You’re reading STOP being Lazy: 5 Ways To Make Each Day Count, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

The guilt eats at you when you think about the day you’ve just had. You could have accomplished so much more, but here you are, feeling sorry for yourself because you’ve spent your time doing nothing but insignificant crap. You can’t stop being lazy.

You’ve been watching videos on YouTube, snacking on cornflakes, going on Facebook – as you procrastinate on what matters most. By the end of the day, you try to remind yourself that you’ll have more productive days soon – or that you needed the break today.

But deep down you know you need to change for good… This pattern has happened once too many times for it to be an accident.

Note: I can tell you I’ve been there, and I know exactly how it feels. Today I’m going to show you the 5 strategies that will allow you to end this cycle so that you can finally get tons done each day. Also, I have a special FREE bonus to help you even further. Make sure you read all the way to the end to get it.

Avoid Procrastination by removing the possibility of choice

The most unproductive days I’ve had were down to me feeling like I had the choice of doing things later on. Naturally, I would do what I felt like before attempting to accomplish anything that was important. If I was given a work assignment due for Tuesday, say on a Monday, in the morning I would tell myself: “It can wait; I’ll do it later on.”

I soon realised that if I kept beginning my day from the wrong place, I would end up in the wrong place. My change occurred once I started understanding how important each first half of the day (first 8 hours) was to my future. If you want to stop being lazy, that’s something you’ll want to also internalize.

Have priorities for each day

I used to negotiate myself into doing whatever I felt like doing. I would switch between checking email and Facebook and doing work. I would then multitask between different work tasks whenever I felt bored or anxious. Or, I would just keep hacking away at a job without taking any breaks. So I’d either be distracted or mentally beat.

I was missing a system to dump all the things I needed to do, so that I could differentiate between what was a priority and what wasn’t. Following David Allen’s GTD Principles, I started using Todoist to create different projects for my life i.e. Routine, Work, Contact, Errands, and Shopping. So whenever I thought of something that needed doing, I could drop it in any of these five categories without ever forgetting about it.

That change alone made my mind so much clearer, and I began to see everything I wanted to do with a better mind-set. Otherwise, I would just get into the habit of writing done whatever I wanted to accomplish.

It’s our natural inclination to put off the things that make us uncomfortable. And yet, it’s these things that make us grow the most. Having all your tasks in view, allows you to see what’s truly important – allowing you to more easily stop being lazy and  knuckle down on what’s need doing.

(Part of the reason we’re also lazy is because we lack an approach that allows us to feel good about our work. I’ve put together a complete system to help solve this.)

Start your day with the MIT (Most Important Task) and use a Timer

Every morning, I started to write 3-5 tasks I wanted to accomplish by the end of each day. And I would make sure to dedicate 2-4 hours to the number one priority or a single project.  I would ask myself: “What’s the single hardest thing I need to accomplish today?”
Achieving it as soon as possible allowed me to move through the rest of the day with excitement and a sense of triumph.

“The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you begin work on a valuable task, you seem naturally motivated to continue.” – Brian Tracy

As my life slowly changed for the better, I began to realize unproductive days were greatly down to a lack of urgency in the early part of the day. You can stop being lazy and start getting **** done while being happier for it; once you start prioritizing what’s important and leaving the rest behind.

The second other change I made was using a timer and setting it for 60 mins each time I worked on the computer. That way, I’d know I’d have a break coming up, no matter how I felt. Naturally, I’d be a lot less likely to multitask, or get distracted.

So, here’s a quick recap:

5 Ways to Stop Being Lazy

Step 1: If we’re awake for 16 hours, we must begin to see the first eight hours as the foundation of our lives. In those 8 hours, get as much of the high-stakes stuff done.

Step 2:   Get everything out of your head using a software tool like Todoist, Nozbe, or a paper notebook, so that you can see your life objectively. Also ,write down 3-5 tasks you want to accomplish daily, either in the morning or the night before.

Step 3: Use a timer and set it to no longer than 60mins so that you have a break to look forward to when you’re working on longer tasks.

Step 4: Work on your most challenging to-do first thing after your morning routine so that you force yourself to stop being lazy.

Bonus Tip: Plan as much of your week as you can in advance, theming each day concerning each single project you want to focus on i.e. do you want to dedicate Mondays to research and Tuesday to phone calls, etc.?

So that’s it. That’s the plan you need to follow to being a badass. I’m going to give you a bonus to help make sure you take your productivity to the next level.

• First, I’ve put together a list of the best morning routines, so that you can feel relaxed and at ease, meaning you’ll approach your work with the best attitude.
• Second, I’ve included a strategy on how to split up your day day in 4 chunks, so you’ll know exactly what to do wherever you find yourself in each day.
• Third, I’ll show you how to consistently celebrate your wins, so that you feel more creative and enthusiastic daily.

If you’d like to learn how to implement all of my strategies, you can click below to access my eBook (12mins read). I’ll show you the behind the scenes to every detail of my system. (Access here).

About the Author: Samy Felice is a copywriter who is passionate about ideas related to living a meaningful life. His free book explores ways people can experience stress free productivity.

You’ve read STOP being Lazy: 5 Ways To Make Each Day Count, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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