How to beat procrastination? – Laziness and procrastination are sometimes conflated, yet they are very distinct. To avoid completing the task that you know you should be doing, you actively opt to do something else. In contrast, being lazy denotes passivity, inactivity, and a refusal to take action. Procrastination typically entails putting off a difficult activity in favour of one that is more pleasurable or simple. However, this task is probably more vital.
However, giving in to this need could have negative effects. For instance, we may feel guilty or ashamed about even brief instances of procrastination. It may result in decreased production and prevent us from reaching our objectives.
How to Stop Postponing Things
Procrastination is a habit that can be broken, like most other habits. To deal with and prevent procrastination, use these steps:
Step 1: Acknowledge Your Procrastination
You might be delaying a task because you had to rearrange your workload’s priorities. You aren’t necessarily procrastinating if you’re short-delaying an important task for a genuinely excellent cause. But you’ll know you’re probably doing it if you start to put things off indefinitely or change your priorities to avoid doing anything. If any of the following apply to you:
- Take on low-importance jobs all day long.
- Even though it is a crucial task, put it off for a while.
- Several times go through emails without deciding what to do with them.
- Start a high-priority project before making coffee.
- Instead of moving forward with the crucial things currently on your list, fill your time with meaningless jobs that other people urge you to complete.
- Wait to start a task when you’re in the “proper mood” or when the moment is right.
Step 2: Determine WHY You’re Procrastinating
Before you can start to address your procrastination, you must first understand why it is happening. Do you avoid a certain work, for example, because you find it tedious or unpleasant? If so, take action to get it done as soon as possible so you may concentrate on the parts of your job that you enjoy more. Procrastination may result from a lack of organization. Because they use effective timetables and prioritized To-Do Lists, organized people can overcome it. These tools aid in task prioritization and deadline management.
Step 3: Use effective anti-procrastination techniques
A deeply ingrained behavior pattern, procrastination is a habit. This implies that it won’t likely be easy to break overnight. Try as many of the tactics listed below as you can to increase your chances of success because habits only stop being habits when you stop doing them.
Forgive yourself if you’ve ever put off something. According to studies, self-forgiveness can boost your self-esteem and lessen your propensity to put things off in the future. Stick with the assignment. Focus on doing rather than avoiding. You should list the things you need to do along with a deadline. This will enable you to approach your work with initiative.
Provide a reward for yourself. Consider rewarding yourself with a treat, such as a piece of cake or a cup of coffee from your preferred coffee shop, if you successfully finish a challenging task on time. And be sure to take note of how satisfying it is to finish!
Request a check-up from someone
Peer pressure is effective! The idea behind self-help groups is this. An online program like Procraster can assist you with self-monitoring if you don’t have somebody to ask for support.
Try to concentrate on the “long game” if you are putting off a chore because you believe it to be unpleasant. According to research, impulsive persons are more prone to put off tasks because they are preoccupied with immediate rewards. Determine the long-term advantages of finishing the assignment to combat this. Could it, for instance, have an impact on your yearly performance evaluation or year-end bonus?
To make a task more fun, consider outlining the negative effects of putting it off. What will happen, for instance, if you don’t finish the task? How might it impact your individual, group, or company goals? While doing so, it may be helpful to reframe the activity by considering its relevance and meaning. This will raise its value to you and increase the value of your effort. It’s also critical to recognize that we frequently exaggerate how painful activity is. So try it out! You might discover that it’s not as horrible as you initially believed!
Here are six tips to get organized if you procrastinate because you’re unorganized:
- Maintain a to-do list. You won’t be able to “conveniently” forget about those unpleasant or demanding jobs if you do this.
- Utilize Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle to order your to-do list. You’ll be able to do this to swiftly determine which tasks you should concentrate on and which ones you may disregard.
- master the art of project planning and scheduling. These tools can assist you in making effective time plans and lowering your stress levels if you are working on a large project or several tasks at once and are unsure where to begin.
- When you’re at your best, take on the toughest jobs. Which is better for your productivity—morning or afternoon? Determine your peak productivity periods and use these times to do the activities that you find most challenging.
- Make time-bound goals for yourself. Setting deadlines for yourself can help you stay on track to reach your objectives and ensure that you don’t have time for procrastination.
- Utilize applications for tasks and time management. Trello and Toggl are just two examples of the countless apps available to assist you in becoming more organized.
Conclusion
If you frequently put off jobs because you find them to be too daunting, consider splitting them up into smaller, more manageable pieces. Put more effort into starting projects than finishing them by breaking them up into smaller tasks.
Jeffery Combs recommends breaking up chores into 15-minute chunks of work in his 2011 book “The Procrastination Cure.” As an alternative, you can plan your project using an Action Plan. Start by completing fast and simple tasks. Your sense of accomplishment from these “little victories” can boost your confidence and help you feel less overwhelmed by the bigger endeavour or goal you’re pursuing.
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