We’ve all been there, woke up at 5, planned your entire day, had breakfast but as soon as you sat down and open your computer, you are bombarded with distractions from everywhere. This one is the last, I still have much time left. We all know that the “last one”, never actually arrives.

So how do you fix this. I myself have faced this problem a lot of times, like seriously a lot. It’s a terrible feeling of guilt, regret and well, laziness. Now that it’s 3 PM and you’ve finally decided to lift your ass off, here’s an advice from the master procrastinator himself.

It’s never too late

Many of us tend to give up on the day once we feel like we’ve wasted too much time. We tell ourselves, “Well, I’ve already wasted half the day, might as well give up and try again tomorrow.” But that’s a defeatist mindset that won’t get you anywhere. It’s never too late to salvage the rest of your day and make the most of what’s left.

Trick to finding motivation

Remember that short term motivation is okay, but you don’t always have to rely on motivation, if you’re here, reading this article, you’ve already figured out your source of motivation. However, if you’re still having trouble doing so, here are some recommendations:

• YouTube: YouTube is a powerful source of motivation. Find the thing that suits best for you.
• Music: This is the thing that has worked the best for me. As simple as it sounds, music can actually help you steer your day into a much better direction. Here are some of my favorites:
  • “Gurenge” by Lisa.
  • “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
  • “Music sounds better with you” by Stardust

Make a realistic check list

Creating a realistic to-do list can greatly increase your productivity and help you make the most of a day that may otherwise be wasted. It is essential to be realistic and honest with yourself about what you can achieve within the remaining time frame. Therefore, it is crucial to take into account your capabilities, the complexity of the tasks, and the resources available to you.

It can be tempting to set overly ambitious goals. However, this can lead to frustration and burnout. Instead, focus on setting achievable goals that you can realistically accomplish in the time you have left. This will help you build momentum and stay motivated.

When making your list, it is important to identify and prioritize both urgent and important tasks. Urgent tasks are those that require immediate attention and cannot be postponed without consequences. Important tasks, on the other hand, may not have a deadline but are essential to your long-term goals. By prioritizing these tasks, you ensure that you are using your time efficiently and effectively.

To make a realistic checklist, start by breaking down your larger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones. This approach can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and can help you make steady progress toward completing your goals. Additionally, consider the resources available to you, such as your energy levels, time constraints, and any other support you may need to complete your tasks.

As you work through your checklist, be sure to track your progress and make adjustments as needed. Celebrate your successes along the way and learn from any challenges you encounter. By taking a proactive approach to your to-do list, you can make the most of your time and accomplish your goals with greater efficiency and ease.

Break tasks into smaller steps

If you have a large project to complete at work, breaking down the project into smaller steps can help you manage your time and stay on track. You can start by breaking down the project into smaller, more manageable tasks. Once you have identified these tasks, you can prioritize them based on their importance and urgency. You can also set specific goals for each work session, such as completing a certain number of tasks or mastering a specific skill.

Once you have broken down your project into smaller steps, you can focus on one step at a time, ensuring that you are making steady progress towards your ultimate goal of completing the project successfully. Breaking tasks down into smaller steps can also help you stay focused and avoid distractions. You can set a timer for each step, and once the timer goes off, take a short break. This technique is called the Pomodoro technique, and it can help you stay motivated and focused throughout the day.

In conclusion, breaking tasks into smaller steps can help you stay organized, manage your time, and achieve your goals more efficiently. Whether you are working on a large project or trying to accomplish a personal goal, taking a step-by-step approach can help you stay focused, motivated, and on track to success.

Use a timer to track time

Using a timer can help you stay focused and avoid procrastination. Set a timer for a specific amount of time (e.g. 25 minutes) and work on a task until the timer goes off. Then, take a short break and repeat the process. This technique, known as the Pomodoro Technique, can be very effective in increasing productivity.

On desktop, you can use this website, essentially, this works for all platform, however I would recommend this app for android.

Reward yourself for progress

Rewarding yourself for progress can help you stay motivated and focused. For example, you could treat yourself to a snack or a cup of coffee after completing a task, or take a longer break after completing a set of tasks. Just be sure to choose rewards that are healthy and won’t interfere with your productivity.

Take care of your physical needs

Finally, it’s important to take care of your physical needs when you’re trying to make the most of a half-wasted day. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and taking breaks to stretch and move around. Taking care of your physical needs will help you stay focused and energized, which will in turn help you be more productive.

Eliminating distractions

For starters, you could try enabling the Do not disturb mode on your phone, this will block all of notifications for a while. Additionally, you should turn on the “Focus Mode” if you need to use your phone to complete your task. One thing that helps a lot is turning your screen to gray scale, colors are really distraction and turning the bedtime mode on makes everything dull hence less attention seeking.

If you want to watch lectures from youtube, you could either create a separate account for your studies or using something such as NewPipe or LibreTube. On desktop, you can install the DF YouTube browser extension (Firefox | Chrome).

Learn from your mistakes

Finally, it’s important to learn from your mistakes. Figure out what went wrong this morning and make a plan to prevent it from happening again. Maybe you need to wake up earlier, or maybe you need to find a better way to manage your time. Whatever the case may be, use this experience as a learning opportunity.

Ending note

In conclusion, a half-wasted day is not the end of the world. You can still salvage the rest of your day and make the most of what’s left. Prioritize, break it down, eliminate distractions, take breaks, and learn from your mistakes. With these tips, you’ll be back on track in no time.