By Applying This Rule, You Can Overcome Procrastination In 2 Minutes

We all know those people (or we are one of them) who have many great talents and could do so much, only if they weren’t procrastinating their way through life. They postpone their tasks till the last minute and make themselves suffer enormous amounts of stress and anxiety in order to get things done on time. The worst thing about it is that once they waste all their energy fighting the temptation for instant gratification when completing mundane tasks, they leave no room for the really important stuff, such as their favorite hobby, or any activity that boosts their self-growth and creativity.

2-minute rule that triggers immediate actions

If you came to a point when you realized how seriously procrastination affects your life and health, you have probably came across the 2-minute rule solution in your search for remedy. The approach works because it is ridiculously easy and it can be applied to any task at hand no matter its size. It affects the root of the procrastinating process – the problem of starting the activity. The more time-consuming the activity is, the bigger resistance to starting it is created in the mind of the procrastinator.

Relative to the size of the task or project, the rule can be applied in two ways:

• The first one is to do the short and easy tasks right away to avoid cluttering your space and mind.
• The second way is applied to bigger projects and things that require more time and effort.

Originating from Newton’s first law of motion that states that objects in rest stay at rest and objects in motion stay in motion, the 2-minute rule in this case means finishing the project 2 minutes at a time. This helps the person who is performing it not to feel overwhelmed and discouraged, but to start lightly, and soon the action will gain momentum leading to longer hours of productivity. As proposed by researches at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, the way to start any bigger project is to break it down into as many micro tasks as possible whose completion will lead to increase in motivation needed for further action.

Why do we procrastinate?

• Feeling of not being good enough – For many people the reason behind putting things off for as long as possible is the belief that they don’t possess the right skills and talents.
• Overwhelmed by the size of the task – Another common reason for procrastination is the resistance felt by people when facing great, time-consuming projects.
• The need for instant gratification – In most cases people tend to postpone their tasks due to lack of willingness to fight the human impulse to do only the most pleasing and undemanding things.

The 2-minute rule provides solution in all three cases as it helps to push through the initial doubt, since with 2 minutes in the activity our confidence levels start to grow and our need for gratification lessens as the process itself becomes gratifying enough. As previously mentioned, the rule is equally efficient in larger assignments as it helps to shift the focus from big end product to small bite-size two-minute steps.

How to apply the 2-minute rule

1. Start small

Let’s take the task of losing weight for example. For most people who struggle to lose those extra pounds this is one of the bigger projects. Therefore, instead of immediately rushing to face the great challenge, you should prepare the way by working on small, unrelated things. Doing everyday chores while they are still in the 2-minute-task category will help you to set foundation for the doer mindset. As the time goes, the momentum will take over, making it more natural and effortless and you will soon be able to transfer the approach to more complex issues.

2. Raise the bar

Once you have developed a habit of doing little tasks, it is time to apply the same principle to a greater project. By taking the different perspective and dividing the strategy for weight loss into 2-minute actions that help to start the process, the entire task won’t seem so demanding. In addition, as you go through easily achievable bits, your motivation will grow, making you more eager to continue. In the beginning, these 2-minute actions would be anything from preparing the low-calorie meal to getting dressed and leaving the house for jogging. As you go along, you will feel much more willing to set further challenges.

3. Postpone reward

As opposed to seeking instant gratification and risk losing energy doing things that are not of the utmost importance in that moment, you should postpone it for after the completion. This way, you enhance your motivation as you have something to look forward to for later. Treating yourself to a movie after finishing Pilates class will improve not only your looks and health, it will also give you rest from guilt as the reward comes as something you earned.

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Being Productive Is About Using The Morning Well. Here’s The Trick You Should Start Today.

Being productive can be hard. Perhaps you’ve fallen into a routine of getting up at a certain time, getting into work and slumping down at your desk or place of work with no energy, motivation or direction. We live in a society where procrastination is literally at our fingertips with social media and access to smart phones causing endless distractions and taking away our focus.

