How To Overcome Procrastination: 10 Simple Tips
In this post, you will learn how to overcome procrastination once and for all.
Although everyone has tried it at some point in the past, the vast majority of individuals are looking for an alternative rather than continuing to do it.
It is of the utmost importance to acquire the skills necessary to put an end to procrastination if one wishes to be productive with their time and energy.
To postpone or put off doing something is, in a nutshell, what it means to engage in procrastination. Period.
Lack of self-control is the root cause of procrastination.
When you engage in one activity when you are aware that you should be focusing on another. It is precisely this vexing drive that prevents you from accomplishing what you have set out to do in the first place.
The concept of procrastination extends far beyond the realm of our jobs and professional lives.
Procrastination has, for many people, seeped its way into every conceivable facet of our lives. Procrastination can seep into every aspect of one’s life, including the completion of chores around the house, the payment of taxes, the filling of automobiles and trucks with petrol, the registration for an art class, and the cleaning out of the garage.
Why do people put things off till later?
People frequently believe that procrastination is nothing more than a lack of willpower, but in truth, the situation is much more complicated than that assumption suggests it should be.
Whenever we are confronted with a choice to make or a task to finish, the majority of the time we rely on our own self-control in order to motivate ourselves to get things done.
In addition, our motivation, which is based on the anticipation of receiving some reward for our efforts, can support our self-control and make it more likely that we will get things done in a timely manner. This is because our motivation is based on the expectation that we will receive some reward for our efforts.
On the other hand, there are a number of things that can happen to us that are demotivating, and these things have the opposite effect on our motivation; that is, they increase the likelihood that we will put things off till later.
For instance, being faced with a task that is unpleasant, along with other unfavorable feelings such as worry and fear of failing, can induce us to procrastinate excessively.
In addition, there are some impeding variables that get in the way of our ability to exercise self-control and motivation in a way that also makes us more prone to putting things off till later.
For instance, if it is already late in the evening, we may find it more difficult to exercise self-control because the weariness that comes from having to work hard all day might make it more difficult for us to exercise self-control.
In a similar vein, if there is a significant amount of time between the point in time at which we finish a task and the point in time at which we will receive the reward for finishing the task, we may begin to discount the value of the reward, which means that its ability to motivate us will be greatly diminished.
We are able to do our tasks in a timely manner so long as our level of self-control and drive is greater than the influence of the variables that demotivate us. This is true despite the fact that there are circumstances that interfere with them.
But when all of the negative influences exceed our self-control and motivation, we end up procrastinating, which means we put off our task either permanently or until some point in the future when the scales will tip back in our favor and the balance will be restored.
In the grand scheme of things, we put things off because our self-control and motivation, which may be hampered by circumstances such as weariness and rewards that are far in the future, are overwhelmed by demotivating factors such as anxiety and fear of failure.
This is why we procrastinate.
Because of this, we are unable to self-regulate our behavior, which means that we put things off unnecessarily, even when we are aware that we ought to be doing them. This is one of the reasons why procrastination frequently results in a disconnect between how we intend to behave and how we behave in reality.
Note that there are certain exceptions to this rule, particularly in situations in which one’s procrastination is caused by another force, such as defiance or the wish to inject excitement into work that would otherwise be monotonous.
On the other hand, the process that was discussed before is, by far and away, the most important one that explains why people put things off.
Therefore, without further ado, here are ten of the best strategies to put an end to procrastination, get things done in a more effective manner, and accomplish your objectives much more rapidly. Let’s begin.
Top 10 Ways To Put An End To Procrastination As Soon As Possible And Start Being Productive
Tip #1: Take charge of your surroundings.
To begin, if you are surrounded by a lot of temptations and diversions, you are putting yourself in a bad position right from the beginning.
For instance, working in your dormitory may appear to be a hassle-free option; nevertheless, if computer games and food are within sight, you may be tempted to take several “study breaks” or “work breaks.”
The very first thing you need to do if distractions are what keeps you from getting things done on time is to locate the best possible spot to do them.
There is a wide range of variety in individual preferences for workspaces.
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For instance, I prefer to work in libraries and other calm areas, whereas some people require the noise and activity of cafes or training centers in order to feel comfortable.
Regardless, the following are three things to keep in mind when designing your workspace:
Eliminate distractions like computer games, your phone, snacks that aren’t necessary, and possibly even people (but remember to be courteous!).
Maintain the same approach.
Because of this, your mind is better able to focus on the task at hand rather than wasting energy trying to figure out why you’re traveling from one place to another.
