Effective Ways to Stay Engaged During Long Tasks

Procrastination isn't about time. It's about emotions. You're not lazy. Your brain is protecting you from difficult feelings. Fear. Anxiety. Self-doubt. I've seen it steal dreams. Maybe you have too. Here are 8 powerful ways to break free: 1. Create Space Between Trigger and Response 💬 "The moment I face a big task, I grab my phone." ➟ Pause for 30 seconds when avoidance hits ➟ Take three deep breaths ➟ Ask: "What tiny step can I take now?" 💡 Viktor Frankl: Our power lies in the space between trigger and response. Try: Set a 30-second timer next time you feel the urge to avoid. 2. Face Your Fears Head-On 💬 "I keep delaying because what if everything goes wrong?" ➟ Write down your worst-case scenarios ➟ Rate how likely each one is ➟ List one action to prevent each fear 💡 Named fears lose their emotional grip. Try: Write down your biggest fear about your delayed project. 3. Build Instant Rewards 💬 "Important tasks feel painful. Netflix feels good." ➟ Pair tough tasks with immediate pleasures ➟ Create small celebrations for completion ➟ Track your wins visually 💡 Your brain craves instant gratification. Use it to your advantage. Try: Choose one small reward for your next completed task. 4. Design Your Environment 💬 "My workspace doesn't inspire action." ➟ Place visual reminders of your goals ➟ Set out tools needed for tomorrow ➟ Remove distracting triggers 💡 Your environment shapes your behavior more than willpower. Try: Put one inspiring image where you'll see it tomorrow. 5. Use Social Power 💬 "I keep my goals private so I can't fail publicly." ➟ Tell someone your deadline ➟ Share progress updates ➟ Set public consequences 💡 Social pressure creates positive emotional urgency. Try: Text one friend about your next deadline. 6. Reset Your State 💬 "Bad moods make me avoid everything." ➟ Take a 2-minute meditation break ➟ Step outside briefly ➟ Do 5 jumping jacks 💡 Physical state changes create emotional shifts. Try: Stand up and stretch right now for 30 seconds. 7. Create When-Then Plans 💬 "I have good intentions but never follow through." ➟ Write specific action triggers ➟ Link habits to existing routines ➟ Remove decision points 💡 Clear plans bypass emotional resistance. Try: Write one "When X happens, I will do Y" statement. 8. Track Visible Progress 💬 "It feels like I'm getting nowhere." ➟ Use a progress calendar ➟ Mark daily wins ➟ Share your journey 💡 Seeing progress builds emotional momentum. Try: Draw a simple progress bar for your current project. Your dreams are waiting. Your emotions shouldn't stop you. Pick one strategy. Start now. Which one will you try first? ♻️ Repost if this resonated with you! 🔖 Follow me Suren Samarchyan for more.

I've struggled with procrastination for decades. For years, I willed myself to attack my todo list with limited success: working as a Staff Eng at Meta, teaching at Stanford, and running a YouTube channel. Here's how I achieved stress-free productivity: 1️⃣ Action leads to motivation. This is the most important thing to remember when you feel down. Don't wait for motivation to hit you. (you'll end up waiting forever!) Instead, just start making some progress toward your goal, and the motivation will follow after a few minutes. If you're doom-scrolling on Instagram, tell yourself that you simply want to open up your editor and start writing *something*. This is surprisingly effective. 2️⃣ Build a system. Create a system where it's easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing. Your willpower will change day by day (even hour by hour), so you can't rely on it. Make certain activities automatic based on time of day, e.g. 1 hour of deep work in the morning. This is a mind hack that capitalizes on the fact that simplicity changes behavior. Systems create simplicity. 3️⃣ Figure out what to work on. Your goal is not to be productive for the sake of productivity. Your goal is to make progress on something important. You need to figure out the few tasks that are the most meaningful and prioritize them. For example, you don't want to be known as the software engineer who is always replying to emails. Your prodigious productivity with emails is not why you're hired as an engineer. Focus on the important over the urgent. My full breakdown: https://lnkd.in/gDz7tRCy #productivity #LIPostingDayApril

