So guys, today we will be looking at one of the questions asked by Hive Ghana community as part of their writing prompts for the week. The question is regarding habit and productivity and they want to know what that one habit that has hindered our productivity is and how we were able to replace it with a new positive habit.
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Without thinking twice about this, I knew my answer to this question is Procrastination because I knew how badly it dealt with me. We can all attest to the fact that Procrastination is a common productivity killer right? Trust me guys, procrastination isn't something we pray for because I know how badly I struggled with it in the past. I kept finding myself constantly putting off things I needed to do until the very last minute.
Truth be told, procrastination affected my productivity so much as it led to me being stressed out and anxious almost all the time. I lost so many jobs and clients because of this. One particular day, after I lost a major job that would have being the beginning of great things in my life, I knew that moment that it was time to break free from this habit if I am to reach my goals and fulfil my potential.
So I had to find a way to replace procrastination with a new and positive habit. I had to make a conscious effort to change my mindset and behavior. One of the key strategies I used in breaking free was finding a way to break my tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps.
I no longer worried about the overwhelming nature of the task I had at hand as I was able to create a list of realistic steps that I could take to tackle this task one at a time. Honestly,this strategy helped me alot to approach tasks more orderly and make progress consistently, rather than putting them off until the last minute.
I was also able to implement time management techniques such as setting specific deadlines for tasks and using tools like calendars and to-do lists to stay organized and this helped me a lot. I was able to stay focused and was able to avoid procrastination by dedicating time slots for tasks and then prioritizing them based on how important and urgent they are.
Another important thing I did to overcome procrastination was to address the underlying reasons behind it. I got to realize that procrastination often arises when someone is afraid to fail or when someone wants to be perfect in all things or even when someone feels so overwhelmed. This made me understand that either one or all of these reasons here must have been the reason why I find myself always procrastinating.
So I knew that moment that I need to fight that feeling. I had to start practicing self consciousness and I adopted a growth mindset. I kept reminding myself that it's okay to make mistakes and that failure is just a natural part of the learning process of life. I started reframing my mindset and focusing on progress rather than perfection and fortunately for me, I was able to reduce the pressure I was putting on myself and I approached tasks with more confidence and motivation.
To be sincere guys, replacing procrastination with a new and positive habit was not easy at all because it required lots of commitment, consistency, and self-awareness which most people lack.
It might interest you guys to know that I gradually started seeing improvements in my productivity few weeks after I made the decision of persistently practicing new habits and techniques. Truth be told, I felt more in control of my time and energy, and I was able to accomplish more in my daily routine. Breaking free from procrastination had a significant impact on my life as it allowed me to pursue my goals with greater focus, efficiency, and satisfaction.
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