Since your brain enjoys patterns, returning repeatedly to the same position allows it to do so.
Ensure that everything you require is within easy reach at all times.
You are giving yourself an excuse to disrupt the flow of your work if you “accidentally” leave your note pads or calculators in other areas.
Prepare your things and take a seat.
You must also exercise control over your digital surroundings in order to fully master the situation in which you find yourself. Taking charge of your surroundings is not limited to the physical aspects of your surroundings.
This could imply that you should put your phone into airplane mode in order to prevent notifications from Reddit, Facebook, or any other website that wastes your time.
Tip #2: Begin with baby steps.
It is difficult to even get started when you are not motivated to attain the goal you have set for yourself.
As a result, taking even the most insignificant step toward achieving it will feel like a victory.
For instance, if you have some reading to do for your paper, you should spend approximately 10 minutes per page reading it over.
When you perform that action, you have already signaled to your brain that an adjustment has been made.
Your naturally sluggish brain (which we all have because that’s how we were wired) will no longer be able to tolerate it.
After that, momentum in the direction of your objective will begin to build, and it will eventually take you there as a wave.
Tip #3: Create a list of things you should NOT do.
In most cases, we have a very laser-like focus on what we have to do; for example, we have to clean out the garage. It is imperative that we pay the rent.
But we never stop to think about the significant factors that are preventing us from achieving our goals, the significant factors that we must not give ourselves permission to do because they encourage us to put things off.
However, what we need to do is construct a list of things that should NOT be done because we all know how to make the best to-do lists in the world.
Now is the time to organize the items in the garage. Create a list of items on your “not to do” list that could impede your ability to get started, such as the following:
- Do not check notifications on any of your social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
- Avoid getting lured in by Netflix by any means necessary.
- It is imperative that you refrain from snacking in the kitchen area because it is located on the corridor leading to the garage.
In order to keep yourself in check, create accurate and severe NOT to-do lists.
This will ensure that you do not give yourself permission to make any more excuses about why you did not complete your significant assignment.
When you have a good understanding of what you should NOT be doing, you are able to devote more mental capacity and space to concentrate on the activities at hand, which are the ones you should be completing.
When you sit down to plan your day or your week, it is just as important to jot down three things that you do not wish to get done for the day as it is to write down three things that you do wish to have done for the day!
I propose that you make a list for today and test yourself to see how well you can stick to it.
You will be astonished at how much more productive and invigorating you will feel when you take on whatever it is that you set out to accomplish (and nothing else that you weren’t), and nothing else that you weren’t setting out to accomplish.
Tip #4: Set Barriers
Spend some time putting up roadblocks to the things that are preventing you from getting your task done.
These are the kinds of insignificant obstacles that prevent a person from being productive.
Do not take the easy way out by giving up and not getting the work done, regardless of how large or minor the obstacle is.
A significant portion of the time we waste procrastinating online is lost down the rabbit hole of social media.
We begin by posting a status update on Facebook, then we find ourselves getting sucked into an online video game, then we go through the junk e-mail that has arrived, and finally, we may tweet about the trash e-mail that has come.
The next thing you know, you’re using every “fun” program on your phone or computer system, but the garage is still a complete and utter disaster!
The solution is as follows: add “do not do” tasks to your to-do list that require you to set up personal barriers.
Creating more users on your computer is one approach that can be taken.
One is a “Play User,” which stores all of your games, enjoyable apps, and favorite bookmarked pages; the other is a “Get-It-Done User,” which has all interruptions uninstalled and disabled, and you’ve set it to approximately open all of the apps and programs that you need to use to get your work done immediately upon logging in. Both users share the same login information.
Because this technique eliminates the obstacles and distractions that are preventing you from getting the task done, it will be much simpler for you to avoid putting things off.
Another suggestion is to use parental controls to prevent access to specific websites and apps during predetermined periods. This way, you will be unable to delay using digital means, even if you make an effort to do so.
If you find that you are at your most productive on the weekends between the hours of 10 am and 1 pm, you should set up parental restrictions on Netflix and the TV so that you don’t “accidentally” start watching your favorite show after breakfast and waste the entire day!
Putting up these barriers or removing them will assist you in concentrating on what you are required to complete without allowing you to make excuses.
Tip #5: The 15-Minute Rule
Get yourself a timer. Make use of your phone, a stopwatch, or another clock that you conveniently have on hand.
Something that can display the current time in front of you and tally down the remaining minutes is required. The timer should be set to 15 minutes.
