How to overcome Procrastination ?: A Step-by-Step Guide

Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute. 
To be honest with you, no matter how well organized and committed you are, you have many chances to be affected by procrastination. That’s really common, actually everyone has to deal with it at some point. 

Most of the time, procrastination is not a serious problem, but if you find yourself constantly avoiding, delaying tasks it can have a negative impact on your work, grades, and overall life.
In some cases procrastination can be a health issue like ADHD, depression, OCD. Don’t hesitate to seek help from a professional.

In today’s post we will see some tips to stop you from procrastinating

1. Why do we procrastinate ?

We often tend to procrastinate on important or challenging tasks in favor of ones that are easier or more enjoyable.
Also there are times when we undervalued the amount of time and work a task/project will take us, so we keep delaying it thinking we will have enough time. 

To stop procrastination, you first need to understand the reasons that push you to postpone your tasks.
Here are common reasons you might procrastinate:

• Perfectionism: People tend to procrastinate because they fear that they can’t complete a task perfectly or wait for the “right moment”, the “right idea”
• Fear and anxiety: For instance, you might delay medical tests or meetings because you fear the diagnostics or being judged by others. The more we feel stress, fear and anxiety about a task the more likely we are to put it off
• Distraction: Distractions play a big role in procrastination. If you work in a place full of distractions such as: your phone; TV, pets etc you can easily lose focus on the task you were doing.

Tips to overcome procrastination

1. Plan your day beforehand

Schedule your tasks and make a realistic to-do list beforehand, this way on the next day you will know exactly what you have to do. Schedule specific time for each task or a group of similar tasks.

2. Break tasks into smaller steps

Seeing a big task on your to-do list can seem overwhelming, this is why breaking these big tasks into smaller steps can help with procrastination. 

In my case when I need to write a new blog post. I first search for ideas, I write down rough notes, titles and on a different day I start writing and developing each section.
This way the task seems more achievable in my given time to do it.

3. Adjust your environment

Like I said before, distractions prevent us from focusing on a task. To beat procrastination, identify and get rid of what is stopping you from getting your work done.
Find a quiet place to focus, turn your phone in “Do Not Disturb” mode and if it’s not enough put it in a different room.
Minimize as many distractions as possible

4. Use time management methods

Learning time management methods can be a great way to help overcome procrastination

• The Pomodoro technique: Focus on a task for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. Do this four times and then take a longer break (15 to 30 minutes)
• Eat the frog: Identify your most challenging task of the day and do it first thing in the morning. If it takes longer than four hours, try breaking it down into smaller tasks to make it more manageable
• The Two- minutes rule: If something takes less than 2 minutes to complete, do it right away.

5. Reward yourself

You should be your biggest supporter so congratulate yourself, give yourself a pat on the back everytime you complete a task.
Rewarding yourself boosts your motivation, confidence and positive behaviors. No matter how small it is, a progress is a progress.

Gentle reminder: Procrastination is not your fault, you can always learn how to address this behavior to change it. Procrastination doesn’t mean you are lazy.