How to Overcome Procrastination

Procrastination is a bad habit that limits your productivity and can carry a variety of other negative consequences. “I will do it later” – that is the refrain of the procrastinator. Unfortunately, later never comes, or when it does arrive, it comes with panic and the need to rush. Neither is a good thing.

Fortunately, you retrain yourself and learn to modify the behaviours that can lead to putting tasks off. Here are seven simple strategies to use:

Identify Your Procrastination Source

If you find yourself putting off a task, try to figure out why. Are you lacking energy? Is the task too intimidating? Are you afraid that you will not do an adequate job?

Identify the reason why you are procrastinating, and you might be able to solve the underlying problem.

Revamp Your To-Do List

Your ‘to do’ list should probably be a lot shorter than it is. Why is that? If you already know you are going to do a particular task, do not bother writing it down. Instead, limit the items on your to do list to the tasks that tempt you to procrastinate. The simple act of writing these jobs down can have the psychological effect of making your need to finish them even greater.

 Take Planned Breaks Throughout The Day

If you are a procrastinator, you may not be taking enough breaks. That is right! Your problem may not be that you spend too much time relaxing, but that you spend too little. The issue is that many people will take lunch and work breaks, but when they do, they stay in work mode.

How many lunches have you taken as you read work related emails? How many breaks have you spent talking to your team about a current project? Take your breaks, and make sure that you spend them truly disengaged. Eat, relax, take a walk

 Break Big Jobs Into Smaller Tasks

If you try to tackle a huge project, the intimidation factor alone can make procrastination seem very attractive. For example, rewriting the company’s strategy seems like an albatross of a task that could take weeks to finish. Break that down into smaller tasks that you can chip away at one at a time, and suddenly the job seems easier.

 Take Care of Yourself

Do not assume that your procrastination issue is a laziness problem. You might simply have drained your energy reserves. Help yourself stay on track by getting enough sleep, eating enough healthy foods, and getting at least a bit of exercise.

If you are feeling particularly lethargic and unmotivated, talk to your doctor. Your body could be struggling with a vitamin deficiency. When you are healthier, procrastination will often become less and less of an issue.

 Tackle The Miserable Tasks First

There are two factors that have a big impact on procrastination. The first is the time of day. The later it is, the less likely you will be able to push through that urge to put things off.

The second factor is the misery factor. Knowing this, try to structure your day so that you will work on those tasks that seem like drudgery. Save the tasks that are easier or more enjoyable for the afternoon. Your tired brain will appreciate it!

 Go ‘Off The Grid’ For a Day

If you are like most people, electronic distractions can be a real source of your procrastination. It is easy to put tasks off in favour of spending time on LInkedin. It is also much more tempting to avoid getting things done when you ‘have to’ respond to all of those emails.

To combat this, consider taking yourself off the grid every so often. Switch your devices to airplane mode, let people know that you will unavailable for the day. Then, put your head down and start ploughing through all of those tasks that you would normally avoid.

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