Stop Procrastinating!!

We all fall victim to procrastination at some point. Procrastination is a tricky beast to nail down. In retrospect, we all know when we’ve procrastinated. But during procrastination, we tell ourselves all sorts of lies to justify our actions.

Stop Telling Yourself That You Work Better Under Pressure!

For instance, you might have had two weeks to study for an exam, but you didn’t until the day before and still passed the test. Some people notice a pattern of success even when they don’t put 110% effort into what they’re doing --?where’s the motivation to improve a habit that hasn’t necessarily hindered you?

1.???Stop Making Excuses.

One of the biggest reasons people procrastinate is because they catastrophize, or make a huge deal out of something. It may be related to how tough, how boring, or how painful it will be to complete the task; whatever the case, the underlying theme is that doing the task will be “unbearable.”

Although this is like a superpower that many people don’t have, it can also lead us to our own demise if we’re presented with a challenge?that does require our full energy and attention from the beginning. The sad part is, we won’t even know how much effort we need to put into this particular project until probably the night before. Let’s be real with ourselves, -- we probably barely started reading the requirements just a few hours before the project was due! The best thing we can do is to?stop lying to ourselves?. As a matter of fact, we don’t work best with our back against the wall and we don’t perform at our highest level when there’s a looming pressure above us. The truth is that you can accomplish so much more with planning and preparation.

2.???Develop a Purpose

If you don’t have any real motivation as to why it’s important for you to complete that task,?why?would you even care to do it?

Developing a purpose is integral to helping you move forward in life. Aimless tasks just won’t motivate you to plan and prepare for them. If you can understand the?why and how?the task will positively affect your future, you’re much more likely to put your feet on the ground and get to it.

3.?Avoid?Distractions

Several?sources?of?distraction?can?be?offered?to?you:?telephone,?emails,?social?networks,?television,?other?people…?To?stop?procrastinating,?define?moments?when?you?can?isolate?yourself?without?a?screen?that?is?not?necessary?for?the?successful?completion?of?your?task.?This?way,?you?will?stay?focused?until?you?reach?your?goal.?Don’t?forget?that?with?each?deconcentration,?your?working?time?gets?longer.

4. Be realistic.

As you establish your schedule, set yourself up for success. Projects often take much longer than expected, so bake in some extra time. And look for ways to make it easier on yourself:

5. Break your goals and tasks down into smaller chunks

When a task seems overbearing, procrastination often follows.?Unfortunately, the way most people schedule their time is a trigger for these emotions.?Huge goals, tasks spread across days and weeks, and overstuffed to-do lists only cause anxiety and stress.

6. Get a partner.

Establish specific deadlines for completing a task. Then find someone who will help you be accountable. It could be a promise to your boss or client that you will complete the job by a certain date. Or it may be a coach who helps you stay on track. Or simply find an accountability partner. In this relationship, you connect with someone (on the phone, for example) at certain time intervals (such as once per week) and commit to what you will do before your next meeting. Not wanting to go back on your word, can be a great way to squash procrastination.

7. Optimize your environment.

Your environment can help or hinder your?productivity. Beware especially of technology, such as your email or messenger that keeps pinging to let you know someone has reached out. Social media, internet “research” leads you far off track, and phone calls can lead to procrastination.

8. Reward Yourself and Take Breaks

Establish a reward if—and only if—you do what you set out to do. Do not let yourself binge that new Netflix show, check your social media, or get lunch until you complete what you've scheduled. So instead of using these tasks and distractions to procrastinate, make them contingent on you actually finishing what you schedule yourself to do.

9. Forgive yourself.

Stop beating yourself up about the past. Thoughts such as “I should have started earlier” or “I always procrastinate; I am such a loser” will only make matters worse.

So Stop Procrastinating and start taking ACTION!!

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