. So instead of setting up in your bed, sit at your desk with no distractions and a solid goal in mind and get to work! This seemingly small step can be a great way to stop procrastination!
It's not just great advice to help stop procrastination. This is just solid life advice. Take a break and get up and move away from your workspace. Take a short walk to clear your head. This little bit of exercise will get your blood flowing and possibly creative juices as well. And stepping away from your computer will give your mind a break as well so that your stress levels stay low. There are so many health benefits to doing this, and it helps to stop procrastination at the same time.
Stop Procrastination
https://youtu.be/dzgwBoX3Nss For many of us, that is easier said than done. We'd probably answer that we'll stop procrastinating tomorrow, but first... Which is why we thought this would be a great topic for our friend Alex Schneider to go over for our 50th video! Special thanks to Alex for putting this together. Be sure to check out his channel Alexshotthese and subscribe!
Tips to Help Stop Procrastination
While everyone is different, these are tips that we think everyone can relate to and take something away from. Of course, tailor these to fit your personal style and preference as needed. And add in your own routines for combating the scourge that is procrastination. If you have your own tips for how to stop procrastination, be sure to leave a comment in the comments section below!#1: Get Rid of Distractions
This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are literally distractions ALL AROUND US. At all times of the day. So do your best to limit the number of distractions around you when you are getting into work mode. Probably the biggest distractor of all is your phone. So put the phone away where you won't be bothered by phone calls or the urge to check in on social media feeds. I know I have a tendency to check my phone while rendering which can lead to a wormhole of other things. So stop procrastination by removing as many distractions as possible.
#2: Stay Organized
If you are organized, you will have a concrete plan for how you need to tackle a project. You'd never start building a house without first mapping out a blueprint. So in the same way, get your space, project, calendar, EVERYTHING organized. If you have a tendency to procrastinate, clear your desk and your mind and you will see your productivity increase.
#3: Set a Deadline
Having achievable deadlines is a great way to get you focused on your project and stop procrastination before it rears it's ugly head. If you consistently hit your deadlines, you set a great baseline of reliability for your clients. Even scheduling things further out than you think is reasonable will get you in the right mindset to get to work. Once your calendar begins to fill up, you'll find that you have things scheduled which helps with tip #2 of staying organized.
#4: Don't Get too Comfortable
Figuratively and literally! You don't want get too comfortable in your routine whereas you start to let the previous three tips start to slip. Once that happens, it becomes harder to stop procrastination. Likewise, you don't want to get literally too comfortable. It's way too easy (especially for serial procrastinators) to get too comfortable and decide to put a project off until the next day. Don't let yourself fall into this trap by setting aside a dedicated workspace where you will be productive.
Studies have shown that if you try to work where you sleep that your brain will begin to associate the work with sleeping. Which will lead to you wanting to sleep rather than work. So instead of setting up in your bed, sit at your desk with no distractions and a solid goal in mind and get to work! This seemingly small step can be a great way to stop procrastination!
#5: Regularly Take Breaks
It's not just great advice to help stop procrastination. This is just solid life advice. Take a break and get up and move away from your workspace. Take a short walk to clear your head. This little bit of exercise will get your blood flowing and possibly creative juices as well. And stepping away from your computer will give your mind a break as well so that your stress levels stay low. There are so many health benefits to doing this, and it helps to stop procrastination at the same time.
How Do You Stop Procrastination?
So now that you have our top 5 tips for dealing with procrastination, we'd like to know how you stop procrastination. Have a specific example of how you were able to overcome procrastination? We'd love to hear it in the comments below! And again, special thanks to Alex for putting this video together for our 50th video! Also be sure to check out his Gear Shop on Gear Focus.Own one like this?
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