Is your plate cluttered all the time?

I am revealing one of my success mantras in this blog post. i.e. Keeping my plate empty all the time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t work on anything or just delegate stuff to people around me. But it is about accomplishing things on time or before time and every time :)

Imagine a life where you consistently finish tasks on time, eliminating the stress of procrastination. It’s not a dream-it’s a practical approach that can reduce stress and enhance creativity.

We’ll explore the power of timely task completion and its benefits for a stress-free, creatively inspired life.

Ending the Delay: Procrastination is the enemy of productivity and progress. It can hinder personal and professional growth, delay the achievement of goals, and increase stress and anxiety as tasks pile up. By eliminating this WORST habit, we can easily lift the weight of impending deadlines.

Unlocking Creativity: Completing tasks promptly frees our minds from clutter, allowing creative ideas to flow more freely — cos there is no background thread that is constantly reminding us about pending activities.

“Promptness is the key to efficiency, the antidote to procrastination, and the path to success”

Smart Prioritization: Identify crucial tasks and tackle them first, focusing on what truly matters. Eat the FROG first!

Realistic Deadlines: Set achievable deadlines to avoid last-minute rushes and reduce stress. Don’t overpromise and under-deliver.

Stay Organized: Use tools like calendars or task apps to manage responsibilities and deadlines effectively. I use Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Tasks on my Phone — not to miss acting upon any of the deliverables.

Break It Down: For complex tasks, divide them into manageable steps for easier on-time completion. Manageable steps/activities will make things look easy and actionable.

Always remember:

Under Promise and Over deliver

Stay Present: Concentrate on the task at hand without worrying about future responsibilities. Mindfulness enhances productivity and creativity. Being in the present helps us be effective and efficient. When you are working, make sure you are free from all distractions.

Celebrate Success: Reward yourself for completing tasks on time to reinforce positive behavior. I reward myself with small things (like buying chocolate) soon after completing the tasks/activities.

Adapt and Improve: Regularly review time management and task completion strategies, adjusting them as needed. If you are a morning person, try to wake up an hour early(if you are an evening person — stay an hour late) if you have more to complete. So that you don’t defer work to the next day. I am usually an evening person, but I wake up early if I have more to do.

“On time, every time: the hallmark of reliability and the road to trustworthiness”

If you are the one who is first to complete a particular activity, you will definitely be recognized if not immediately but in the future. The other day I received a call from one of my stakeholders who didn’t see my updates reflected in a shared document. He mentioned, “I was surprised to see that you didn’t update the sheet as I was expecting you’d be the first one to do so always.”

PS: I was the first one to complete the activity this time too, but due to network latency — my update was not reflected.

It was very evident that people notice and appreciate those who deliver things before anyone else.

Task completion on time isn’t about doing everything at once-it’s about doing everything when it matters. Embrace the power of prompt task completion, prioritize effectively, and cultivate a mindset that values a stress-free, creatively enriched life.

By doing so, you’ll discover that on-time success leads to a happier and more creative you.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.