I usually have somewhat high standards for myself (and sometimes also for people around me which does not usually result in a great ending). It does not make me happy to relax too much, as I felt I was wasting time and I could have achieved more. Being very productive, however, is only possible if the motivation-to-procrastination ratio is right. A balance needs to be reached. So I gradually figured out this Rule of 5-2-5, a combination of techniques working for my self-improvement.
About priority, the first 5 of 5-2-5 stands for your 5 most important goals. These could be long-term or medium-term. To really know the five most important things to you, you need to know yourself first. What matters the most? Family/Friendship/Health/Spirit/Relaxation/Career/Wealth/…? This one is the toughest sub-rule of the three for me, as the goals (i.e. yourself) might change over time therefore require constant exploration.
About productivity, the 2 means Top-2-do. Before bed, write down a mini to-do list with only two items. The next day, you will get these two items done. No excuse. This should help achieve your identified goals above. I found that a good to-do item is something taking half to two hours. For example, my Top-2-do for today was:
- Math (short for “read Math textbook”)
- blog (short for “write my next blog post”)
About action, the last 5 tells me to just do it for 5 minutes. This one fixed my procrastination. Starting something is hard. Thinking about starting something before starting it is even harder. I understood. But it pays to just temporarily shift the attention away from those negative emotions, and make the reluctant me sit down. I promise myself I would do it for only 5 minutes. Sometimes I even start a timer to reassure myself it won’t take long. Then, pull one item from the Top-2-do list and work on it. What happens next is almost like a chain reaction.
Give it a go! Just do it for 5 minutes, for each of the Top-2-do everyday, guided by your 5 most important goals. (Please be reminded of applying this to yourself, not people close to you.)