Diary of a Recovering Procrastinator (S01E03) Hack The System

After days and weeks of sole searching, my productivity had not improved after admitting to myself that I had serious problem with getting things done on time or before the due date. I was no closer to breaking this procrastination loop than before I realized I was perennially stuck in it.

With the beauty of the age we live in now, solutions and/or suggestions were not very far away and I happened to come across one when I actively decided to reduce the amount of time I spent on social networks I viewed as adding little value to my productivity. Out went religiously tweeting between waking up in the morning and lunch time and in came LinkedIn. It was there that was found a link to an article on 5 bad habits that are holding you back in the office. I went to the resulting website without hesitation because I hungered for tips to get me out of my continuous rut. That day, themuse.com become one of my favorite websites.

Since then the number of articles I have tried assimilate is astounding but I did manage to keep my focus on which advise to focus on. Here I was introduced to productivity ‘hacks’. Tricks to help keep the mind focused, sharp and those to keep at bay the distractions that often characterize your typical working day. I have been guilty of trying out almost every hack suggested, some yielding positive results while others don’t make it passed 48 hours of trials.

I have come to realize that embedding a hack has a habit takes work and dedication, and it is very easy to slip back into what seems natural (procrastination) and rationalize not using your newly learned trick. If being doodle, and I don’t mean this in any harsh way, has been with you for the best part of your life you should expect it to be a miracle cure. It is a process whose duration is wholly a function of your dedication.

My is Nigel and I’m a recovering procrastinator!