However, there is a way to achieve this – a way to achieve optimal performance and productivity – that can change your whole outlook on the traditional work life and transforming each day into a happier, more productive and flexible option.

It’s All About The Mornings

If you’re not a morning person then it may be time to change your mindset – research has found there is an ideal structure to your day that creates optimum results and also the flexibility we crave when we’re stuck in our 9-5 framework. The problem with our current 9-5 tradition of working is that it forces us to work at times when our brain isn’t motivated. We have the mindset that we have a long day to get our work done which causes our brain to go into relaxation mode and it becomes harder to focus.

Like exercise, our bodies gain better results when we do short, intense periods rather than long, drawn out methods. It’s then in the recovery process where growth occurs – like muscles recovering after an intense workout.

So what does this mean? Well, the best way to achieve optimum work productivity is to focus intensely for the first 3 hours of your day. This is the optimum time that our brains work – straight after sleep when willpower and self-control is at its maximum.

How The First 3 Hours Can Save Your Day

It may not feel like it when you first wake up but your energy levels are at their optimum following sleep and these energy levels are gradually depleted as the day progresses meaning it’s harder for you to focus and make decisions.

How often have you dragged yourself to work and headed straight for the coffee machine because you can’t possibly function until you’re at least on your third cup of caffeine? This is where you’re potentially going wrong – the first 3 hours of your day will ultimately make you or break you.

It’s during this period that you can power through and make the most of your day. Creating a routine where the first 3 hours are intense periods of work, with pure focus and no distractions will actually cause you to complete the majority of your work at a more optimum level leaving the rest of the day for your brain to relax and deal with less taxing projects.

In fact, if you liken it to exercise, doing a 3-hour intense work period will cause you to reap the benefits later on in the day because the rest of the day will become a recovery period. After exercise, this is when your muscles start to recover and get stronger, and similarly after working your brain intensely for 3 hours, the recovery period afterwards causes the mind to loosely wander and creative ideas and inspirations start to enter.

How To Implement The 3-Hour Morning

Your morning is the key to a successful day so it’s best to start getting into a morning mindset. That means getting to bed at a reasonable time managing to get a full night’s sleep so you wake refreshed and ready for the day.

1. Wake as early as possible: Try and start a routine of getting up early because the more hours you have in the morning, the more time you have to be productive for the rest of the day. It’s not actually as hard as you think, after a couple of weeks your body and mind will start to get used to early rises and it will begin to become second nature (especially when you realise the true benefits).
2. Eat a good protein-rich breakfast: It’s essential that you start the day with a good eating routine and that means the right kind of fuel for your brain and the rest of your body so you can work at your optimum level first thing. A protein-rich breakfast will help regulate blood-sugar levels and stop hunger pangs later on in the morning.
3. Avoid stimulants: Getting up early, you’ll be tempted to grab that cup of coffee but avoid anything that will wake you up unnaturally. A good way to wake up is to switch your water to cold in the last minute of showering to give you a boost.
4. Meditate: Meditation is an amazing way to focus and clear the mind and doing this first thing will help calm your whole body and set your mindset up for the morning. It helps give clarity for any goals you have or even bring inspiration to a problem you might be having. You can do this before you leave the house, on your commute to work if you have one, or once you arrive at work.
5. Put away all distractions: The beauty of getting up early is that there are less people to distract you or cause you stress. Make sure you put away your phone and make a conscious effort not to check social media or emails for the next 3 hours. Listening to a song on repeat or music such as sounds of nature are a good way to help focus the brain and stop outside noises from interrupting your concentration.
6. Once done, take a mental break and notice the calming difference and sense of achievement: This may seem like an unconventional way to use your mornings and possibly take time to get used to, but it’s all worth it for the sense of achievement and efficiency you’ll feel. The chances are this act of focusing for 3 hours will have caused you to get much more work done than a whole typical day put together. After the 3 hours, go for a walk and take a break – your mind will feel relaxed which will then be the optimum time for creativity to occur allowing the best ideas to come to you.

