How to Be Productive When You Feel Like Quitting: 20 Ways to Stay Motivated

How often do you find yourself lazy at home or working from home?

Most of us don't really enjoy our jobs because they require too much time and effort. In order to get things done, we tend to procrastinate and postpone tasks until later. This leads to feeling stressed out and frustrated.

Being productive requires motivation and discipline. If you want to become more efficient, you need to start prioritizing your activities. The key is planning, organising your schedule, and sticking to deadlines.

Before we dive in, let us check the leading causes of laziness and procrastination.

What are the leading causes of laziness and procrastination?

Procrastination has become a major problem in our society today. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, over 50% of Americans suffer from some form of procrastination. And unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse.

Procrastination is defined as delaying a task until later because you don’t want to deal with dealing with it now. This delay usually leads to failure, frustration, and stress.

The main reasons for procrastinating include:

1) Lack of self-discipline

A lack of self-discipline can lead to procrastination. For example, if you have an important presentation coming up, but you haven’t prepared properly, then you will probably end up postponing the preparation process.

2) Fear of failure

The fear of failure is a common human emotion. It can be defined as the fear of not succeeding in an attempt to achieve something, or it may refer to the feeling that one will fail if one tries to do something new and unfamiliar. The fear of failure has been studied by psychologists since at least the 1930s.

According to psychologist Albert Ellis, "fear of failure" is caused by the belief that one's actions are responsible for the outcome.

According to psychologist Martin Seligman, the"fear of success" is caused by the fear of failing to meet expectations. 

3) Unclear goals

Unclear goals cause people to procrastinate. They also make them feel anxious about their progress. Hence, they tend to put off doing the work until it is too late.

The solution? Set a goal that you can accomplish in one day. If you set your goals on a daily basis, you will be more likely to achieve them and stay motivated throughout the week.

4) Overwhelming workload

Too much workload could be another reason why you might be feeling lazy. If you have too many assignments to complete, then you will most likely procrastinate.

5) Poor time management skills

Poor time management skills contribute to procrastination. People who struggle with time management tend to spend hours trying to figure out how to fit everything into their schedules.

6) Lack of motivation

Lack of motivation is another reason why people procrastinate. Some people just don’t like what they do. Others simply dislike the way they perform certain tasks.

7) Lack of confidence

If you lack confidence in yourself, then you won't be able to take action towards achieving your goals.

8) Low energy levels

Low energy levels can also lead to procrastination and laziness. If you are tired all the time, then you won't have any energy left to get things done.

9) Lack of focus

People who lack focus often find themselves procrastinating. They start working on projects only to realize that they aren't really interested in what they are doing.

10) Anxiety

Anxiety is another common reason why people procrastinated. If you are worried about something, then you will most certainly avoid taking action.

11) Not knowing what to do next

Not knowing what to do next is yet another reason why people procrastinate. This happens when you don't know where to begin. You feel stuck because there is no clear path to follow.

12) Too little sleep

Sleep deprivation makes you less productive. In fact, research shows that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep each night are more prone to procrastination.

Now that we have looked at the factors that prevent us from being productive, let's look at some ways to overcome these obstacles.

Now:

The good news is that there are ways to overcome such problems.

Let us dive in and check out the top 20 productivity tips that will help you stay focused and motivated!

1. Prioritize Your Tasks

The first step towards becoming more productive is to prioritize your tasks. It's important to understand what needs to be accomplished before starting a project. Once you have a clear understanding of what needs to be done, it becomes easier for you to focus on one task at a time.

2. Set Deadlines

Setting deadlines helps you plan ahead and avoid procrastination. By setting realistic deadlines, you can also ensure that you stick to them.

3. Break Down Big Projects into Smaller Ones

If you are having trouble focusing on a big project, break down the project into smaller ones. This way, you'll be able to work on each small part of the project separately.

4. Create an Action Plan

If you want to achieve something, you need to know how you are going to accomplish it. Write down all the steps required to complete a certain task. Then, create a detailed action plan.

5. Focus On One Thing At A Time

When you try to multitask, you end up doing less than when you were just focusing on one thing at a time.

6. Use Visualization Techniques

Visualization techniques such as mind mapping and brainstorming can help you come up with ideas faster. They also make it easier for you to visualize the final product.

7. Keep Yourself Organized

Organizing your workspace can help you stay organized and keep track of everything that needs to be completed.

8. Stay Focused

Easier said than done, right? However, if you learn to control your emotions, you can stay focused throughout the day. It's easy to lose focus while working. To stay focused, take regular breaks throughout the day. Try taking short walks around the office or even going outside for some fresh air.

9. Schedule Meals & Exercise Regularly

Scheduling meals and exercising regularly can help you feel energised. Eating well-balanced meals every few hours can give you energy throughout the day.

10. Reward Yourself For Doing Good Work

Reward yourself for completing good work by treating yourself to a reward. Treat yourself to food, a movie ticket, or anything else that you like.

11. Make Sure That You Are Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep plays a major role in being productive. Without proper sleep, you won't be able to perform at your best.

12. Get rid of Distractions

Distractions can easily pull you away from your main goal. Therefore, it's important to get rid of distractions so that you can concentrate better. Turn off your phone, close your laptop, turn off the TV, and don't let anyone disturb you.

13. Learn How To Say No

Learning how to say no is essential if you want to be productive. Saying 'no' doesn't mean that you will not do any work; it means that you will only do the things that are most important to you.

14. Take Breaks

Taking breaks can help you relax after a long day of work. Go out for lunch, go home early, or simply take a quick walk around the block.

15. Be Realistic With Your Expectations

Be realistic about what you expect to be able to achieve during the day. If you set unrealistic expectations, you might feel disappointed when you fail to meet those expectations.

16. Don’t Procrastinate

Procrastination often leads to poor performance. It causes us to put off tasks until we have too much to do. Instead, start working on the task immediately.

17. Manage Stress

Stress can cause us to procrastinate. It can also lead to health problems. Therefore, manage stress by getting enough rest, eating properly, exercising, and relaxing.

18. Set Goals And Priorities

Setting goals and priorities helps you be more productive. By setting goals and prioritising them, you'll know exactly what you need to do each day.

19. Focus On The Present Moment 

When you're stressed, you tend to think about the past or future. This makes it difficult to focus on the present moment. Therefore, practice mindfulness to remain calm and relaxed.

20. Have fun!

Having fun helps you to work more efficiently. Play games, watch movies, read books, or listen to music. Having fun makes you happy, which makes you more likely to work harder.

In conclusion, we all know that sometimes we can't seem to stay motivated. We want to sit around watching Netflix instead of working on our projects, or we'd rather spend hours browsing Facebook than doing our homework. 

But:

Here's the thing: these feelings aren't going away anytime soon. Sooner or later, we're going to hit a wall where we just can't muster up the energy to keep pushing forward. But if you really want to get stuff done, you've got to force yourself to stay focused and productive.

The key is to figure out what's causing us to feel lazy, and then change it. Maybe it's because we haven't slept well lately, or maybe we're having trouble focusing on our schoolwork. Whatever it is, we need to address it in order to regain control over our lives. 

Once we do, we'll be able to get back to work without worrying too much about whether we'll ever finish.

If you use the Google Chrome web browser, you can check our article which lists the top chrome extensions to help you be more productive.