Procrastination may seem like a break from working on your tasks, but it is not relaxing at all. Just because you put off starting a task, job or assignment doesn’t mean it leaves your mind. Now, not only do you have to put time into doing the actual work at some point, but you also waste time thinking about the uncompleted job that is still nagging at you. Talk about an energy zapper! Postponement steals your time, joy and energy. Author Roy T. Bennett (The Light in the Heart: Inspirational Thoughts for Living Your Best Life) says it best: “Don’t let procrastination take over your life. Be brave and take risks. Your life is happening right now.” Here are the 15 best ways to stop procrastinating!
How To Stop Procrastinating
1. Make a To-Do List
If you find your mind to be scattered with all the things that you know you should do, it’s time to get them out of your mind and onto paper. Making a to-do list that you can check off as tasks are completed, is an essential organizational tool. It helps you to focus on what to do instead of getting overwhelmed and then putting everything off. Plus, when you check off your completed projects one by one, it will give you a sense of accomplishment that will motivate you to keep going.
2. Prioritize Your Tasks
Once you have a list established, it helps to prioritize the jobs. Have you ever started a project only to remember that there is a more pressing issue that really should be worked on first? That distracting realization could potentially stop the momentum toward your first job. Then, because you are now overwhelmed again, it can be hard to actually start the more pressing job.
3. Write Out a Schedule
You only have a certain amount of time in a day to get work done. Instead of thinking, “I don’t have enough time for all of this,” make out a reasonable schedule that lets you accomplish a few of your goals. This is much better than choosing to procrastinate during that limited time frame and not getting anything done at all.
4. Give Yourself a Small Timed Start
Sometimes, it’s still hard to get motivated to start a job. In these cases, it’s best to give yourself a pep talk. Tell yourself that you will give 15 minutes to at least start a task to see how much you can get done. You will be surprised at how that little jump start motivates you to keep working longer than the 15 minutes. Starting is always the hardest part.
5. Get Rid of General Distractions
At the workplace, walk away from those friendly group conversations that are a time waster. Leave those for when you have some downtime. When at home, turn off the TV or music in the background if that is distracting. Maybe sitting by a window is distracting if you’re normally a people watcher. Whatever is distracting to you, try to get away from it.
6. Do Your Hardest Tasks When You Have the Most Energy
If you are a morning person, you will have a lot more energy and motivation to work at the start of the day. Make sure to use this time to tackle your hardest projects. Then when those are done, you will feel relieved with the accomplishment and be more relaxed to work on smaller jobs. Author Brian Tracy (Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time) gives an analogy, “If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. This is another way of saying that if you have two important tasks before you, start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first.” If you are a bit of a night owl, you may have to do a small warm-up task or two before tackling the big jobs. Once your energy level is up, then complete that hardest task.
7. Set Deadlines
Even if no one actually gives you a deadline to get a job done, set deadlines for yourself. Sometimes that is all the motivation you need to get started with your work.
8. Take Small Steps
When a project is really big and overwhelming, break it up into smaller tasks. Then, make a list and prioritize the components of a job. Make sure to take into account your typical energy level for the time of the day. Each step that you take will feel good and motivate you to keep going.
9. Find Ways To Promote a Relaxed Environment
A relaxed environment automatically gives you a sense of ease to tackle hard things. Although this isn’t possible with all tasks, if your setting allows, find a space by yourself that is soothing. An outdoor patio, home office or a coffee shop are all ideas that may be relaxing enough to get you motivated.
10. Take a Break From Social Media
One great way to stop procrastinating is to turn off social media. All that scrolling is such a time waster that only distracts you from thinking about what you really should be doing. When you are done scrolling, you can be sure that the nagging thoughts will rush back in and bring with them panic since you have even less time to get your work done. Author Neeraj Agnihotri (Procrasdemon - The Artist’s Guide to Liberation from Procrastination) writes, “In this world, one of the biggest illusions that we live in is that we have unlimited time. With that mindset, we are uncontrolled to waste it as much as we can.”
11. Don’t Wait for Perfection
It can be easy to think that you don’t want to start a job until you have a perfect plan or idea. But perfection is perception. Instead, take a leap and start doing. This way, you will find out what works for you and what doesn’t. You may have to restart a couple of times but each time you will have a better idea of how to succeed. Procrastinating doesn’t get you anywhere. This goes hand in hand with self-doubt. When you fear you can’t achieve perfection, it makes it hard to start a task.
12. Reward Yourself for a Completed Task
Have you ever bribed your kids to get them to complete a task? It works! Now do the same thing for yourself. For instance, tell yourself that you can have 15 minutes of social media time (or whatever you like to do) after you finish a task. That might be motivating enough to get you to stop procrastinating.
13. Go for a Small Walk
Once you start a job or task, there may be instances when you hit a roadblock. At these times, it’s best to hit the road yourself and go for a small walk. It will most likely freshen your mind and motivate you to get back and finish the job. This is better than stalling out for a long period of time.
14. Don’t Sweat the Other Stuff
When you try to put the effort into tackling a task intentionally ahead of time (without a dramatic ticking clock at the last possible moment to get it done!), guilt or distracting thoughts can creep in about other general responsibilities. For example, you notice dishes piling in the sink and see that as a likely more urgent need than this overwhelming task that doesn’t even need to be finished for a few more days. But let yourself ease up on some of those daily duties and prioritize the process of letting go of procrastination—it’s worth it, even if there are some extra dishes around. After all, moving on from a natural inclination to procrastinate will transform your life and open you up to so much freedom!
15. Focus on the Process and Not the End Result
Say you have a project that is going to be a long process with an overwhelming conclusion. For instance, you have to develop a website for a client with a lot of criteria. If you just focus on what the website needs to look like at the end of the project, it can get overwhelming. Instead, focus on each step of the process which is a smaller bite to chew. Next up, 100 inspirational quotes to remind you that you can do hard things!
