How to Make Your Hours Work for You

How to Make Your Hours Work for You

Beating procrastination may not be as difficult as it seems.

An issue that both office-based employees and online workers face on a daily basis is procrastination. There are stories of people who just find it difficult to manage their time.

One minute we feel so unmotivated to check off items on our to-do list, that we end up doing nothing. And then there are days when we feel like our work hours aren’t enough for the mountain of tasks at hand. Sometimes, we wish that we had 48 hours in a day just to get things done.

If you have ever felt like the number of hours in a work day is never enough, here are some tips to help you make the most out of your daily grind.


Plan your day ahead

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” This old adage is still applicable today. Before going to bed, create your schedule for the next day. Put everything that you’re planning to do, work or otherwise on that list.

You can have a more general order of things to do, or organize your tasks down to the minute. It depends on what works for you! Try it out for a few days and you’ll see that it pays off to have a plan before heading to battle.


Create accountability

Now that you have a plan in place, you have to make sure that you actually follow it! What use is the time spent on creating the schedule when you don’t even try to meet the expected timeline? That’s why accountability is important and that you have to motivate yourself on a regular basis. There’s no one else who can see that you’re working to the fullest than you.

You can even move a step further by getting one of your friends, family members or colleagues to be your accountability partner. Having one can do wonders, and you can always benefit from the extra push.


Remove distractions

It seems to be much easier to do non-work activities if you don’t have bosses hounding over your shoulder and watching every move you make. But then again, spending hours scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed or Twitter timeline won’t get the job done, right? It’s important that you are focused on your projects and that you find ways to not get easily derailed.

Steer clear from social media sites like Facebook or Twitter so your precious time won’t be consumed. There are applications and Chrome plug-ins that do the job for you. Avoid going to websites or blogs, or chatting with others especially if it’s not related to work. The sooner you can get your tasks done, the sooner you can leisurely surf the Internet.


Eat the right way at the right time

An empty stomach begets an empty brain. How many times have we skipped meals because of our work? Have you noticed that when this happens, your output is not the best that you can do?

Remember to eat at the right time, with the right kind and amount of food. Don’t stuff yourself too much either, since it might make you feel sleepy and sick the whole day.


These four tips can help online workers make the most out of their work hours and accomplish their daily tasks.


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