If asteroids or nukes won’t destroy humanity, it will probably be procrastination. Something about just sitting down and doing work makes us want to do anything, except our work. Sometimes I feel like a million different things pop up in my life whenever I actually have to do something productive and I end up getting distracted. Here are a couple of methods to boost productivity and get you doing things.

Get your mind fresh

Get rid of all the junk in your head and get cracking. Wash your face with cold water, take a quick nap, or take a walk outside. Whatever it takes just rid your mind of all the thoughts and feelings that have nothing to do with your work. The less useless shit you have to think about, the more focused you will get.

Rid yourself of all distractions

Set yourself in a place where you can be alone and there is some nice peace and quiet. Want to know if you got any new notifications on your Facebook? Delete the bookmark. And if your work doesn’t require any use of the internet, disable it so you won’t keep opening up your browser to post comments in forums or read your favorite blog between work. Get away from televisions, music, food, and especially your bed. Just being anywhere near a bed will distract you as you’ll be inclined to lie down for a bit, and we all know what is “a bit”. She’s quite the temptress.

Set short time goals

A nice way to feel like you’re doing something with your life is to set short term goals. That way, you can use them as building blocks to complete your main, overarching goal. They’re easier to attain and they give you a sense of accomplishment, which will inspire you to keep going at it.

Initiate “The Fear”

Depending on the severity of your goal or the work that needs to be done, a great motivator is fear. What are the consequences of you not finishing your work or accomplishing your goal? Will you be okay screwing up? Sometimes, it isn’t that important. But other times, such as studying for finals or paying your rent, the need to getting your shit together becomes crucial. Fearing failure and its consequences makes you tense and really gets that adrenaline going.

Learn restraint and exercise self control

Basically, if you can’t control yourself, you will never succeed in life. Now that we have that out of the way, you need to tell yourself that you have priorities. I know it’s really tempting to go out with your friends on a Saturday night, but if you have a queue of things that need to be done, finish that first. No amount of advice will change you unless you tell yourself that you need to get yourself together. Force yourself, or get a friend to hold authority over you. Saturdays will always be here so is it really worth the consequences of not meeting your goals?

If you can do it today, do it today

My grandfather always said to me, “Why put something off for tomorrow when you can get it done today?” Stop making excuses of finishing something another day if you can clearly start and finish right then and there. There are 24 fucking hours in the day and unless you’re a hot single mom with 3 jobs and 2 kids to feed, there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to get your work done.

Don’t think: Just do

Okay, I’m going to shower, then eat a snack. After I’m done digesting, I’m going to take a quick  trip to the store. Then when I’m back, I’m going to organize my closet and workspace. Then I’ll get to work.

Sound familiar? When you plan out work like that, you will rarely if ever get ANY of those done. It’s best to just do it. If the thought of the work or goal comes to your head, set yourself up and get to it.

What other methods do you use to get yourself focused and ready to go?