So remember to protect your mornings. Some of us will find this hard especially if, say, you have kids to run around after or have a particularly long commute but adopting the mindset of making your mornings precious and distraction-free can help structure a much more productive and happy day.

Featured photo credit: unsplash.com via pexels.com

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5 Small Business Tech Tips To Boost Your New Venture

We live in an era when anybody with a little money and a big idea can carve out a successful business. While not every new business will survive, there are some simple techniques that can be utilized to make the most of your money, resources, and time.

When it comes to managing the tech side of your new venture, you should definitely keep these tips for starting a small business in mind.

1. Store data in the cloud to reduce IT overhead

When you’re starting out, you want to keep costs low. A great way to save money on IT costs is by using cloud storage instead of a physical server.

Cloud storage is particularly well suited to small businesses, and you can easily keep track of your spending as you will only ever be charged for the space you use. Best of all, cloud storage doesn’t require the same IT capacity or expertise, so you won’t need to hire an entire IT team. Just be aware that as you expand, you may need to spend more or make the switch to a dedicated server.

2. Research the best business broadband deal

Whether you work from a digital home office or sell physical goods from a brick and mortar store, a good business broadband deal is essential.

The best restaurant booking apps and inventory management software is cloud-based now, so connectivity is key! Most business packages offer priority service as a standard, meaning your providers are obliged to get your connection up and running ASAP if something goes wrong. You’ll also want to look for a deal that offers optimum speeds for your area, as well as a comprehensive security package.

Whether you’re based in the US or the UK, you will find a range of useful sites out there that offer business broadband price comparison services.

3. Be realistic about your social media presence

You may have big plans for the marketing side of your business, but just remember that less can be more when it comes to social media. If you don’t have the time or resources to commit to maintaining several accounts, just stick to one or two. A single Twitter account that’s updated several times a day and has a healthy following is far more valuable than a trio of Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr accounts which were last updated six months ago.

Ideally, you’ll hire someone to manage your communications in the future. But when you’re starting out, stick to one channel and do it justice. And don’t forget that scheduling tools like Hootsuite can seriously optimize your time.

4. Plan your website’s purpose and structure

To make the most of your website, think of it as an extension of your real-world business. It should use the same tone of voice and branding so that when any visitor ends up on your site, they can quickly grasp its purpose within seconds. It’s also important for the user journey to be clear and straightforward.

Try it out yourself — how many tabs or buttons do you have to click to engage with the service? Don’t forget that the average person only has an attention span of eight seconds, so you need to grab them quickly!

5. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

In 2015, Google made a big change to its algorithms, meaning they now prioritize mobile-friendly websites in the rankings. Give your website a real chance on the search engine results page by making changes that streamline it for mobile and tablet technology.

Key features of a mobile-friendly site are a simple design, fast loading speeds, and mobile-optimized features such as “click-to-call” buttons. If in doubt, opt for a mobile-responsive design when building your site.

Lastly, don’t forget that the specific needs of every business are different. Spend some time deciding which tech hacks will benefit your site the most and don’t rush into anything you can’t easily reverse.

Interested in learning more about useful apps for promoting your startup? Take a look at our article on 10 must-have marketing tools!

Featured photo credit: pixabay.com via pixabay.com

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8 Big Differences Between Great Leaders And Bad Leaders

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If You’re Busy But Still Find Your Hard Work Doesn’t Pay Off, You Probably Lack This Important Skill

Former United States President Dwight Eisenhower was responsible for putting together one of the most important yet fundamentally simple to understand concepts in time management. Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle is a tool to help decipher what tasks need to be addressed more immediately than others. Anyone who uses the principle will be better able to organize and orchestrate their daily tasks. This skill is especially imperative for busy people who find themselves working too hard and still not getting everything done.

Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle places tasks into four categories:

• Important and Urgent
• Important but Not Urgent
• Not Important but Urgent
• Not Important and Not Urgent

These four categories are used to label and organize which tasks need to be addressed first and which ones can be approached last. By asserting something’s importance and its urgency, we are better able to identify what comes first:

Image retrieved from SAE Alumni Association

What these quadrants reveal is that identifying which tasks are either important or urgent boils down to time management and what makes us most efficient. For example, President Obama’s former campaign manager said in an article by WebMD that Obama valued his time to exercise and that it helped fuel him for the rest of his day. According to Obama, “The rest of my time will be more productive if you give me my workout time.” The article goes on in detail about his routine and how he values its importance.

James Clear, a behavioral psychology writer, noted in a blog post that “too often, we use productivity, time management, and optimization as an excuse to avoid the really difficult question: ‘Do I actually need to be doing this?’ It is much easier to remain busy and tell yourself that you just need to be a little more efficient or to ‘work a little later tonight’ than to endure the pain of eliminating a task that you are comfortable with doing, but that isn’t the highest and best use of your time.”

Let’s take a deeper look at each quadrant, what it means, and how we should approach all of our tasks with either urgency or importance (or both).

Urgent And Important

For Urgent/Important tasks, they can arise unexpectedly or may have been left for the last minute. These tasks need to be managed ahead of time. Make plans to address these tasks so that they do not become stressful activities when it comes close to deadlines. It’s also a good idea to leave some wiggle room in your daily schedule just in case unexpected tasks come about.

Assess your deadlines. Are you moving at an appropriate pace to meet that deadline?

Emergencies happen. Whether they are unexpected meetings or sickness or injuries, they can’t be put off until later.

This will force you to reconsider your task list and how much time you have to apply to each quadrant.

Important But Not Urgent

Not Urgent/Important tasks are integral to personal growth, building relationships, and accomplishing long-term professional goals. If these tasks are given the proper amount of time, they will not become urgent. This will prevent unexpected and last-minute tasks from unexpectedly cluttering up your time later on, keeping stress and frustration at bay. You’ll be able to complete work efficiently and effectively.

Exercise is an example of this. Personal growth through exercise is not an overnight progress. Training for a run or any other sort of competition doesn’t begin just days before. Plan your goals ahead of time, but leave room for urgent, unexpected tasks.

Maintaining your relationships is also important. Keep up with friends and family and partners, but be mindful of how much time you’re alotting here. There is such a thing as putting too much time into relationships. Your goals are important, too. If you keep putting them off, they’ll soon become urgent and you’ll become stressed. This may affect your relationships in the long run.

Urgent But Not Important

Urgent/Not Important tasks are cumbersome and get in the way of your goals. Responding to phone calls or emails that are not pertinent to your goals or attending meetings with people who don’t bring any value to completing your activities can be wasted time. Avoid these if possible and delegate the activities if you can. Something to keep in mind: you’re saying yes to the person, but no to the task.

If someone or something requires that you do things for them frequently, then it might be best to arrange time for them in one larger block of time. This will allow you to focus your energy and time on multiple things.

Respond to time-sensitive correspondence as needed. Don’t wait until after a deadline to inform someone when that deadline is:

You: “Hey, the class will be starting at noon today.”

Colleague: “Really? Because it’s already 2 P.M.!”

Not Urgent And Not Important

Not Urgent/Not Important tasks should also be avoided. Spending time on Facebook or Twitter, watching TV, and shopping (when it’s not important to completing your tasks to have the things you’re shopping for) can significantly drain your time. Limit these tasks as much as possible. It’s not always going to be easy saying no to these mostly leisure activities, but it is important to remain mindful of how much of that time you’re using here.

Yes, everyone is talking about the new show on Netflix. They watched it this past weekend and are already posting memes and gifs on Facebook. This doesn’t mean you have to do the same.

Complete tasks first and then assess if you have time to participate in leisure. Otherwise, you’re procrastinating, and that affects all the other quadrants.

In Conclusion

Eisenhower’s Principles can be vital in developing skills to effectively and consistently complete tasks, delegate properly, and work efficiently. Take time to look over your tasks to determine which quadrant they belong.

