How setting reminders reduces stress
Reduce anxiety and increase efficiency
Some habit hacks require a major change in perspective to be effective. They can help you be much more productive, but they also call for a profound change on a deeper level.
Some habit hacks are easy and straightforward. This is one of them.
This is as simple as “do this → get your desired result.”
Because it’s so easy, you might think “what’s the big deal? How can such a simple thing be so life-changing?”
Which to my mind is even more reason to try it.
Here it is:
Set reminders for tasks that need to get done each day.
There are three reasons for why this is helpful.
1-Reminders help productivity due to the Empty Brain is an Efficient Brain principle.
2-Reminders encourage planning
3-Reminders encourage time-blocking
1 - Empty Brain is an Efficient Brain
Your brain is a machine that is designed to achieve your success and happiness. Worry and anxiety slow your brain down. When you spend time and energy thinking about all the other things you need to do, that produces anxiety.
Empty your brain of anxiety and worry and get more done.
On any given day you have plenty to do, but you only need to focus on what you’re doing in the present moment. Setting reminders helps you to remove unnecessary stress, because it keeps you from thinking about all those things that need to get done later.
2 - Reminders encourage planning
Obviously this only works if you have your day planned out. Many habit hacks work in an organic sense. They reinforce other positive habits.
This one is simple. Planning makes you more productive. Plan out what you need to do and when in order to achieve your goals. Then set reminders for yourself to focus on those things when necessary. This takes the load off your mind and helps you focus.
3 - Reminders encourage time-blocking
Reminders make you productive because it works with time-blocking, which I talked about here. Time blocking is a form of planning and productivity that allows you to hyper-focus on one task at a time.
Okay, okay...
This seems redundant, right? All these “reasons” pretty much sound the same, don’t they?
That’s because the principle behind it is so important. And you’ve probably noticed that important lessons need to be repeated over and over again for us to learn them.
Think about it for just a moment. Have you ever been in “the zone” or in a flow state? Have you ever had those work sprints where you just got stuff done? Time flies by and you look up and wonder where the day has gone?
Conversely, have you ever had one of those days where you have a lot to do, but you’re not productive? What do you find your mind doing on those unproductive days? Ever find that you’re thinking about other things that aren’t immediately relevant?
Mental distractions harm productivity. Maybe you’re surfing the internet or worried about something in your personal life. Or you’re thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner. It doesn’t matter how trivial it is, it’s all wasted energy when you’re trying to get stuff done.
Will power is not enough
It’s crazy how often our thoughts take us away from what we want to be doing and know is important. To be more productive you need to be aware of the power of these small habits. And like I’ve said a million times, will power is not enough to form good habits.
You can’t simply will yourself to be focused. It may work sometimes, but it won’t work every day, day in and day out. You want to proactively target certain behaviors and figure out other ways to promote them in your daily life.
Setting reminders for yourself is an easy, no frills way to do that.
Try it tomorrow. Think of three tasks that need to get done. Assign a time for those tasks. Set reminders on whatever device you use or have with you throughout the day. (This can be a phone or an app on the computer or anything else).
If you can’t think of three tasks, then try two or even one. But track yourself and see if setting reminders helps you to shift your focus and stay on task.
Think strategically
Try to set reminders in a way that will reinforce your typical workflow. Obviously if you have tasks that need to be done by a certain time, then keep this in mind.
But think of a time of day where you know that you experience a loss of focus. Most of us experience the “noonday demon” of sluggishness after lunch or in the afternoon.
Whenever that time is for you, set reminders around that time. Sometimes a simple shift in attention is enough to provide the energy to focus.
One more thing
The practice of setting reminders is more of a simple, practical strategy. But use this as a framework for deeper thinking about your goals as well.
Set monthly or even weekly reminders for yourself to reevaluate and consider your goals. It’s easy to lose track of your overall motivation when engaged in the day to day work.
Periodic and regular reminders are a good source of motivation. They’re also an important tool for visualization, which is one of your most important means of creating lasting habits.
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