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Stop Procrastinating: Tips for Enhanced Productivity · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to Talking facts.
• 0:03
  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized award winning podcast is hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and consumer sciences extension program.
• 0:16
  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
• 0:25
  Hello and welcome to talking facts.
• 0:27
  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
• 0:31
  I'm your host,
• 0:32
  Mindy McCully,
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  extension specialist for instructional support at the University of Kentucky.
• 0:37
  My guest today is dr Nicole huff.
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  Assistant extension professor for family finance and resource management.
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  Welcome Nicole.
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  Thank you Mindy.
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  So our topic for today is stop procrastinating tips to be more productive and I know that I definitely need to listen to everything that you're gonna have to say because procrastination might be my middle name.
• 0:59
  Mine too.
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  Mine too many people procrastinate for lots of different reasons.
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  And so we're gonna dive into some of that today.
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  But first,
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  let's start with why do people procrastinate.
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  Yeah,
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  well this is something that I think we all struggle with no matter how productive we are,
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  we all tend to procrastinate or to just put all these tasks that we should be doing.
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  Um you know,
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  we're not making quite as much progress towards a goal as we would like.
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  And research actually suggests that there are reasons why people procrastinate and a few of the top reasons are the first is emotional procrastination.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  maybe you are anxious about the end results or maybe you're bored with the task.
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  It just really doesn't hold your interest,
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  but something about maybe you're you're scared,
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  you're going to fail.
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  Or perhaps you have,
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  it has nothing to do with the task,
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  but your emotions are stirred in another way.
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  And so you had,
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  you know,
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  before you get to work,
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  you you've had a fight with one of your kids or your spouse or um you got some unsettling news.
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  And so because something is weighing on your emotions,
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  it's keeping you from the task at hand.
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  Um And in very much the same sense,
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  emotional as emotional.
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  Procrastination is physical procrastination.
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  So um maybe you're hungry,
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  right?
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  So maybe you are hungry and you just can't focus because you you are hungry and um and so that is keeping you from being productive or maybe you're tired.
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  I know that that tends to get me if I didn't get a good night's sleep,
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  then my productivity is really halted for the day.
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  And uh and so physical procrastination can also stifle our productivity.
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  A third is procrastination as protection.
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  And we don't often think that procrastination can be a self defense mechanism.
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  But yeah,
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  but it really can,
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  right,
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  because,
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  you know if we are,
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  you may have heard about fight flight or freeze response.
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  Um Yeah,
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  well proc plastination is that freeze response.
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  So it's our body saying,
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  hold on,
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  you're nervous,
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  You're anxious,
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  right?
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  Don't do it.
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  Yeah,
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  that's exactly right,
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  right.
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  It's your body and your mind is saying if you don't do the task,
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  then you don't have to think about it,
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  it won't keep you anxious.
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  Right?
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  And this is often the case when we're overwhelmed that procrastination can be a way to protect ourselves from feeling overwhelmed.
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  And so we just do nothing.
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  Right?
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  Which just feels the anxiety.
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  It makes me think about when I was in college any time a big test was coming up I would walk and walk and walk and I was like oh I need to go for I need to study.
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  No I need to go for a walk.
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  Oh I need to say no I need to go for a walk.
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  But I guess that was my flight response.
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  Right.
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  Right.
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  Yeah procrastination.
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  It was keeping you you were able to procrastinate because you're you're protecting your mind.
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  But we know that that is just a a band aid,
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  right?
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  That's just you know,
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  it's not um it's not the solution,
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  long term solution.
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  And and then that the last major reason people procrastinate is from uncertainty.
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  So if we really don't know what we're supposed to be doing,
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  we didn't get clear instructions.
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  There's not a clear deadline.
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  We don't know what our role should be.
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  And um and so we put it off because we're just really unsure of what we should be doing.
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  Yes.
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  But and I think all of those as you talk about them,
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  I can certainly identify with all of them.
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  Maybe because what can we do to combat procrastination because I know that this is something that I struggle with all the time.
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  It's like I really have to do this but I'd rather do something else that's more fun.
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  Right?
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  And you know there is a such thing productive procrastination,
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  right?
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  So you're walking instead of studying,
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  that's great for your help.
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  You're you're doing something but it's not what you should be doing.
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  And so often if I'm working from home I may get lots of laundry done,
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  I may get the dishwasher unloaded but that is not helping me on.
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  Maybe the grant proposal I need to be writing.
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  So procrastination,
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  it can be if it helps us switch gears or give our minds a break.
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  It can be a good thing.
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  But one of the ways to really combat procrastination is to kind of identify while you're procrastinating.
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  Are you tired?
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  Do you need a nap or do you need to try to tackle a task after a good night's sleep?
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  When your when your mind can think,
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  do you need to go for a walk to blow off steam?
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  Is it?
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  Um Oh emotional procrastination.
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  Are you overwhelmed?
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  And maybe you can break the task down into smaller pieces?
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  Is some of the expectations or are they uncertain?
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  So could you get a deadline or check in with your supervisor or a colleague and talk about roles and try to get some clarity.
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  So one of the ways to combat procrastination is to try to figure out why you're procrastinating and then address that reason so that you can focus more more clearly.
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  And so that's that's a big thing is identifying why you're procrastinating and then take steps to address that reason.
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  And I have found that,
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  I mean I'm very much a morning person,
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  so if I tackle my big tasks in the morning,
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  then I'm more likely not to procrastinate and not put them off.
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  And so I really tried to schedule things that I know are gonna be a little more daunting early in the morning because I feel like I'm my sharpest and then I can do the little things in the afternoon that don't require as much attention.
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  Right,
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  Right.
