Master procrastinator? How to stop wasting your time at work

That feeling of being chained to a desk all day can be an uncomfortable one. The 9-to-5 routine will often leave you feeling like an office drone, and eventually any distractions will become welcome ones.

They may not be productive, but everyone is guilty of letting their mind wander to a frivolous task at work. While taking a 10 minute break to indulge a passion for online gaming or check social media is fine, letting it get out of hand is incredibly detrimental.

With that in mind, here are three tips that will help you stop procrastinating:

Make a schedule

Time management skills often won’t come naturally, so forcing yourself to split up the day is important. If deadlines remain long in the distance, the sense of urgency to get anything done immediately can escape you.

Planning in smaller increments of time can negate this. Aim to complete five or six smaller ‘deadlines’ per day, and you’ll find that the need to procrastinate will slowly wash away.

Don’t work tired

Tiredness will only make you feel worse about any tasks that have to be carried out. It’s acceptable to stay up late one or two nights a week to live your social life, but constantly burning the candle at both ends will pose problems.

Time wasting becomes a lot more appealing when you haven’t had enough rest, as you’re simply not as switched on as you should be. Make sure you get those winks of sleep every night, and attack the next day refreshed.

Be a nag

At the end of the day, you can be your own worst enemy or best friend. Staying motivated will always be hard, but remind yourself that you’re doing the job for a reason.

Whether it’s a deadline long in the future or a short-term task, hitting targets is ultimately what your employer is paying you to do. Keep that in mind the next time you get the urge to switch off completely and feel procrastination setting in.