Systems make up our everyday lives. From when we wake up to when we sleep, our lives consist of systems that have become embedded in our everyday routines. I believe systems are important processes we should pay more attention to.
Here are a few of my own systems –
– Google Drive
– Procrastination
– Gmail
– My Study Life
– To-Do Lists
– Tidying up my closet
– Making my bed as soon as I wake up
– Watching youtube
While some systems, such as making my bed as soon I wake up, are positive, other systems such as procrastination can be very unhelpful.
I’m going to be honest here. Procrastination is a negative habit that I seem to find myself doing quite often. In fact, there are things that I’ve been procrastinating to do for over a year now.
Breaking these bad systems and bad habits takes more action and will power than you think. It isn’t just about saying ‘Yeah okay, I’ll stop watching youtube and start doing my assessment which is due soon.’ Breaking bad systems requires you to say that, and actually DO it.
Let me take procrastination as an example.
For the past one and a half year, I’ve been procrastinating reading this book called A Mind of Numbers by Dr Barbara Oakley. In 2019, I got the incredible opportunity to meet Dr Oakley at NBN, as she was invited by my Dad to give a talk to his fellow colleagues. It was the week of my birthday, and my Dad bought me this book, which Dr Oakley gladly signed for me.
The next few years, my Dad kept constantly pestering me to read the book, and send an email to Dr Oakley on my thoughts about it. 2 years later, and here I am. Writing a blog about systems and procrastination, while still procrastinating to finish the novel.
We procrastinate about things that make us feel uncomfortable. It’s simple as that. Procrastination is something everyone does. It’s a negative habit that stops us from doing what we need to do. In A Mind of Numbers, Dr Oakley covers different topics, and discusses how to spend your time efficiently and how to prevent procrastinating. Procrastinating isn’t something we can stop doing overnight. It takes time, effort, and a lot of mental will.
One of the techniques Dr Oakley focuses on is the Pomodoro technique.
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break your work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. It’s an effective way to achieve a balance between quantity and quality.
So the next time your studying for a test, or working on something, set a timer for 25 minutes. Give yourself this time to work on whatever you need to, and try to eliminate as many distractions as possible, including your phone. After the 25 minutes are up, give yourself a short break to relax, stretch, and/or take a walk around the house. Use your breaks effectively, and don’t sit at your computer all day, staring at a screen 24/7.
I hoped this article gave you a little insight into some systems that are both good and bad, and stimulated some thoughts about your own systems!