10 Easy Ways to Deal With Procrastination
Procrastination is often confused with being lazy, but they are actually completely different and once you get into the habit of procrastination, it’s hard to break it. It is important to recognise when you are procrastinating and tackle how to overcome it. But where to start?
Firstly, identify why you procrastinate.
Everything has a reason even if you aren’t sure what that could be. What is your trigger? Do you lose interest in the task and if so are you able to discover why? Do you try to complete multiple tasks at once? Do you have an addiction to checking social media? Is it a feeling of failure so you put off completing something so that you don’t fail? Once you identify the root cause, it’ll be easier to fight it.
Pad your day out with low priority tasks.
When you have a task that needs to be finished asap and you can’t focus on it, it can add to your stress levels. Obviously prioritise the tasks that are due first, but if you have some low priority tasks as well, fit them in between or after the other tasks.
Commit to a task.
Push yourself to commit to the task at hand. Do you work best working on a singular task or more than one at a time? You might procrastinate easier if you have one task to complete and feel drained looking at the same page all day. Is there something else you could do that is also productive in the meantime? Any washing to do? Does the house need cleaning? Do you need to go food shopping? Yes, yes I know, all chores. But they don’t have to be just chores, you could always create something like a drawing or piece of writing rather than scrolling through social media.
'You can always delete the apps when you have a task to complete or while at the office.'
Ask someone to check up on you throughout the day, either a friend or co-worker
They could drop you a message every few hours or so to ask where you are and to remind you of what you need to do. At least until you are more focused on the task at hand. You could also set reminders on your phone but sometimes a person works better than your phone’s alarm.
Reward yourself after completing the task
Even if that reward is a quick break from working on the next task or the chocolate bar you’ve been eyeing up. It can help boost your motivation.
Remove distractions – yes this includes your phone.
You can always delete the apps when you have a task to complete or while at the office. If you have an Android, you can also put your phone on ultimate saving mode, this doesn’t hides any apps that require internet on the screen until you turn it off. You can also lock folders so there is more effort needed to access the apps that distract you from the task at hand.
Keep a to-do list and hourly calendar.
To-do lists seem simple enough, they are the first thing people mention when trying to be more organised, but they aren’t always the easiest to stick to. Break down what you actually need to get done today and write down when you should realistically be able to have these tasks completed by. Using to-do lists alongside alarm reminders might make them more effective.
Set time bound goals
Say you have to finish a spreadsheet, when do you need to finish it by? Set a time limit as there is more pressure to have this task completed immediately than giving yourself a long time to complete it by.
Use time management apps
Apps can be your friend, they can distract from your day, but there are certain apps that help you manage your time. Click up, Monday.com and Smart Sheet are only a few examples of apps you can download to help create a schedule with reminders and much more.
Small steps
You don’t have to leap into a task. Maybe plan it out first slowly rather than starting it immediately.
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