How to Beat Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying something despite knowing there are negative consequences for doing so. With that being said, the million dollar question becomes - why do we procrastinate?? According to Mclean Hospital-Harvard Medical School Affiliate, there are many different reasons. It could be due to anxiety, depression, low self esteem, ADHD, or simply poor time management habits. But the bigger question is how do we stop? In this blog post, we gathered some effective methods on how to beat procrastination.

Prioritize

One of the best ways to beat procrastination is through a to-do list. Write down any task you can think of - even the ones that seem insignificant. The goal of doing this is to take inventory of everything you need to do. The next step is to assign each task a grade: A, B, C, or D (A being the most important and D the least). Once you are finished with that, organize the tasks based on the grade. If you have multiple tasks with the same grading, take into consideration how long each task will take and decide from there on how to proceed.?

This method allows us to detect the most important tasks while also understanding what is worth doing. Sometimes we postpone, or procrastinate, on a task because it’s not worth it. For example, if it is a D grade and will take 3 hours to complete, it may be better to take it off the list altogether and focus on the other tasks at hand.

Listing out the tasks in a visual medium can often help alleviate the feelings of being overwhelmed and anxiety that can often be the cause of procrastination.

Organizing tasks can be grounding and allow you to see the true measure of time needed to complete them instead of letting your mind be consumed by the stress and paralyze you from doing anything.?

Commit

So you took inventory of your tasks and did time assessments - that’s a great start! Now it's time to plan out your schedule. When making a schedule, it’s important to be realistic. Don't forget to give yourself breaks and block time between tasks to do something fun. Don't overbook yourself; just because you are awake for about 16 hours a day doesn't mean you are able to work all of them - being practical is key.

To hold yourself accountable with your commitment, involve other people when you can. For example, if you need to go to the store to return an item - take a friend with you. In this case, not only will the task become more enjoyable, but also, when you schedule something with another person, you are less likely to cancel or postpone. This can also be applied to other things like a large work project. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and alone, reach out to colleagues for ideas, support, etc. Here at Selland Tech, we encourage collaboration. Being a 100% remote team, we understand the importance of teamwork. Check out our blog HERE for Tips on Building a Remote Team.

Progression

“Everyone procrastinates but not everyone is a procrastinator.” said Dr. Ferrari in the article Psychology of Procrastination: Why People Put Off Important Tasks Until the Last Minute. With that being said, procrastination (or purposefully putting something off) is inevitable. Avoiding the negative repercussions is the main objective and will take practice. Trying different methods? and figuring out what works best for you, and what doesn’t, leads to progress. In the end, put your focus on what did work versus concentrating on what didn’t and the results will be better. Furthermore, strive for progress not perfection.?

?Finding the root cause of the procrastination is always important, especially if it is linked to a deeper issue such as mental health issues or burnout. But realistically, we need short term solutions to help counteract this habit that often just perpetuates anxiety and fear, continuing the cycle.?

Recognizing every little step in the right direction is important, do not expect perfection and an overnight solution to all of your motivation problems. Instead, reward yourself for every little improvement in completing a task or deadline. Beating yourself up over not? completing everything and focusing on the negative will make committing to improvement long term near impossible. Instead be kind to yourself and confide in a friend or confidant at work to encourage you and hold you accountable. Keeping the habits consistent is key to progress and beating procrastination.?

Summary

Procrastination typically leads to missed deadlines, increased anxiety, and much more. Though, it is not always unavoidable having different methods in place to combat procrastination is key to setting yourself up for success. From prioritizing to making commitments (and sticking to them) to analyzing for the future, we become more efficient and productive humans by not becoming a victim of procrastination.

?Do you have your own method of handling procrastination? We would love to hear about it! Please share your insights in the comments below.??