You know what you need to do, but the task feels impossible. We know that procrastination is a habit and breaking it takes time and energy.
Imagine you have to prepare for an important presentation next week. Now you’re faced with a spare afternoon and your future self is waving its hands, thanking you for getting organised and dedicating time to the task. But it’s your present self that needs convincing – after all, what if something else comes up before then?
You are faced with a very hard decision. Your present self wants satisfaction and enjoyment, but your future self says that it is more important to work on something long-term. You want to complete tasks that will bring long-term gratification like self-satisfaction and success professionally, even if they don’t seem appealing right now.
Let’s be honest: there are times when the future version of you seems far away and inconsequential. One way to increase your present self’s motivation to act in your best interest is simply to zoom in on how much you’ll benefit from getting organized or going for a run.
Unless you understand why you are procrastinating, it is pointless to use hacks to become more productive.
Procrastination reasons
It is natural to be afraid of failure. But not starting the task at all allows it to become more intimidating in our minds, even though we never tried it. Your mind might be telling you to hold back from trying new things, but why not take the risk? If you don’t give it a go, how would you ever know whether or not it would work in the first place? To combat this kind of thinking, try re-framing your failures as data. It’s just feedback that hints at what needs to be improved.
If you’re struggling to start a task because of your perfectionism, think about whether the difference it will make is really worth the extra time. For example, 95% is still very good!
Sometimes people’s anxiety prevents them from making decisions. However, every task has decision-making consequences. Deciding what to do when you’re faced with a decision can be overwhelming. Should you take care of the laundry or mop up the mud?
Instead of spending too long making decisions like these, it’s important that you spend your time wisely and complete the task. To avoid these things, it is important to first recognize that any decision is better than no decision at all. Second, it is necessary to accept the fact that sometimes you might make a wrong choice. As long as you stick with your decisions even after they prove incorrect, they won’t be a disaster.
How to stop procrastination?
Unfortunately, there are no straightforward answers to how to stop procrastination. But there are certain procrastination strategies you can follow to help you beat procrastination.
Procrastination strategies
To beat procrastination can be challenging. But by following certain strategies, you can take control of your actions and do the things that really matter to you. Here are some procrastination strategies to help you.
Find the best way to start and just start
There’s a simple way to get back into the swing of things, even when you’re not feeling like it. Just think about the first ten minutes and once you’re there, your motivation will surely pick up.
Start the tasks when you have the energy to start
If you’re an early bird, try organizing your tasks for the morning when they will be the easiest for you. It’ll be easier for you to wake up if you set them out before bedtime too! If your productivity is higher in the evening, you may want to consider when you schedule important tasks. If possible, do them at night so that you’re less likely to put it off for the next day.
Shorten your To-Do list
The longer your to-do list becomes, the more likely you are not to do anything. But if you break it down into smaller lists, you might get more done. In order to stay on top of things, never take on more than seven tasks at a time. It also ensures that you won’t end up with incomplete tasks piling up.
Be careful not to multitask
By focusing on just one task at a time, you can concentrate more deeply on what you’re doing. Therefore, you won’t be as likely to slip into the procrastination trap and end up getting nothing done.
Use your calendar wisely
A calendar can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Over time, this time-management tool will offer you a big edge in your productivity. With that said, if you overfill it or underfill it at any point, there’s a chance it will make the opposite happen – leading to procrastination. The way you manage your time impacts how successful you are, so be sure to take some time for yourself and don’t overbook yourself.
Stick to a time limit for each task
The more time you allow yourself to work on anything, the more time it will take. So, if it normally takes you three hours to do a task and you give yourself six hours to do so, then it will take you six hours to do that task. Without being too cruel to yourself, limit your time accordingly in order to maximize your productivity.
Control your environment and eliminate distraction
If you work in a space that’s crowded with environmental distractions, you’ll have a much harder time staying focused on your work. Loud TVs, piles of clutter, or loud coworkers can all act as major channels for interrupting your focus.
Ask others to help you beat procrastination
There are many causes of procrastination, which may be why it’s so hard to stop.
It’s unfortunate that people often associate procrastination with laziness and mental weakness. This makes it tough to admit problems with it – which is unfair, considering the struggle many faces! You might feel ashamed because you procrastinate often. But believe me, so many others are struggling with the same thing.
In reality, procrastination is a habit all people share. Personally, I tend to find that writing my struggles down can help motivate me to overcome them. It’s true that if you don’t know how to deal with it, you’re going to have a tough time. And there are plenty of other people who can lend a hand if you ask. Just talking about your problems out loud with others can make immense improvement on your journey to beat procrastination.
Why procrastination is bad?
Procrastination is not just bad for your productivity, it’s also bad for your mental health.
Research has shown that chronic procrastinators are more likely to have depression and anxiety than people who don’t procrastinate.
It also increases the risk of social isolation, which can lead to other mental health issues.
In addition, people who procrastinate often feel guilty because they know they should be working on something else. This guilt can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem.
Finally, procrastination can make you seem unreliable to your boss or coworkers because you’re constantly putting off work until the last minute.
Procrastination therapy
The goal of procrastination therapy is to help people understand why they are procrastinating and then develop strategies to overcome it. As well as going following the above procrastination strategies, there are also procrastination therapies that you can attend. One of the most popular procrastination therapy would Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It can help people to stop procrastinating and to get on track with their goals. CBT is clinically proven and backed by hundreds of scientific studies.
Can procrastination be good?
Procrastination has been a topic of discussion for many years. Some people think that it is a bad habit while others think that it can be beneficial.
The benefits of procrastination are not as obvious as the disadvantages but they are still there.
The most important benefit is that when you procrastinate, you get more time to think about the task and come up with better solutions.
Procrastinating can also be used to avoid an unpleasant task or to give yourself some time off from work, which might actually be good for your mental health in the long run.
Procrastination and time management
The more you procrastinate, the more you are likely to do it again. This can be caused by a lack of motivation or a fear of failure.
Time management is the ability to organize your time and activities in order to get things done efficiently and effectively. Time management skills are needed for every aspect of one’s life, from work and school projects to household chores and personal errands.
Procrastination and Fear of Failure
Fear of failure is one of the main reasons why people procrastinate. People often think that they might not be able to complete the task at hand and so they avoid it by doing something else.
This fear can lead to a vicious cycle where the person will continue to avoid the task and never get it done. They will believe that the task is too hard for them and that they are not skilled enough to complete it. This can cause a lot of stress, which in turn leads to more procrastination.
The best way for someone who has this fear of failure is to break down the task into smaller chunks, set deadlines for themselves, and then gradually increase their workload as time goes on.