Productivity

Are you a procrastination champ? Chances are, your workflow and mindset might be hampering your productivity. Here are seven strategies to keep you on task

How often do you find yourself procrastinating as a deadline for an important class or work project draws near? Maybe you're scrolling through Twitter or wasting time on TikTok. Whatever you're doing, it's not work.

Whining won't finish that project; to improve your productivity, you need to prevent distractions—a difficult task when YouTube is a click away.

Spare yourself another panicked scramble and follow these seven tips to nix distractions.

• Set Reasonable Micro Goals

  A huge project can be paralyzing. Don't get overwhelmed; get organized. Estimate how much time your project will take, and break your tasks down into reasonable micro goals—dedicate several hours to research one day and leave outlining for the next, for example. Then map out a schedule in Google Calendar or use a to-do list app.
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  Turn Notifications Off

  Nothing ruins your focus like your phone's ceaseless chirping. You can't stop your friends from asking for a ride or your boyfriend asking where you're grabbing dinner, but you can cut down on interruptions by turning off your phone's notifications. If temptation still overwhelms you, activate Do Not Disturb mode or turn off your phone altogether.
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  Close Irrelevant Tabs

  It's harder to focus when you're tempted by a Slack chat, Twitter thread, or shared Google Photos album. Before you start—yes, even if time is tight—organize and refresh your browser. Close down the 41 tabs you've left open from yesterday's Wikipedia deep-dive into the Surinam toad. Delete that game your friend really wants you to try. Anything and everything that doesn't help with the task at hand needs to be banished from view.
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  Put Your Word Processor in Focus Mode

  Most modern word processors have a stark, no-frills Focus Mode. In Microsoft Word, navigate to View > Focus, and you're good to go; the top and bottom bar disappear, leaving only the white page and black border. Google Docs doesn't include a focus mode, though one is reportedly in the works for Chrome, but you can achieve the same effect with extensions.
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  Take Advantage of Plugins

  Speaking of, a third-party plugin can help keep you on track, and Chrome makes it easy. Go to the Chrome Web Store and click Extensions. Find the plug-in you want and click Add to Chrome on the top right of your screen. 
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  Headphones and Soothing Sound

  A good pair of noise-cancelling headphones, such as the Bose QuietComfort 25 or Marshall Mid ANC, make the most unbearable workspaces quiet oases.

  For those of us who need something gentle to ease us into work mode, YouTube's cottage industry of film-score compilations, video-game medleys, and soft-song streams (starring the now-iconic low-fi hip hop girl) provide easy listening that's one step up from white noise.

  Spotify also offers soothing playlists for the restless. Open the app and under Browse, scroll through the genre list, which features options like Sleep, Gaming, TV and Movies, or Classical.
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  Take Breaks

  Sometimes the best work strategy is not working. Using your fancy new time-management app, build in breaks to stand, stretch, wander, or eat to avoid burnout.