1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:08,319 Speaker 1: Before I get onto today's mini episode, just a few 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: things from me. Firstly, I'm experimenting with a new format 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: soon that will be answering listener questions. So if you've 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: got something in your mind, maybe something you're wondering about 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 1: around productivity or this new working from home world, or 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: something you're finding challenging, or maybe a question about some 7 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: good software or gadgets, please send it through to me. 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,599 Speaker 1: I would love to help you out, and chances are 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: if you've got a question, other listeners have the same question, 10 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: So email that through to Amantha at inventium dot com 11 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: dot au. My email is also in the show notes 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: as always, and thank you to everybody that's been leaving 13 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: reviews on Apple podcasts for How I Work. It is 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: so appreciated. If you are enjoying How I Work and 15 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: maybe you haven't had the time to leave a review, 16 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: maybe today is the day that you might do that, 17 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: and that would be super wonderful. All right, today's mini 18 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: episode is all about how to kick your procrastination habit 19 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: while working from home. So did you know that the 20 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: average person checks their phone ninety six times per day? 21 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 1: That is every ten minutes, assuming you sleep for eight 22 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: hours every night and the glow of Instagram isn't keeping 23 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 1: you awake. And now that almost all Melbournians are stuck 24 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: at home, there are even more distractions to lure us 25 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,759 Speaker 1: away from our work. Dishes to wash Netflix, to binge 26 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: on naps, to have children, to homeschool and so on. 27 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: So here are three tips to kick your procrastination habit 28 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: if you are currently suffering from a bit of that. Okay, 29 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: first up, stop relying on willpower to stay away from distractions. 30 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: So many people believe that they can kick their procrastion 31 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: habit with brute force and willpower. If you put your 32 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: mind to staying away from distractions, then surely things will improve. Unfortunately, 33 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: this strategy rarely works. Most distractions, especially digital ones, are 34 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: designed to be addictive. They suck us in with random rewards, 35 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: exciting noises, and bright lights which provide our brain with 36 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: hits of the feel good hormone dopamine. The less we 37 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,279 Speaker 1: can rely on our willpower to rid ourselves of distractions, 38 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: the more successful we will be at staying focused on 39 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: our work. So to preserve your willpower and stay focused, 40 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: download website blocking software such as freedom dot t or Serene, 41 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: which is spelled ser n. These applications allow you to 42 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: select the sites and software that you find most distracting, 43 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: and they lock you out of them for time periods 44 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: of your choosing, so you will literally have no choice 45 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: but to get back to work because you'll be locked 46 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: out of everything fun and enticing. Okay, the second strategy 47 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: is to make your phone boring. So our mobile phone 48 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,399 Speaker 1: is a constant source of distraction, especially when working from 49 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: home when we're trying to get work done, The desire 50 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: to do the just check of our phone every few 51 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: minutes and check every incoming notification dramatically reduces productivity. To 52 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: remove the urge to do the just check, we need 53 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: to break the habit. So one reason habit's form is 54 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: because the behavior is really easy to do. So one 55 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,239 Speaker 1: way to break habit is to make the behavior harder 56 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: to do. When it comes to digital distractions. If Instagram 57 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: is front and center of your phone's home screen, it's 58 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: easy to make Instagram the first thing you check when 59 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: you pick up your phone. But if you delete Instagram 60 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: or move it to a hidden folder, checking your feed 61 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: becomes harder. So if you're serious about kicking your procrastination habit, 62 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: delete all the apps on your phone that you find 63 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: most addictive. I know, crazy right now. If this feels overwhelming, 64 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: try this strategy just for one week and observe how 65 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: your behavior changes. Social life falls apart without Instagram or 66 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: Facebook on your phone than by all means, reinstall it, 67 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: but you might find things get a whole lot better. Okay. 68 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: Third and final strategy, get back in touch with what 69 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: actually motivates you. So a big reason why we procrastinate 70 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: is because we're not feeling motivated or excited about the 71 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: task that we're working on. To overcome this, it can 72 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: be a good idea to revisit the three building blocks 73 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 1: of motivation, which are autonomy, mastery, and connection. So to 74 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: stop procrastinating, focus on increasing one of these drivers of motivation, 75 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: which will make you actually want to stay on task. 76 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,840 Speaker 1: You can increase autonomy by making sure you have choice 77 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: in how you do your work. This might involve a 78 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: conversation with your manager to allow you to have more 79 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: freedom with how you complete the tasks that form part 80 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: of your job. Learning or even mastering a new skill 81 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: is a great way to increase motivation. Think about what 82 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: new skills you could learn while working from home and 83 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: allocate time to try and to improve yourself. And finally, 84 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: human connection is critical for staying motivated. Try to connect 85 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: with your teammates, which will probably be via phone or 86 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: video calls right now. Prioritizing human connection will make you 87 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,679 Speaker 1: feel much more motivated and happier, particularly while working from home. 88 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: So that is it for today's show. If you have 89 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: enjoyed today's episode, why not share it with someone else 90 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 1: that you think could benefit, Maybe a friend or a 91 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: coworker who's been and may be confessing to you that 92 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: they've been procrastinating a little bit at work. So that 93 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 1: is it for today and I will see you next time.