5 productivity mistakes to avoid

This post is adapted and expanded from a short Twitter thread for deprocrastination.

1. Not having a daily to-do list

If you don't know what to do, often you'll just default to whatever is easiest: checking email or going on social media.

Take a moment in the morning (or the day before) to define what you need to do. Make clear to yourself what you actually expect yourself to get done each day.

Check out this short article for a specific technique many of our students have found helpful.

2. Using your phone in bed

This applies both to mornings and evenings.

It's a bad way to start the day, as it rarely puts you in a great mental state. The morning is generally when we're most lucid and ready to take on some work.

It's a bad way to spend your evening because it can easily lead to going to bed late. If you scroll past your bedtime you're shooting your tomorrow's self in the foot.

3. Having open distracting tabs or seeing notifications pop up on your phone

We're visual creatures. If we glance at a tab or see a notification, we'll be tempted to check it out.

Close distracting tabs.

Use the Rule of 3 Senses: keep your phone out of sight, reach, and hearing.

Hide distractions from your field of vision.

4. Beating yourself up

"I'm an idiot."
"I should have ..."
"I'm a lazy piece of ..."
"I have so much to do ..."

All these statements do is stress you out more and make you feel worse. Watch out for this negative self-talk. Find more neutral or positive phrases to use.

Try to replace "have to" and "should" with can, want to, or need to. Try to focus on the progress you've made each day, instead of how much is left to do.

5. Underestimating small actions

Tidying 1 corner of a room, sending 1 email, writing 1 paragraph,... These actions don't seem like they are consequential.

Wrong.

Small steps are create momentum. Once you see visible changes, you get motivated, and you continue more easily.

It's a cliche piece of advice, but it's no less true.

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Use these tips today (and follow @deprocrastinate for more if you want to)!