How To Beat The Time Deficit Trap

It seems that these days, more people suffer from a sense of lacking time, falling into a trap of panic and procrastination. The chance of getting back on track gets smaller with each passing deadline. Important things get delayed, while tasks with no significant long-term gain become a top priority. For instance, you start tidying up your house while ignoring a week-old assignment.

As a result, people feel that they don’t have enough time. They become afraid of losing control of time-sensitive projects and are unable to come up with plans for their future. They try to convince themselves that there's no time to finish all of the assignments even if there's a solid number of working hours, which negatively affects productivity. Here are a few ways to get rid of the uneasy feeling:

Organise your priorities to avoid time constraints

People who constantly feel that they don’t have time for anything are very good at ignoring meaningful everyday things, such as relationships, exercise or reading. Doing small tasks seems more important to them while the list of important things keeps getting ignored. We suggest that instead of complaining, you actually state what is and what isn’t a priority for you, so next time you want to say, “I don’t have time for sports,” try saying, “Doing sports isn’t my priority.” Maybe you spend too much time on one job, while other things can be completely dropped from your to-do list.

Try working on complex tasks when you’re most productive

Constantly thinking about deadlines is the best way to kill any productivity you have. These thoughts keep echoing in your head even when you’re trying to work. This results in many mistakes and yet another deadline delay. Don’t wait and ponder whether or not you’ll be able to finish the job on time. What you have to do is ask yourself, "What is the best time for me to take on the task and give it all I have?"

For example, if you’re more productive in the arvo, it's a good time to start that important assignment you have with no time constraints. We also suggest that you work as much as you can before the weekend begins. That way you’ll get rid of unnecessary stress, have a good rest and be ready for the next working week.

Don’t be afraid to be generous with your time

The feeling of chronic time shortage can cause a person to count every second of their life: how many minutes they spend in line, in traffic while driving to work, at their doctor's office. Psychologists suggest being generous with time. Soon, you’ll see that you have plenty of it at your disposal.

Of course, we can’t control everything, but how we react to it is our responsibility.