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  And that's part of you know,
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  knowing yourself and knowing your work habits,
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  what are the conditions that you worked best at and when are you your best and taking advantage of those times so that you can um work when you're at your peak performance and then save some of those smaller tasks for when,
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  you know,
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  you may have an afternoon lull or um you may be more distracted.
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  Those are all great ways.
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  So my next question is multitasking really a way to be more productive,
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  you know,
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  it's really not.
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  And this is something that I have to be very intentional about,
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  but when we multitask that is in its in itself a distraction.
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  And so we equate it sometimes to say you are trying to watch a tv show and here's another commercial or here's another ad and you can never ever,
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  the plot won't develop because it keeps going to break.
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  And that's what our minds do when we multitask.
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  So our minds can never fully engage with the task because we keep switching the channel and so that can be a pitfall of productivity and um multitasking is a big destruction as as much as anything else.
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  And so science would say stop multitasking instead commit 30 minutes or an hour and don't check social media,
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  don't check your email,
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  don't take a phone call,
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  don't take a meeting,
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  but instead give yourself a designated time to focus on one task,
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  then take a quick little break and then go back to it.
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  But we're doing ourselves a disservice when we try to multitask well,
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  and I think an easy way to demonstrate that is I used to keep my countertop facing a television so I would think I could prepare food and watch tv or whatever.
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  At the same time when I changed around my configuration of my kitchen,
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  I had fewer accidents,
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  I didn't cut my fingers as much and I didn't,
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  you know,
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  that's a great description of how multitasking really can be harmful to us and help us to so is there a secret to finding that perfect work life balance so that we don't want to procrastinate and we don't have to multitask and we can make it through just a regular day.
• 8:59
  Well,
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  I think the secret and and one of the things that you know when we think of productivity,
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  part of that is having a healthy work life balance.
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  But there is no secret and I think the secret very much like we talked about earlier is knowing yourself and your work conditions but making intentional time for balance and remembering that that work life balance is not having skills that are that are equal,
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  that are where each side of the scale is equally weighed.
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  But it's knowing that some days your work may take priority and some days your life may take priority and it is allowing yourself to be flexible and to just over time that those scales are balanced And again,
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  as much as you were able to,
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  you know,
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  if you listen to the podcast,
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  you know that I am a mom of three,
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  right?
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  And um because that's like my identity badge these days.
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  Um and and so you know there are some days where that is where my focus was.
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  Um but because I am also you know a work a full time job outside of the home.
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  And so uh that is important,
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  right?
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  Like we have to do our jobs to get our pocket so that we we have to prioritize um both and so over time,
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  I think it's learning to prioritize is the secret and how do we,
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  you know we are juggling um juggling another,
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  just kind of metaphor that I like to use.
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  So if you think about as you're juggling all the different the different roles and responsibilities that you have,
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  it's kind of learning which of those um which of those balls are rubber which will bounce if they're dropped and which your glass which will break.
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  So the deadline that can't be missed the medical emergency that needs to be tended to and so it's it's having intentionality is learning to prioritize and um and that over Time seeking that healthy balance by listening to your body by pacing yourself.
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  You can,
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  I heard on the news this morning that 11 million workers have remained working from home,
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  you know since the pandemic which is a huge number and I know that sometimes working from home might be like you said a distraction for for a lot of people and so something that I have learned is that you know,
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  having a separate workspace does help to keep work life balance figured out if you are working from home so that you can close the door on work,
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  you know,
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  just like you you leave the office,
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  you can you know,
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  walk away from from the office and I know you've talked about sometimes just changing your clothes sometimes make the difference is you know,
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  it's time to way to shut down from work.
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  So all kinds of things that are happening in the world right now that we have to think about how we can maintain our productivity through that.
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  What do we,
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  we have to help people be more productive?
• 11:45
  Yeah,
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  well all of these tips are from a new curriculum that we have launched in 2022 that we developed here with family and consumer sciences extension with the University of Kentucky cooperative Extension service and it's a curriculum called time well spent productivity skills for success.
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  I am very partial to this curriculum um as I was on the development team and I know you are too and and we think about this and so if you're wondering,
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  okay Nicole,
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  you are a finance and resource management specialist.
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  So why are you talking about productivity?
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  And I like to remind people that part of family resource management is managing all of our resources.
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  So our finances are one of those,
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  but so is our time.
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  Yes,
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  our time is a big one,
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  our energy,
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  our relationships,
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  there are so many comps opponents that are resources for our resilience for our well being,
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  um for our household and we have to look at those right?
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  Because it makes us a better family member,
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  it makes us a better employee.
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  And so when we look at all of our resources as a whole.
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  And so I'm very proud of this curriculum and I think that it speaks to the heart of what many of us are juggling,
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  you know,
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  regardless of what our roles and our life stage,
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  I think we can all relate.
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  So if you're interested in learning more about time well spent,
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  reach out to your county extension office to your FCS agent and ask them,
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  when are they hosting a workshop or request them to host a workshop.
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  It's a four session series that talks about work life balance and procrastination and tips for time management and for finding focus and and achieving balance.
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  And so it's a really great curriculum,
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  cont your local extension office for more information and I I do love that you're plugging our extension offices because they have so much to offer everyone um and they're in every single county in the state.
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  And so it's your link to the University of Kentucky and all of our knowledge that that is not just stuck in Lexington,
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  It is,
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  it is spread out across the ST Nicholas,
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  thanks so much for joining me today.
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  I know that I would you all the tips that we have talked about or at least think about them,
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  Maybe I don't need them.
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  Like every time I talk about it it is,
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  I am reminding myself how to combat procrastination.
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  Yes.
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  And it's something that we all have to work on,
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  right,
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  If that's your,
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  your achilles heel,
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  then hopefully we have provided some some guidance to help you deal with that.
• 14:19
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• 14:20
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• 14:29
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