Procrastination can be a difficult nut to crack, particularly as it can have many different roots. For example, procrastination can stem from a physical cause, including clinical depression, seasonal affective disorder, or technology-induced brain fog.
Other times, it's due to an inefficiency in your productivity settings. For example, these Bad Workplace Habits 9 Bad Habits That Are Making You Tired at the Office 9 Bad Habits That Are Making You Tired of the Office Do you often feel tired at the office? The problem could be in the few bad habits you've picked up. Take the burnout out of your office life with these health development tips. Reading More can drain your energy and cause you to lose focus, motivation, etc. The same goes for incorrect workstation configurations. 7 Hacks to make your desktop more efficient for maximum productivity. 7 Hacks to make your desktop more efficient for maximum productivity. or fatigue. Are your eyes hurting or is your neck killing you? A streamlined workbench could cure your ailments and increase your productivity. Read More
But if it's neither of those things, then your procrastination could come down to poor goal management. In this article, you will learn all about micro lenses and how they can trick your mind into being more productive.
ONE macro goal , Sometimes called a long-term goal, describes where you want to be in the future. What are you working on? Where is your destiny? Why are you doing what you're doing? Macro goals refer to vision, desire, and ambition.
ONE micro lens , sometimes called a short-term goal, describes individual steps and goals that guide you in the direction of a macro goal. While macro goals focus on the future , Micro goals focus on what you can do. right now .
The micro and macro objectives are not opposed, by the way..
Not that micro lenses are better than macro goals, and anyone who tells you is wrong. Micro lenses and macro lenses complement each other. They feed each other. You need both to be successful:macro goals for vision and direction, micro goals for concrete progress.
You may not realize it, but you already use micro lenses every day.
Kitchens? I make! When you think about it, creating an entire meal from scratch is a huge Homework and a lot goes into it. However, while cooking sometimes feels like a chore, it never feels daunting or terrible, at least not in the same way as having to write a thesis paper or open a programming assignment.
Why is this? It all comes down to recipe “design”, which encompasses a macro goal (the dish you want to cook) and several micro goals (each of the steps). The recipe takes you step by step from start to finish, and each step is small enough to feel doable.
When the next instruction is as simple as “Cut the onions,” there is no reason to procrastinate. It's so easy, you can also move it out of the way. That's the beauty of micro lenses, and thanks to these micro lenses, cooking a pasta dish is easy to navigate.
The whole idea of micro goals is to “take one step at a time.”
Suppose you need to write a five page essay. While that's nothing like writing an entire book, it's still a lot of work. You could get it up and running in a day if you put your mind to it, but who wants to sit hunched over a word processor for that long? It's boring, it's hard, and you just don't want to do it...so you procrastinate.
Stop thinking of it as a chore. Don't think of it as "write my five page essay." That's your macro goal . Now you need to break it down into digestible. micro lenses .
Perhaps the first micro objective can be “Come up with a title.” Another micro objective could be “What is my main point for this document?” Follow that up with “Section Paper Outline” and then more micro goals for “Section 1 Outline,” “Section 2 Outline,” Eventually, your last micro goal could be a recurring one:“Write a paragraph this hour.”
Whenever possible, break goals down into smaller goals. If you have a micro lens that can be further divided, go for it! Ideally, you'd keep going until it can't be reduced any further.
When broken down like this, monster tasks don't seem so bad anymore, unless you dwell on them too long. If you keep thinking about it like "I need to write my paper!" Then of course you are going to be overwhelmed. Focus on micro lenses only. One step at a time.
And to be clear, micro goals are not separate from SMART goals, which we cover in our article on mistakes to avoid when setting goals. 5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Goals. 5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Goals. to reduce procrastination and increase productivity. If you have no goals, you have no direction. Without direction, it's easy to feel lost and confused. Fortunately,… read more. In fact, micro goals play an important role in setting SMART goals because micro goals are achievable, well-defined, and timely.
Since there is nothing technically different between a micro lens and any other type of lens, you can use any goal setting and goal tracking app you like. 5 New Habit Apps That Really Work To Achieve Your Goals 5 New Habit Apps That Really Work To Achieve Your Goals Habit training and tracking apps are some of the most popular productivity tools. Have you already tried these great new tools? Read more . The only thing that matters is that you think about your goals and break them down to be as small as possible when you enter them. You can also use an ordinary to-do list app, tracking each micro goal as a task.
Some apps we recommend include:
The Concept of Microgoals Isn't the Only Brain Trick for Beating Procrastination Stop Procrastination In Its Tracks With 5 Proven Brain Rules Stop Procrastination In Its Tracks With 5 Proven Brain Rules Procrastination comes in all its forms. Believe it or not, there are several principles in psychology research that can help you stop procrastination in its tracks! Read more . You must take advantage of other psychological tricks, such as the Zeigarnik effect, Parkinson's law and ego depletion. You should also try these new productivity techniques. 5 New Productivity Techniques You Probably Haven't Heard Of. 5 New Productivity Techniques You Probably Haven't Heard Of. If you are still looking for the best way to increase your productivity, try one of these best alternatives. to Pomodoro and GTD. Remember to stop searching once you've found a "good enough" solution. Read More We're going to debunk some of these productivity myths by showing that the opposite can be true. Read more.
Note that there are those who think that procrastination cannot be cured with task management. Why procrastination can't be cured by task management apps [Opinion] Why procrastination can't be cured by task management apps [Opinion] For as long as possible I've struggled with time management, and in some respects I still do. One of my many methods in "overcoming" my lack of time management was to use task management apps. I... Read More Try one of the alternatives above and you'll find something that works soon enough.
Do you use micro lenses? Do you know of any other helpful procrastination tips that have worked for you? Share with us in the comments below!