There is something magical about starting a new year. You get to imagine a new reality. “We are going to launch this amazing new content strategy.” “I don't see any reason we can't grow marketing sourced pipeline 5x this year, we are just getting started” “We are finally going to launch that new social strategy” For the first few weeks of the year, the energy is palpable. Teams are organized, meetings are productive, and execution is on point. It feels like everything is falling into place. But then, February rolls in, and the grind sets in. Deadlines get missed. A few unexpected fires pop up. That exciting new campaign gets bogged down in revisions. And before you know it, all that January momentum starts to fizzle. You know the feeling: that burst of energy at the start of something new, followed by the slow realization that the real work isn’t as glamorous as the planning phase. But the true test of a marketing team’s is in their ability to execute the plan not in their ability to create it. The gritty, monotonous day-to-day grind is where the real change happens. The truth is most marketing teams fail at execution and that's one of the biggest reasons for lack of growth at companies. So how do you keep the excitement going past all your initial planning. Here are 3 ways: 1) Work in shorter cycles – 2-week sprints: Breaking down your projects into 2-week sprints can make tasks feel more manageable and keep momentum high. It’s a lot easier to stay focused and motivated when you’re constantly hitting small milestones and seeing progress. 2)Break down goals into monthly or weekly goals: Large goals can be overwhelming. By breaking them down into monthly or weekly targets, you create a series of attainable steps that guide your progress and keep you on track. This approach provides a clear path forward and helps maintain focus. 3)Celebrate small wins: Don’t wait until the end of a project to celebrate. Acknowledge and reward the small victories along the way. This can boost morale, keep the team motivated, and reinforce the value of consistent effort. So, next time you find yourself enamored with the planning phase, remember at the end of the day, it’s not the plan that matters – it’s the execution. If you need help executing this year - don’t hesitate to reach out.

How do you stay motivated? Here's my non-obvious list. Opinions are my own (not ChatGPT's! ;) 💡 1. "It's normal to want to give up": One of the best advice I've ever heard, personally. It's freeing to think that if you push hard enough on something, it's normal to hit that point from time to time. Going further, in my experience, it's almost a marker that you're about to hit a breakthrough. Remember to add a dose of self-compassion, and you'll feel that motivation flowing back. 2. "Set balanced goals": That one is scientifically proven. Motivation peeks when a goal isn't perceived as too easy or too hard but just right. Think rock-climbing a slightly challenging route that's "perceived" as just above your level. Note the emphasis on perception here, which differs from people to people. Remember this balanced goal-setting applies to you, your direct reports, and I would say your company as a whole. 3. "Combine intrinsic and extrinsic motivators": Intrinsic motivation is scientifically proven to be stronger, more long-lasting, and fulfilling so make sure what you're doing motivates you from within. I don't have to tell you about starting with why etc. My point is to also make sure you play on those extrinsic levers with rewards, celebrations, bonuses, asking for a raise, etc. 4. "Look back": One of my favorite ones is to look back a year or further in the past, to review your progress. It's an amazing thing and can be a huge source of motivation. Timely celebrations in the moment are important, but I'd argue looking back from time to time can be as important. 5. "Break it down": Hard problems can always be broken down into smaller problems. Divide the tough stuff into smaller, manageable steps. Also captured in this generic yet lovely advice to "think big, start small, and move quickly". 6. "Take breaks": I have to constantly remind myself of this: Breaks are a part of work and help keep you balanced and motivated. Going deeper: putting yourself in a situation where one of your senses is less stimulated helps relax parts of your brain and stimulate others. For all of us working on a screen, our vision is ultra-stimulated throughout the day. That's why we often find our best ideas on walks with headphones, in the shower, in planes, etc. Thanks for reading! Please comment and post yours below. 🤗