The next step is to get started on the task that you have been avoiding and to give yourself a time limit of fifteen minutes to do it.
Why do it for such a short amount of time?
You can help yourself overcome the challenge of procrastination by engaging in an activity for fifteen minutes and committing to focusing solely on that segment of time.
When someone does something for 15 minutes, they usually continue doing it for a significantly longer period of time after that.
In addition, by dedicating as little as fifteen minutes, you are supporting yourself in overcoming one of the most significant challenges in your head, which is simply getting started.
So, devote 15 minutes. Do something that you have been putting off for the next 15 minutes that you can do right now.
Set aside a block of time of fifteen minutes every single day, and over the course of time, you will develop significantly improved routines that will enable rather than disable you.
In exactly 15 minutes, everything will get underway. Simply saying that is sufficient.
Tip #6: Bundling Your Temptations
Linking the activities or routines you need to accomplish with the things you enjoy doing is a straightforward approach to breaking the cycle of procrastination.
This is just one illustration:
You really enjoy going to the gym and listening to audiobooks and podcasts as you work out. You decide to employ the strategy of temptation bundling by establishing a rule that states you can only listen to podcasts while you are working out at the gym.
What are some ways that you might build up your resistance to temptation? The challenge is to discover activities that complement one another in some way.
The formula for this is as follows: “Only do (what you should) while doing (what you want) at the same time.” Create a list of two columns as follows:
Write down everything that you enjoy doing on the left side. This is your “wish list”. Take notes on as many of these as you can. Some examples of this include watching television shows, listening to podcasts, or reading audiobooks.
On the right side, jot down the activities and behaviors that you should be engaging in but find yourself hesitant about. This is your “list of things that must be done.” Some examples include catching up on business emails, going to the gym, and reading.
At this point, it is up to you to connect the lists.
Tip #7: Begin your day with the most difficult task.
Another effective strategy for overcoming the want to put things off until later is to start the day by tackling the most challenging tasks and getting them out of the way.
It’s possible that you have an important call to make, but you’re worried it might be an upsetting conversation.
It’s possible that you’ve realized that you’ve fallen behind on responding to your emails and now have a mountain of messages to sort through. It’s possible that you still need to finish off the last five pages of your paper.
Whatever it is, making sure it is out of the way as soon as possible is the very first thing you should do.
You will experience a sense of relief if you begin each day by doing this. You’ll have a positive attitude, feel relaxed, and have a good opinion of yourself.
And the rest of the day — as well as your to-do list — tends to feel a lot lighter and much easier to go through as a result of this shift in perspective. It’s incredible how much of a difference just one thing can make.
Tip #8: Be Optimistic About Your Future
Create goals for yourself that are straightforward and within your reach.
Try not to create an extremely long list of things to do. Avoid putting oneself in a position to fail by taking on significant jobs that cannot be finished within the allotted time. It’s not just intimidating but also unhelpful.
Instead of telling yourself when you’ll reach “Inbox Zero,” prioritize the emails that require a response on that particular day and work through them in that order.
In the event that you are tasked with writing a report for a client, you should not commit to writing the entire thing unless it is feasible. Perform your tasks in distinct areas and set reasonable time limits and benchmarks for completion.
You’ll be able to feel much more concentrated while still being at ease if you break down every activity into as many possible chunks as you can.
Tip #9: Simply Taking Breaks
You are required to take breaks at regular intervals every now and then.
Therefore, as soon as the timer on your device goes off, you should ensure that you get up from your chair or computer and move around.
Whatever it is that helps you relax, whether it is screaming into a pillow, loading the dishwasher, getting some sleep, or folding clothes, do it.
Tip #10: Having a Reason Behind Your Actions
If you have not yet decided where you are going, it will be difficult to choose a route to get there.
When considering their “location,” a significant number of people lack innovative thinking.
In most cases, if your only goal in accomplishing something is to see it through to its conclusion, you will be successful but unhappy with the experience.
Remember all those late-night sessions when you were working on the drafts of your dissertation, only a few hours before the deadline? The drafts were, in fact, complete, but under a great deal of pressure.
It isn’t enough to want to finish a task in order to avoid procrastinating on it; you have to want to finish it. The purpose is important.
Be imaginative with your ambitions. Try to build a bigger function that you are enthused about and integrate the task at hand into your strategy for advancing towards that objective.
Don’t forget to get your Free Copy of Procrastination Killer here.
Thank you for reading!
