Do you find yourself saying, “I’ll do that later” quite often? If so, we feel your pain and are here for your rescue.
Regretting over things you could have done with all the time that you have is indeed a stressful way of leading a life. It is pertinent to say that procrastination can kill the spirit to get going and proves to be a hurdle towards the ladder of success. Therefore, now is the time to take action!
Let’s look at the best ways to beat your procrastination habit.
1. Find the Reason Behind the Task
It is always helpful to look at the bigger picture. Therefore, get hold of the reasons behind the task at hand and focus on the bigger goals.
Furthermore, whenever you sit to do a task, ask yourself, “is it important to you to finish this in time?” or “will it help you get closer to your dream life?” These questions might seem a little far-fetched, but these can work as great motivators to get your procrastinating self moving.
Tips to follow:
- Give yourself meaningful reasons to take the task.
- Opt for tasks you genuinely want to finish.
- Help yourself by knowing yourself better; you can write down or record your feelings.
2. Break Down the Task Into Steps
Micro Productivity is the magic behind successful people you see around you. Their ways of handling work, situations, and numerous other duties in an efficient manner make them look easygoing, relaxed, and organized.
The main reason you opt for micro productivity is that your brain is a storage device with limited space. So, filling it with only the necessary information will ensure its effective working.
Tips to follow:
- Prioritize tasks. Do the most essential functions during the hours when you feel most productive.
- Plan your day the night before. Write it down; use Notion, Habitica, or even paper-pencil to jot down the list of work in the decreasing order of priority.
3. Set SMART Goals
Smart goal making is a strategy that allows you to set and achieve goals in an easy and attainable way. This strategy increases the likelihood that you will achieve the results you seek.
Smart goals look like this:
S- Specify the objective
M- Measurable
A- Attainable, realistic
R- Relevant, aligned with the long-term objective
T- Time-bound, set a deadline
Once you set SMART goals, you will have direction and a way forward. Moreover, it is necessary to stick by these goals; however, it is always in your hands to mold these goals. So, set goals that you have control over. Make sure your goals are dependent on you and not on other people in your life. Besides, these goals should be set in a positive tone. To make a goal to procrastinate less, prepare concrete time-bound goals.
4. Cut Off Distractions
Do you find yourself wasting a lot of time scrolling on social media platforms? If so, then it is time you need to take proper actions to reduce social media usage.
Tips to follow:
- Use tools such as Freedom, StayOnTask to limit your social media distractions.
- Practice meditation for a couple of minutes before sitting down on your work desk. All you need to do is focus on the work at hand and leave everything else behind.
- Take proper sleep and work out regularly so that your body has enough energy to be channelized to necessary tasks.
5. Use the Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro is the most used time management system that encourages people to work with their time.
All you have to do is, break your workday into 25-minutes slots separated by five-minute breaks. These 30 minutes slots are called pomodoros. So, after nearly four pomodoros, take a 15-20 minutes break. This way, you will have a much-enhanced focus and be able to keep track of your time.
What to do in breaks?
- In the five minutes break, get up from your seat. Take a stroll around the workplace, take a pee or maybe fill your water bottle.
- The motive is to get you moving plus prepare you for the next batch of tasks.
- You can have snacks or even organize stuff around for the next task in the long break.
6. Keep Rewards For Yourself
Would you like to do anything without even getting anything in return? If so, then why would you do anything for yourself if you are not getting any valuable reward in return for putting your time and effort into a task? This is why rewarding yourself after completing a goal/task is essential.
Why reward yourself?
- It makes you feel good and drives you further for more complex tasks.
- Rewards are a perfect source of positive reinforcement, signaling to your brain that if you work, you’ll get something at the end of the task.
- Small treats make you feel deserving. They help you to think positively about yourself.
So, the next time you set yourself a goal, treat yourself once you achieve it. It could be as small as treating yourself to a day out with your favorite people, buying your favorite book/clothes/food item, etc.
7. Declutter Your Environment
Having the right environment is the primary step to achieving a goal. So, before sitting at your work desk, take a moment and look around to see if everything is in place. Declutter your desk and remove whatever is unnecessary. Clear your vision for a clear sight towards achieving your set goal.
Tips to follow:
- Ask yourself, is this place you would like to work in? If the answer is no, then get up and organize the area.
- Assign a place for every item and keep it at its designated place after using it.
- Buy only the necessary stuff. If you have a habit of buying unnecessary things online, then try this – whatever you are trying to buy, keep it in the cart for the next 30 days. Come back to it, and see if it is something you still need. If not, then empty the cart.