Be honest… are you procrastinating right now by reading this article about how to stop procrastinating? We’ve all done it from time-to-time but for some it can be a more chronic habit that regularly impacts their life.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the action of delaying, avoiding, or postponing a task, often despite knowledge of the negative consequences. It’s a key barrier to achieving your goals and comes with a side helping of guilt and panic.
Tips to Stop Procrastinating
What’s your vision? Do you know what your long-term goal is? Do you understand your skills and priorities? You’re less likely to meander aimlessly through procrastination city if you’ve got a clear-cut direction to head.
Daily plan. Give your day some structure with a to-do list. Even better, break larger tasks into smaller chunks and allocate deadlines through the day.
Tell others about your goals and plans. They’ll likely ask you how you’re travelling, which will help to hold you accountable to your word and motivate you to move forward.
Change your environment to change your headspace. Different spaces elicit different thoughts and emotions. If your work desk is in your bedroom, not only are you surrounded by lots of potential procrastination opportunities (Netflix, anyone?) but your brain associates the space with sleep. Head to a less procrastination rich workspace if you can. If you’re a university student, become acquainted with the campus library, which is designed to encourage work.
Buddy up. Know someone with similar goals to you? Schedule time to work together, especially if they’re not a chronic procrastinator themselves. You’ll hold each other accountable while having a bit of fun at the same time.
Move away from your mobile phone! How often do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media? Put your phone in another room for a set period of time if you can. You’ll be far less likely to log in every 30 seconds if you have to make an effort to go grab your phone.
Block problematic website. Identify your go-to websites for wasting time and remove them from your favourites list and browser history. Block them if you can. Out of sight, out of mind!
Good Luck!