Procrastination. We’ve all done it once at some point in our lives. That article or document you have to write up in a few weeks? That can wait until tomorrow. The homework that’s sitting on the table, due in a week? Surely not important right now. Pausing a youtube video and getting back to work? May as well finish the video first. We’ve all procrastinated in some form, and I was especially prone to this.

However, I believe I have discovered something that cut down the amount I procrastinate to about a fifth or so. It is quite simple, as well:

Take off your headphones.

Now, this only applies to those working on computers. The advantage of working on a computer is that work gets done faster. The disadvantage is that there are a lot more ways you can become distracted. Social media, video games, random files, things like that. Effectively, technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to productivity.

To handle this, it is important to somehow distinguish what is work time and what is recreational time at the computer. A simple timetable may not suffice for this. It must be something physical. Hence, the headphones.

During recreational time, you can wear your headphones as much as you want. However when working, keep them off. Only put on your headphones while working if you need to listen to something, such as an audio sample or a tutorial video. After you’re done, take them off as soon as possible and get back to work.

Keeping your headphones off while working comes with a few advantages. For me, it’s personally allowed me to focus more on my work, as I personally find it harder to focus with the headphones on. Another advantage is that you’re less likely to open a new tab and start playing a random video on it, since your headphones are currently off.

A major reason why this also works is conditioning. By keeping your headphones off while working, you’re effectively conditioning your brain into a sort of “work mode” while the headphones are off. This lets you build up that work ethic and focus which allows you to get through challenges in your work much quicker.

Of course, this method of headphones usage isn’t fool proof. Even with the headphones off, there are still a million different ways a computer can distract you. Furthermore, you need to have the self-control to not don the headphones and start listening to something on the side of your work. However, these aren’t negatives caused by using your headphones like this.

In essence, this helps build focus, and can act as the first step towards procrastinating left. After doing this myself, I’ve procrastinated less and less every day. So the next time you have a lot of work to do, why not give this idea a go?