I have mentioned in a previous life log that I have been experiencing some productivity challenges in my overall life. I have to confess that I'm still in that stage as of this writing, but slowly, I am trying out different ways to overcome this "hill". The Universe seems to be aligned with my goal because I am continuously getting messages that surround a theme.

Some of those ideas have become gamechangers for me, and slowly but surely, they are changing the way I look at things. I want to write them out here again, first and foremost for my own gain (if I needed reminding in the future), and secondary only (LOL) for readers who might be able to resonate with the lessons presented herein.

Honestly, I had to rewire my core beliefs on this one. I've always thought that having motivation is the start to get things done. Apparently, it's the exact opposite. The more I apply this mindset, the more I prove that it is true. Motivation is temporary, and it normally doesn't last for long until things get done. Because I thought having no motivation means doing that thing is not worthwhile anymore, I don't finish and get to my end goal. But now that my mindset has shifted, it allowed me to accomplish more things. I did notice that as soon as I go past the struggle of starting, I slowly get "into the zone" and things just flow naturally. It helps that I am currently reading James Clear's Atomic Habits. This "mind hack" is really changing the game for me.

I might have not written that one as articulate as it should be, but I think you get the gist of what I am trying to say. I procrastinate because I'm avoiding facing an uncomfortable situation/activity. I tend to overstay online, just lurking on my SNS feeds, until my mind aches. I thought I was giving myself a break by enjoying some cat videos on Instagram. But unknowingly, I am submitting myself to more pain than pleasure. 

This is why when I stumbled upon this Life Kit podcast episode, I had to do a second (and third) listen because the problem being addressed here is the one I am currently experiencing.

After absorbing the message of that episode, I consciously stop myself when I notice that I am on social media for several minutes already. Utilizing the Digital Wellbeing feature of my Android phone is really helping me in controlling the amount of time that I stay on the phone. Also, I'm learning to endure the pain of doing adulting stuff, and then savoring the satisfaction of accomplishing my tasks after.

Another simple but significant thing I'm learning to do is avoiding hitting the Snooze button on my alarm. I feel like every time I press Snooze, I'm exercising my procrastination muscles, and this attitude trickles over my other tasks at hand. What I do now is as soon as my alarm goes off, I go to a sitting position and slowly get out of my sleepy and dizzy mood. So far, it's effective for me.

I'm happy that I'm having these opportunities to build good habits so that I can improve myself in the long run. There will be slips in the future, for sure, but the more important thing is that I get to return back to accomplishing the tasks at hand, so I can have more time to do fun stuff, and fully enjoy it, without the feeling of guilt for not prioritizing an important task at hand. 😃✨