Procrastination is a self-sabotaging habit that many of us have. As separating personal life from work becomes more and more difficult, procrastination is more common than before. If you are constantly postponing tasks, wasting time on irrelevant tasks, or missing deadlines, then it’s about time you stop procrastinating and start being productive.
How can you do that?
Stopping procrastination is not easy, but it’s definitely a habit you can quit. You just need motivation and self-discipline. Let’s take a look at some strategies you can try to stop procrastination:
Prioritize Your Tasks
One of the first steps towards avoiding procrastination is making a plan with all that you need to accomplish within a certain timeframe. For example, at the beginning of each week, you should make a list of all your tasks and determine the order in which they need to be accomplished based on their importance. Once you know what your priorities are, you can determine certain days and times when you should work on those tasks so that you accomplish everything on time.
While sticking to a schedule will be difficult at first, it will make your life much easier. It is much more efficient to have a plan that you need to stick to than to do things randomly. When you don’t have a plan, you can easily get distracted and waste time with unimportant stuff. By learning how to prioritize your tasks, you can make sure that you allocate enough time for everything and avoid procrastination, at least partially.
Follow a Routine
Procrastination usually happens when you are disorganized. When you don’t have a plan of what you need to do, it is easy to get distracted. Therefore, you need to create a routine and stick to it at much as possible.
For example, let’s think about your morning routine. Make a list of all the things you want to accomplish in the morning, and then do them daily. While it might be difficult to find your motivation to get things done in the first few days, this feeling will pass once you get used to the routine. However, make sure you don’t try to accomplish too much at once. Major changes do not happen overnight. So, take it slow and gradually introduce new things to your routine.
Eliminate Distractions
We often procrastinate because we get distracted easily. That’s why it’s important to eliminate distractions when you are trying to get something done.
So, when you start working on a task, you should turn off the TV, put your phone on silent, and stay away from any other thing that could distract you. Also, ask your friends and family to respect your work time and not disturb you when you are busy.
Another aspect you should pay attention to is maintaining a clean working environment. Having a clean workspace boosts your productivity and keeps you from getting distracted by the mess around you.
Think about the Long-Term Benefits
When we procrastinate, we do this for short-term happiness. It often happens because you are not in the mood to work on your tasks, or you would much rather do something else. However, to beat procrastination, you need to think about the long-term benefits.
What are the advantages of finishing your work as soon as possible? Why should you get started now instead of later?
You should also think about the negative consequences of not getting things done. What happens if you miss your deadline? Once you start thinking about the future, you will find the motivation to start working on your tasks.
Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself after completing your tasks is a great way to motivate yourself. It doesn’t have to be something expensive or complicated. Something as simple as having a treat or watching your favorite TV show could be enough to boost your productivity.
Once you finish your task, make sure you acknowledge the satisfaction of receiving the reward. This will keep you motivated in the future when you need to accomplish a similar task.
Stay Productive
Once you start working on a task, it is important to stay productive and avoid getting distracted by other things that could lead to procrastination. To do that, you can try the Pomodoro technique.
This time management strategy can be extremely efficient in keeping you productive while also allowing you to take regular breaks.
So, how does it work?
The Pomodoro technique encourages people to divide their work time into 25-minute intervals. After every 25 minutes, you should take a five-minute break. Once you do this four times, you should take a longer break of about 20 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Eliminating procrastination is possible. It is up to you to change your life. I encourage you to follow the tips above and take control of your life and your time.
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