Do you have a lot of things to do yet you find yourself not getting around to it? This is a common problem a lot of people face.
About 1 in 4 adults procrastinate on a regular basis. That’s 25% of the adults!
This widespread problem has a few simple fixes, however, so let’s look into how you can stop procrastinating.
Table of Contents
1. Write down everything you have to do
You wouldn’t know where to start if you don’t write down everything you have to do clearly.
Let’s give an example of what is “clear”:
- Do homework
Isn’t clear. However,
- Finish pages 30- 33 of the math textbook
Is clear.
Let’s give another example:
- Write blog post
Isn’t clear.
- Write 1 blog post about how anyone can become rich. 1500+ words
Is much clearer.
The more specific you are about your to-do list, the more likely you are to accomplish it since “doing homework” may seem a lot more vague and daunting than directly writing down everything you have to deal with. You may realize that it’s more manageable than you think.
2. Tell yourself to work on it for 5 minutes
Another thing you can do is to tell yourself to work on it for 5 minutes. Just 5 minutes. You may realize that 5 minutes isn’t so bad so you may find yourself continuing on for another 5 minutes.
Before you know it, you’ve been at it for 30 minutes and have gotten a lot done.
Instead of thinking about how you need to spend the next two hours working, you can just start small. Start with 5 minutes.
5 minutes seem a lot more manageable than an hour of work even though you may eventually work one hour by starting with 5 minutes first.
3. Don’t look at the time when working
The number one mistake is to look at the clock continuously. Time would pass by a lot slower if you have to stop and look at the clock every few minutes.
That 10 minutes of work really feel like 30 minutes.
And you may think you deserve a break for your “hard work” when you haven’t really gotten past the 15 minutes mark yet.
You want to prevent yourself from looking at the clock too much and just get it done.
You shouldn’t think of your reward as the incoming break, your reward should be the freedom of finally finishing that thing you’re doing.
4. Give yourself 10 minutes to work before you go out
I notice that whenever I’m about to go out, my productivity increases a lot.
I know there’s a point in time at which I have to stop working so have to focus and get as much done as possible while I still can.
This is a psychological phenomenon. When you realized you don’t have a lot of time left to do something, that adrenaline gets you working.
This is also one of the reasons why many people who procrastinate only start to work when it’s close to the deadline.
You can artificially create a deadline for yourself so you get yourself moving.
Once you realized that you’re in the zone, you can procrastinate going out. Tell yourself, “I’ll work just another 5 minutes” and you may realize you got further than you thought you would.
I used this strategy to accomplish many things at record speed.
By setting an artificial deadline for yourself, you can propel yourself to start working before the actual deadline is up.
5. Imagine the consequences of procrastinating
I know not everything you do and don’t do has a consequence but if it does, you can use this strategy to prevent yourself from procrastinating.
Imagine what would happen if you don’t accomplish the task:
- Will someone yell at you?
- Will you feel bad for yourself?
- Will people look down on you?
- Will you let people down?
- Will you lose money or the client?
- Will you get fired?
- Will you let yourself down?
- Will you fail to live up to your potential?
There are two things that tend to motivate people: looking at worthy examples of people who have done it and looking at the likely consequences of not accomplishing it.
Try out both methods to see what works best for you.
6. Picture how good it’d feel to finally be done with it
I often like to picture what it’d be like to finally finish 1000 articles on HelloMoneyTree.com
This thinking gets me moving. If you want to know the reasons why I want to publish 1000 articles in 1 year, click here.
You see, you need to imagine how good it’ll feel when you finally get there, whatever it is that you’re trying to accomplish.
Picture good things happening and you may realize the only way to get there is to get your ass moving.
Want to finish that essay and finally be done with that nightmare? Get your fingers typing!
Want to feel proud of yourself for getting 2 miles in? Get your legs moving!
Here’s what you should ask yourself:
- What emotions would I experience when I’m finally done?
- What reward if any will arrive when I’m done?
- What would I do to celebrate when I’m done?
- Who would I talk to about my accomplishment when I’m done?
- Who would be happy for me when I’m done?
- How proud will I feel for myself when I’m done?
You may experience the following emotions when you finally finished your task:
- Relief
- Happiness
- Pride
- Joy
- Carefreeness
- Happiness
If you want to feel those emotions, you better get started!
7. Don’t aim for it to be perfect
A lot of times, we procrastinate because we want it to be perfect. There really is no need for it to be perfect.
Click here to learn how you can stop being a perfectionist.
Being a perfectionist is a waste of time and can make you more stressed than necessary.
Instead of getting started, a lot of procrastinators may think, “Okay, this has to be it. This has to be perfect and I have to plan it out meticulously. No room for error”.
Sometimes we do procrastinate because we have unrealistic expectations for how it should turn out and it captures us in fear.
Do not fall into the trap of perfectionism. There’s such a thing as ‘good enough.
Just get it going and if you need to fix anything, do so at the end.
8. Take proper rests
When you are resting, make sure to only think about resting. When it’s time for a break, make sure you take it.
This may mean that you have to prioritize sleep. You should sleep on time, sleep early, sleep well, etc.
Not resting properly can make you feel tired and you may find yourself with more excuses to procrastinate.
9. Think deeply about what’s causing your stress and anxiety
Sometimes we procrastinate because something is bothering us. It may not be the work itself but something else in our lives.
What happens in a lot of cases when people experience stress from their romantic life is that they become unmotivated. They may procrastinate more.
We don’t always know the true reasons behind our behaviors so we have to stop and introspect to know what is the root cause and fix it there.
I want you to look into yourself and ask yourself the following:
- How am I feeling?
- What’s causing me to feel this way? (There could be multiple things)
- Why did that incident or that person make me feel this way?
- What can I do to stop feeling this way?
I became a lot more focused and productive when I properly deal with the root cause.
That’s what you should do as well.
10. Anticipate a reward
Another thing you can do to combat procrastination is to give yourself a reward when you’re done.
It could be anything:
- 1 hour of video game
- That dress you want
- A trip to the mall
- A vacation
- Outing with friends
- A restaurant meal
This should make you more motivated to finish what you want to accomplish.
Final thought
There are many things you can do to prevent yourself from procrastinating. Did I miss any? Tell me in the comment below!
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