How to Remain Productive When Avoiding Work

remain productive


Sometimes I amaze myself at just how much work I can get done by trying to avoid other work. It’s not that I’m avoiding work altogether in such situations, but by avoiding certain tasks that I’m not particularly looking forward to doing, I somehow remain productive and find myself getting a lot of other things done in the process.

I’ve therefore learned that it’s not always best to push myself toward certain aspects of my work that I’m not looking forward to doing, instead choosing to focus on other work roles in which I can sustain productivity until I’m in “the mood” for the other work.  I learned this long ago when in school and I had a variety of coursework and subject matter to select from when studying and a variety of times and timeframes in which to conduct my studies.

Knowing What Needs to be Done

Knowing what needs to or at least should be done on a regular basis may help guide you in your efforts to still be productive while avoiding work. I personally found it beneficial to maintain lists of items that needed to be worked on or completed so that I knew how I was progressing throughout the week.

This way, if I’d met 80% of my productivity needs by Wednesday, I knew that I was well ahead of my necessary work requirements and might be able to take a break and look for other items on my to-do list that I could accomplish but that weren’t items I was necessarily seeking to avoid.

Having Options

Part of successfully avoiding work while still getting things done however, may require that you have a variety of educational-related activity options to fall back upon when you just don’t feel like tackling those more major tasks.

These backup plans for work might consist of less important duties or items that aren’t of critical importance but that still need to be done.  While they might not be as valuable, pressing, or important to the success of your overall work, they are still items that can contribute to the cause and leave you feeling somewhat productive even when you don’t feel like doing what you might consider “real” work.

Organizing you desk, computer or book bag, sorting through old paperwork, sifting through your email in-box, networking, researching, reading pertinent online articles relating to your studies, coming up with productivity enhancers, reviewing your student budget and related financials, and similar items can help further your work and productivity, but may not necessarily feel like work.

Trying Different Things

Sometimes it takes trying new study techniques to make us more productive, and we might not have much time during our normal routine for exploring such efforts.  However, not feeling like taking on your regular duties could provide the opportunity to try a few new study habits.

Whether it’s an idea that’s been rattling around in the old brain for a while or just giving a new computer program or study tool a try, using time in which regular work isn’t happening could be a great way to improve future productivity or at least find out whether a new technique is worthwhile.

Picking a New Kind of Work

Sometimes all it takes for me to get more accomplished by avoiding regular work is to look for a different kind of work.  For example, since I work from home, I have the option of doing things like house or yard work rather than my regular income earning work should I not be in the mood.

This might not seem a good idea to some, but I find that it works well for me as these other activities often don’t even seem like work in the regular sense compared to sitting at a desk.  Still, they leave me getting a lot done since they’re almost like a break, and also leave me feeling productive since I’m getting things done that need to be done at some point anyway.

For those working to get their education from home, there may still be plenty of housekeeping or work-related issues that need to be handled on a regular basis. Therefore, items like cutting the grass, raking leaves, conducting minor home repairs, doing the dishes or laundry, and similar items might keep you busy while still getting something accomplished. They may need to be done anyway, and in some cases, could save you money by avoiding having to pay others to do the work for you.

How do you remain productive by dodging unimportant tasks? Share your thoughts int he comments.

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This article was written by Vivek S for the team at Just Colleges.

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