Overcoming productivity obstacles is possible with the right steps. This week we're talking about ways to overcome productivity roadblocks. Productivity is a goal we can work towards every day Those of us who care about being productive--both about getting the things done that are important to us and about making a life that matters--are very aware of the many obstacles that can get in the way of both. Overcoming obstacles to productivity requires a strategic approach, combining an understanding of your work style, proper planning, and specific tactics to handle common productivity roadblocks. We’ve talked about many of these in the past, and I thought it was a good time to look at this again. Here are some common obstacles and strategies to overcome them, including references to past episodes of this podcast that might help, as well as other resources worth investigating 1. Distractions   In the age of digital technology, distractions are ever-present. Social media, constant email notifications, and other interruptions can significantly hamper your productivity. Overcome this by scheduling specific times for checking emails and social media and sticking to this schedule. Consider using tools and apps that block or limit time spent on distracting websites or apps. We talked about distraction and overcoming it in more depth recently in episodes 448 (Managing Distractions in a Digital Age) and episode 454 (our Productive Reading discussion of Nir Eyal’s Indistractable), and farther back in episode 243 (Dealing with Distraction).  2. Poor Time Management  The phrase “time management” is an iffy one for me. Although I’ve thought about and studied “time management” since I was a young teenager, I’ve come to realize that we don’t--can’t--really manage time at all. It’s a fixed resource. There are 24 hours in a day, and we can’t manage those hours in the sense of moving them around or saving them up for use later. What we can manage is our use of time--what we actually do with those 24 hours in each day. And if we’re not managing our use of time effectively, we can end up feeling overwhelmed and unproductive, perhaps being very busy without actually accomplishing the things we care about. Lots of what we talk about on this podcast is about just that: being more intentional, efficient, and effective in how we use our time. So some suggestions to help us do that are: * Utilize techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, time blocking, task batching, or the Eisenhower Matrix.   * Invest in a good planner or digital tool that can help you schedule your tasks and deadlines.  * Check out episode 176 (Productivity Tools and Techniques to Try) for more ideas 3. Procrastination