• Is there a deadline? If yes, then it is important.
• Is the deadline soon? If yes, then it is urgent.
• Is the task necessary to completing the other tasks? If yes, then it is important.
• Can I delegate the task to someone else? If yes, then it is not important.
• What does it have to do with your personal growth?
• What does it have to do with your professional growth?

Ask yourself these questions when you need to determine a task’s importance and urgency. Make a quadrant table of your own somewhere to help you visualize all your tasks. This is an excellent exercise for time management, and it could be the foundation of healthy work habits that stick around for a long time.

Featured photo credit: Jazmine Quaynor via stocksnap.io

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You’ll Never Complain Of Not Having Enough Time If You Can Apply This Rule

Answer this riddle: What is more precious than gold, cannot be bought, earned, or saved and you never have enough of it?

The answer of course is time!

Time is elusive, fleeting and precious. We are only allotted so much during our lifetime and learning to manage it better, is the best way to maximize the time we do have. One of the top ways to make the most of your time is to utilize the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 Rule: The Law of the Vital Few

The 80/20 rule or the Pareto Principle (named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto) operates on the premise, that in general, 80 percent of an outcome is derived from just 20 percent of the input or effort. This rule is most often referenced to and utilized in business settings. Consider the following examples:

• 80% of problems can be attributed to 20% of causes
• 80% of a company’s profits comes from 20% of its customers
• 80% of a company’s complaints come from 20% of its customers

However, the fundamental truth that underlies this principle has been proven to be true in just about every context conceivable:

• 80% of crimes are committed by 20% of the population
• 80% of victories in sports come from 20% of the teams
• 80% of all wealth is owned by 20% of the people

The truth is so much of our time and energy is wasted doing things that produce little to no real or valuable output. Imagine what you could accomplish or where you could be if you were able to cut your overall lack of productivity in half?

Maximize your time using the 80/20 Rule

Now that we clearly understand the rule of 80/20, we can all agree that we do waste a lot of time. In a world filled with mundane, arduous and tedious tasks, how do we actually apply this rule in our everyday lives?

Great question! Below are a few simple tips to help you begin to better maximize your time and ensure your efforts yield higher and more meaningful results:

1. Learn to prioritize

This is by far the most vital component in proper time management and optimizing the 80/20 principle in your everyday life. In order to do this, a conscience and intentional shift in thinking must occur. Instead of mindlessly performing routine tasks, learn how to shorten or cut the ones that yield very little outcome from your routine. We are all aware that certain things must be done that are time-consuming and do not add value to our daily lives. Things like commuting, cooking, cleaning, ironing clothes, grocery shopping (you get the picture), must be done, but ultimately have very little to do with our goals, passions or overall quality of life. Yet, so much of our time is spent on these types of activities.

2. Learning to better schedule

Learning to better schedule, shorten or the better yet, outsource these things whenever possible is key to establishing the 80/20 ratio in your daily life. Hire someone to cut the grass, take public transportation or Uber to work and spend that time responding to emails or for planning your schedule.

3. Set and modify your goals frequently

Clearly defined goals that are always in the forefront of your mind helps you stay focused and helps you with prioritization. Map out a path to achieving your goals and adjust frequently. Life happens and plans are derailed. When you find yourself drifting off course, regroup and recalculate as quickly as possible. Try to spend as little time as possible on things that do not directly drive you toward your goals.

4. Establish the correct effort-reward balance

Establish the correct effort-reward balance for all activities: This is done by first evaluating the reward that comes from the task and then determining the amount of effort required. For example, if the task is making your bed every morning, for most of us, the reward for a well-made bed is very minimal, therefore the effort (time and energy) spent making the bed should also be minimal (or skipped altogether). I know some of you (like me) are perfectionists and like to do everything to the best of your ability, which is very admirable, but not practical or effective. Learn to give the best of  yourself to the things that really matter and the other things get the best of what you have left.

