6 reasons why you are not doing anything

1. You don't have clear priorities

Time is a limited resource, and if you try to do everything at once, of course, it will be impossible to meet the schedule. Willpower and discipline won't save you. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation again and again, use the advice of the famous author Stephen Covey:

Don't prioritize what's in the plan for the day, but plan based on your priorities.

Look at your calendar or to-do list. All points in it have their own value, but not all deserve the same attention. Find priority among them. First of all, these are tasks that will bring you closer to important goals. Also, these are urgent actions and cases, the refusal of which will entail serious consequences.

Once you've prioritized your tasks, build your day so you can get it done. Keep in mind that it is also impossible to cope with all important matters at once, so plan no more than three of these per day and leave time for other activities.

2. You interfere with yourself

For example, don't count your highest productivity time. Let's say you set an important task in the early morning, although you know that at this hour you are having difficulty thinking. Or you do not take breaks, although you notice that after one and a half or two hours of work you can no longer concentrate (our brain is so arranged that after a period of concentration you need rest). Or maybe you plan to work in depth during the period when the children are at home, or do not turn off unnecessary notifications.

The solution to the problem is to keep track of your time and energy. Record observations in a notebook or use a dedicated time tracker like RescueTime. After a few days, you will notice in which parts of the day you are especially productive, and in which you are at zero energy, when you are most often distracted, and when it is easier for you to concentrate. Consider this when planning your day.

3. You are using your calendar ineffectively

Usually people fall into two categories:

Re-planners. Their tasks are superimposed on one another, and reminders of appointments, tasks and breaks stand every 10 minutes.
Minimalists. They only have a couple of recurring events in their calendar and a lot of free space. It creates the deceptive impression that there is a lot of time.

Both of these planning approaches are fraught with problems. Re-planners have such a busy schedule that it is impossible to find a place for the inevitably arising unaccounted for. In addition, such people often do not take into account the planning error, that is, they forget that it takes more time to complete the task than originally thought. Minimalists, seeing a free calendar, also inefficiently allocate their time, believing that everything will be in time.

Try to find a middle ground: create a template for the day, which includes priority tasks, but there is room for unforeseen tasks.

For example, if your peak productivity is from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, schedule important work for that time and leave the next hour blank. During this time, you can take a break, check your mail, call customers back or deal with someone's request.

4. You are using the wrong planning tools

For example, the calendar should not be clogged with trifles, otherwise it will become too cluttered. It is better to record small tasks or specific steps of one large task in the to-do list, and reminders - on a sticker pasted in a conspicuous place.

If you work in a large team, kanban-based tools like Trello come in handy for tracking tasks. They enable all participants to monitor progress and receive notifications.

5. You let others control your time

That is, you agree time after time when you are called to a meeting, asked to do additional work, or participate in a brainstorming session. All this reduces the time for things that are important to you.

Learn to protect your time by saying no more often.

Of course, you shouldn't reject every request or suggestion, just be more selective. Then your efficiency will cease to suffer from your politeness.

Refusal does not mean that you want to offend the other person. Honestly say that you don't have time right now, and if the offer is interesting, look for a place for it in the calendar.

6. You have difficulty motivating

No matter how carefully you plan, this alone does not guarantee that the task will be completed on time. Sometimes it happens that the working conditions are ideal, but it is simply impossible to concentrate. As a result, you work with clenched teeth, move slowly and feel nervous because the whole schedule has shifted.

This is a very common situation, and there is no point in scolding yourself when you find yourself in it. You just have a decline in motivation at the moment. It can be caused by many factors: problems in another area of life, fatigue, an abundance of routine work.

Try to get your motivation back. Remember why you are doing your job, what it gives you, what you love about it. Take a break to recharge and take care of yourself. Say positive affirmations. As strange as it may seem, self-hypnosis really helps. For example: "I will make today a success" or "I am not perfect, and that's okay."