Procrastination gets the best of us sometimes and shows up with avoidance and lack of productivity. These anti-procrastination strategies help overcome these things to help us actually get stuff done.
Do you find yourself procrastinating on things you know you need to get done?
Do you always seem to come up with a good excuse not to move forward on your projects?
Procrastination is mistaken for laziness by many, but oftentimes nothing is further from the truth. There have been many studies around the causes of procrastination and what leads to it. You can even learn about your tendency to procrastinate based on your personality type.
Chronic postponement of work destroys artists, managers, and even doctors’ lives and can be caused by and also lead to burnout, anxiety disorders, and depression.
We all face those days when just starting to work feels like a mountain. At these times, you systematically postpone the tasks of the day or deliberately avoid some of them.
In other words, you are responding to the call of procrastination.
This list of tips will help you avoid and even deal with your procrastinating ways.
9 Ways To Deal With Procrastination
Prepare a to-do list
Prepare weekly and even daily to-do lists.
A list wherever you write down all the actions you require to take. Please note that the arrangements must be as comprehensive as possible. On your list, don’t be vague, be as specific as possible.
My favorite app to keep track of all of the things that I have to do on a daily, weekly, and even monthly basis is the Artful Agenda app. Use the code RT85370 and get 10% off your first payment.
It helps to keep track of your daily, weekly, and monthly to-dos and goals, as well as keep track of multiple calendars digitally – school, work, home – all in one place!
Reward yourself at the end of each stage of larger projects and tasks
Who doesn’t love a job well done, or even a reward?
Set and offer yourself a reward set for a certain timeframe or milestone.
You have a project, a goal to achieve, but it’s so big that it will take time?
To help stay motivated over the long term, break the task/project down into several stages, with small rewards at the end of the stages. Need suggestions for how to treat yourself that do not involve food, check out these non-food rewards for celebrating your wins.
Take care of yourself
Your diet is your passport to good health.
If you want to accomplish your tasks, you need to have energy. And to have energy, you have to give your body what it needs.
Having coffee and cookies will give you a momentary boost, but it will decrease your energy and productivity over the course of a day.
Be sure to eat good snacks and even work in some exercise into your day.
Schedule a time for each task
In addition to creating a to-do list, use a stopwatch or an alarm clock to help you organize your tasks. Bypass the rules a bit. Allocate yourself a time for a given task. This has a double effect:
- it makes it easier for you to start
- This allows you to be more efficient. You start a real fight against the clock! It becomes a game, and we quickly get caught up in the game.
I have even started setting timers for drinking water. I wasn’t doing well with getting a good amount of water daily, so I set alarms that make me stop what I am doing and get up and get water.
In addition, it makes me have to get up and move more often because I am running to the bathroom more.
Avoid distractions
There are applications to help you stay on task and even block messages that arrive in your mailbox, for example.
Set your phone and/or computer in do not disturb mode and get the job done!
Also, learn to say “no” to someone who comes to “distract” you, making it clear that you need to write that big report now.
Another advantage of announcing out loud and clear that you have this report (or other thing to do) is that you are committing – making you more likely to keep on task.
Take stock of the time
At the end of the day, check out what you’ve accomplished and how long it took you. This will allow you to see if you’ve wasted time. You will also see when you’ve been most productive and what has held you back from continuing on.
You will understand the adjustments to be made, and you may find that the task that seemed unattainable to you was finally accomplished quickly.
Divide your work into blocks
An effective weapon against decision paralysis is an ordinary pencil and pad of paper. Make sure you write down all the tasks you need to do the next day, prioritize in the evening, and finally pinpoint the exact time to complete the task. Divide your work into smaller chunks and combine small tasks.
Recharge the cognitive energy
Numerous studies show that the will can be trained similar to muscles.
The amount of will is determined by the level of so-called cognitive energy. When you get enough of it, you will force yourself to do unpleasant work tasks.
Conversely, with no cognitive resources, you’re likely to be playing the final episode of your favorite series instead of working.
Recharge your cognitive energy with targeted rest.
Overcome obstacles
Even when we commit ourselves from the heart, obstacles may appear that will prevent us from achieving our goals.
When faced with something you are likely to put off, you can make a list of tasks. But also create a list of possible obstacles that you will encounter along the way and a list of possible solutions.
If you find that you are already procrastinating on something, list your obstacles out and figure out solutions. That can help to remove your procrastination.
Need help overcoming obstacles?
One proven and helpful way in overcoming obstacles and getting all the ish done is having someone to help hold you accountable.
If you’re interested in seeing what options I have available to help you overcome procrastination and the buildup of obstacles check out my coaching options and book a discovery call today!
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