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I'll be honest, I am not qualified to be any kind of productivity guru. My blog took months of procrastination to host online. This article lingered on my to-do list for longer than I care to admit. In my defense I did eventually publish both my blog and this article. Using various tools and techniques I have gradually begun to change myself into a person that finishes what he starts, which is what I am sharing with you.

Mind state

Ask yourself why you want to do this task, what you are trying to accomplish, what you are trying to get out of it. Determining the why provides you with direction. Using introspection to determine your goals can be an effective motivator to get things done. Write them down and review them when you need a reminder of why you are doing what you aim to.

Consistency is important when developing new habits. It is more effective to do something daily for little increments of time instead of doing it infrequently for a longer duration. So writing everyday for 20 minutes is more effective than writing once a week for 2 hours. At the beginning of learning a new task, work hard to do it every day. Even if it isn't the best quality of work, and you're not feeling like doing the activity in the moment, still get it done. Over time the habit becomes less daunting and easier to do.

Be kind to yourself. When you're learning something new, the quality of work. Will likely not be. Amazing. Mastery takes. A long time to achieve. So, at the beginning, when your work is not up to your expectations. Instead of being critical of yourself, maybe flip your perspective. Acknowledge that you're trying something new. And, Encourage yourself. Stating. That you are. Proud of yourself. Trying something new. And, You'll get better over time.

Environment

Keep your area clean. Clutter distracts you so keep your working area organized. A messy work area prevents you from putting all of your attention into your work. Things will be in the way taking your focus away from where it needs to be. Spend some time everyday ensuring your area will be clean for the next time you will be working.

Create an environment where you can put all of your focus into that task. This includes multitasking, do not try to do more than one thing at once. Your attention should be solely focused on the task at hand. Having your phone beside you with notifications can really take you away from the task, so limit the number of times you check it. One strategy for limiting phone distractions is setting hours that you check and respond to your messages.

Make the items required to practice easy to access. By keeping them tucked away in storage you add a layer of difficulty that now needs to be overcome. If you are the kind of person that struggles to get started with their tasks any additional hurdle to overcome can be enough to stop you from starting. Display your instruments, plan your outfits, you get the idea, make the task as easy to start as possible.

Tools and Techniques

The tool that provided me with the best results for getting started is the two-minute rule. It is such a simple yet effective way to overcome procrastination. Simply plan to work on a task for two minutes. By the time you get through the two minutes you will likely continue working past that point as you have already started. Sometimes the hardest part of working is getting started. Instead of scheduling big chunks of time for the task, which can be daunting, try the two-minute rule which is lower pressure.

Other tools exist like the Pomodoro clock. Essentially it is a timer where you work for 20 minutes, take a five minute break, repeat, and on the third break take a longer 20 minute break. Our focus is limited after long durations of time, so breaking up our working task into smaller manageable chunks of time, help with retaining focus. For certain tasks that you would like to emphasize remembering; like studying, the pomodoro clock can be especially useful. We tend to remember the start and end of an event, while the middle details are hazy. By creating many starts and ends in the studying process, that the pomodoro clock creates, we can remember more details.

Gamification is another strategy to stay engaged on a task. Look for ways to turn your activity into a game. Create achievements, set up rules to increase the difficulty, and competing with friends are some simple ways to add some variety to your tasks.