60 days off-screen that revolutionized my productivity.
Dealing with this... Again
Let me confess something to you. These past few days or weeks, I've procrastinated a lot more than before. For some time, I wasn't sure why...
I thought it was because my 9-to-5 kept me so busy that, by the end of the day, I had no more energy to give to my business. Part of it was that. And that's why I have immense respect with those of you that have a day-job and a night-passion-project. You are truly incredible.
But back to me and my procrastination problem. It wasn't that I was tired. But after watching this video, something clicked and I realized what was wrong and what I needed to do next...
First, I decided to give myself grace. We're usually too harsh on ourselves, I am anyway. Recognizing that we have limits, that we're not always in tip-top shape, mentally, physically or otherwise, is okay. Practicing self-compassion is okay.
Stickers and Rewards
You remember back in school when teachers would give stickers for good behavior or perfect scores on homework? I know you think we're all grown up now and don't need stickers anymore. But maybe we do?! Hear me out.
The next step was to catch up and set up habits that would help avoid procrastination as much as possible in the future. One of those habits was watching TV/movies on Sabbath Sundays (as I choose complete rest one day a week, on Sundays). I already took social media out of the equation, and as the video said, it really helped "detox" from the dopamine rush we get from Instagram, TikTok and the others. But, I need to go further...
So, that was the plan: have a super boring day once a week.
Now, although "detoxing" for one day in the week was helpful, what about the rest of the week? Well, how about we try this? What if we just use social media, TV/movies, or videos as little treats? Once we finish with a task or group of tasks, we can take short breaks and reward ourselves with a few minutes of entertainment. For every 2 hours of work, you get 5-10 minutes of “sticker time”?
The Fruits
It's been about 60 days now (June 2022) since I started tackling procrastination. At first, this practice was hard, as you would imagine. But the same day I chose to start it is the same day I was inspired to do something I never would've thought of, had I not given my mind more space to pause and "detox". The weeks after, I found ways to replace screens with healthier activities. And, this simple practice has since revolutionized my productivity and creativity.
How about you?
Would you try being off-screen 1 day a week?
- Sure! Why not? 😅
- Nah... Not ready... 🙈
