3 ways to get more done without panicking

Time isn't particularly favourable to you when you've got deadlines to meet. Time is something we lose when we are having fun or clicking like on an Instagram photo of a puppy browsing Facebook. Beating that system is something quite achievable. Take it from a procrastinator like me who has mostly beaten the system.

Plan your day

Start each day with a plan. Spend at least five minutes to chalk in at least 3 'doables'. Those are tasks that you should set upon throughout the day. You decide whether to assign each doable to home, work or personal growth. If you're a night owl like me you will set it up the night before like I will after typing this article. Or as a morning person you could sip your beverage of choice and plan the day ahead.

Spending a little time planning out activities mean you get to visualise a result. Visualising makes your subconscious mind repeat the action you would want to perform. What you see impacts your habits and actions. Pham and Taylor (1999) studies have shown a positive connection between repetitive thought and resulting action.

Divide and conquer

But before you plan, you need to formulate a list of things important to your goals and career success. But a to-do list can get lengthy. Divide it into things that you need to do for personal reason and those that need to be done for work. Buying a new stove versus getting the bills readied to be paid out to your (or my) fledgling photographers. And then break each down to an appointment set at a date and time. Head out to the market to check stove prices after work. Write out the bills and hand them over to accounts by 11:30. Setting things to a specified time make them more achievable.

Block social media

The biggest time waster is our social life or what passes for it these days. I once sat through an hour watching one of my sub-editors work at his PC preparing content for a layout. He replied to messages that blinked and scrolled through suddenly attractive pictures of a girl, car or a cat posing with a girl in a car. Each time he would spend an average of 4 minutes checking, replying, hitting like. In an hour he easily lost more than 30 minutes.

When you need to get work done, avoid socialising. Avoid Facebook, Twitter and email unless social media is your business like it is mine. Even then, there are plenty of other tasks that need to be done without the distraction of cat and dog pictures. Apps like Facebook Limiter or AppCap allow you to schedule times when you will NOT be allowed to use Facebook and the like.

You can't get everything done, but stay true to these basic activities and you will get a lot done each day. That in the end is a massive mental boost that helps you repeat.

Writer is Editor of the career, tech and automobile publications of The Daily Star. He is also an entrepreneur of a baby clothing business and previously worked in advertising as a Senior Copywriter