Most of us have all been there. Eyes hurting from staring for too long, and pieces brain left in a pile on the floor of your cranium. This can only mean one thing: paperwork. Paperwork is generally not fun, and can often be found standing in the way of a goal that is set in place. Whether it is for work, school, or some other official type business, paperwork seems to come along with all occupations in this category. All of these share the infamous loads of papers that often times come with hours of reading the fine print, and what seems like hundreds of signatures. No matter how hard the grind seems to be for the paperwork that stands between you and your next goal, you’ve got to complete it before your goal is reached. Since you have to do it anyway, you might as well make it more bearable.
Here are three ideas to help your next load of paperwork not seem so daunting, and not seems so dreadful:
1. Break it up.
No, not from your significant other, and not a fight, but the total work that you are required to shuffle through. This tip holds the possibility to increase the time that it takes to complete the task, but then again, it also holds the possibility to increase productivity.
The more work that you have, the more segments that you break it into. If the work ahead doesn't have any nice places to segment into, then separate by time blocks. If you are going the time block route, the easiest way to do so, is to use a timer app. A common one that is used is Pomodoro. How it works is, after every 25 minutes of work, it notifies you to take a five-minute break. The default is set to take a long break after four cycles of working and breaking. All of these can be modified in the settings to customize it to the needs of the user in that moment.
2. Listen to music.
Some say that listening to music doesn’t allow for maximum focus. In reality, music can help keep focus when played in the background — just don’t blast a sing-a-long playlist, or your concentration versus productivity correlation will be non-existent. Try tuning into some classical piano, or light alternative tunes. Not only will it add spunk and rhythm to a bland task, but it will also bring some joy.
Music in a sense makes the world go round, and in this application, it can create an atmosphere that allows you to get through the stack of work with less frustration. At the very least, music will boost the juices on the right side of your brain. Give it a try, and see your productivity fly!
3. Mix it up.
I know the last tip had to do with music, but this point is not in reference to dropping your next mix tape. Sadly that has zero correlation to getting this type of work done. If you find a correlation, let me know I would love to try it the next time I face a time of paperwork conquering.
Do you have other chores or pending items on the to-do list? Need to run errands to re-stock the groceries in your house? Do you need to fold the clean laundry that you have been avoiding? Empty the dishwasher that has been done for over a day? Regardless of the items that have been pushed to the bottom of your to-do list, completing those things in-between increases productivity in both area. If you get one task done, then that accomplishment is found to propel you on to completing the next. Before you know it, the momentum picks up and the paperwork is completed and the to-do list is significantly shortened. Word of caution though, do not fall into the trap of completing the to-do list task as a way of procrastinating from the unfinished paperwork. That never ends well, as then when the time for the due date of the paperwork inches closer the stress levels rise. A balance of both can be seen as beneficial.
Who knows, maybe with the to-do list checked off and the paperwork behind you, your next mix tape might be a possibility!
Most of us have been there, and most of us have done that. As a young adult and even sometimes in high school, we have to fill out paperwork and complete a long laundry list of documentation in-order to move on with our lives. Once you get into that school, oh yeah here is more paper work. Land your dream job? Yeah, more paperwork there too. Oh, but when you do get around to dropping a mixed tape, inspired by classical music that has interesting time breaks you would think that you would be in the clear. The reality is that even then there would probably be more paperwork to do.
Paperwork is everywhere you go, causing people misery. Generally, this is not a fun task that anyone wants to do. By testing out these three tips, the load of work has an increase possibility of feeling like an enormous burden. Test it out for yourself. Which tip works best for you?