Downsize and simplify- 80/20 in Action

Putting this principle into action is actually fairly simple. Start by asking yourself some of the following questions:

• What are the 20% of your possessions you get the most value out of?
• What do you spend 20% of your time doing that gives you 80% of your happiness?
• Who are the 20% of people you’re close to who make you the happiest?
• What are the 20% of the clothes you wear 80% of the time?
• What are the 20% of foods you eat 80% of the time?

Chances are you answered all of these questions fairly easily. You’ve just never considered them before. Now that you’ve answered them, you are ready to and can easily focus on becoming more efficient in your life. For instance, the 80% of people you spend time with who only add 20% of the pleasure in your life – spend less time with them. The 80% of the stuff that you use 20% of the time – throw it out or sell it. The 80% of the clothes you only wear 20% of the time – get rid of them

Obviously, the 80/20 rule is not necessarily a rigid dictum to live by. Think of it as a tool and a lens to view aspects of your life. The overall goal is to simplify your life and to spend your most precious commodity wisely.

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When You Can Stop Yourself From Multitasking, Your Brain Will Start To Change

“Most of us have action addiction; it’s that dopamine craving. We’re spinning our wheels with insignificant things. You run fast without achieving anything. It’s so widespread, and it’s the main threat to mental effectiveness and productivity.” -Rasmus Hougaard, Co-Author of “One Second Ahead: Enhance Your Performance at Work With Mindfulness”

Multitasking for Instant Gratification

Multitasking is inefficient and unproductive. However, our brains are geared towards this by default. But why? Firstly, we have a wandering mind. Case in point: I’m sitting here on my bed, and as I attempt to write this article, my mind is wandering; I’m thinking about going out for a drink with friends. But, I’m mindful of this distraction – this is crucially important – but more on that later.

Secondly, each time we complete a new task, no matter how trivial – this could be sending an e-mail to answer a work colleague’s question – we receive a reward. This reward takes the form of a dopamine injection – a naturally produced neurotransmitter directly linked to addiction. When released we immediately feel good. We receive instant gratification, despite the sheer insignificance that the task may entail. Our brains learn this, and so, we continue to chase this instant gratification.

How to Stop Multitasking

If we’re able to stop this multitasking, which is very much a part of who we are, our brains will change. How though do we stop multitasking and more importantly how will our brain change? Let’s find out.

For us to stop multitasking and subsequently improve our productivity and focus, we need to work against our brain’s natural inclination to multitask. We need to stop focusing on small insignificant actions and rather focus on important ones. We need to be more mindful. There are two rules of mindfulness training.

Mindfulness Training: The Two Rules

1. We can let go of the majority of distractions

We need to be cognizant that the majority of distractions are negligible and we can consciously choose where we focus our attention. Yes, our brains will wander by default – I mean they’re wandering 46.9% of the time – but the art is to notice these distractions, without getting distracted.

For example, earlier I was being mindful of wanting to have a beer with a friend; I noticed it and re-focused my attention on the article because the article was more important at the time as I have a deadline looming. Always remember we have control over our distraction. They do not control us.

2. Strategically Handling Our Distractions

We also need to strategically handle distractions, either by choosing to let them go totally, dealing with them in the future or diverting our attention to them fully (if they’re more important than what we’re currently doing). For example, if I was faced with a family emergency whilst writing this article I would immediately divert my attention to that, as it’s far more important. Or if I received an e-mail from a work colleague asking me a question about a client meeting that’s happening in a week, I would choose to answer the question sometime in the future. These examples illustrate doing the right thing at the right moment.

How will this change our Brains?

By practicing mindfulness and refusing to give into our brain’s default tendency to wander and multitask, we’re training the prefrontal cortex of our brain. This is the part of our brain that gives us the ability to maneuver at will. We’re also able to better focus on important tasks and gain control over what Hougaard refers to as the “digital weapons of mass destruction.”

On that note, I’m going out for a beer with my friends.

Featured photo credit: medicine.stonybrookmedicine.edu via medicine.stonybrookmedicine.edu

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