14 Ways for overcoming procrastination
Millions of people struggle with procrastination challenges. You might have experienced it sometime in your life and know firsthand how frustrating that can be. Overcoming procrastination will not only help you to get things done but will also improve your life experiences. Procrastination stops us from living a more fulfilling life, as sometimes, due to fear of not getting it done, sometimes we do not even start it in the first place.
‘It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.’ – (Leonardo da Vinci)
Here are 14 ways for overcoming the procrastination habit. Use them and begin checking off all of those TODOs that you have been saving up for ‘SOMEDAY’ down the road.
>> Read more : Procrastination : What, Why, How
- 1. What do you value most?
- 2. Get in the Zone
- 3. Make health and high energy levels a priority
- 4. Visualize your life without procrastination
- 5. Banish the Gremlin
- 6. Over-commitment
- 7. Set personal and professional goals
- 8. Prioritize Your Goals
- 9. Divide and conquer
- 10. Choose a starting point
- 11. Just do it
- 12. Commit to 10 minutes
- 13. Reward yourself
- 14. Declare it
1. What do you value most?
Take the time to find out what you really want in life, what your personal values are. Do you want more time, more money, better health, greater self-esteem and confidence, more fulfilling relationships, a different career, set up a business? You often procrastinate because what you are planning to do is not really aligned with what you truly want. You may be scared of your skills not good enough or fear ridicule from others. If it is not something which you want, let it go.
2. Get in the Zone
If you find that you are procrastinating on LOTS of TODOs, STOP! Do not focus on everything you are not doing and the things piling up. Pick ONE, and focus on getting that one thing started.
3. Make health and high energy levels a priority
Without good health, we are less likely to have the energy and dynamism needed to make positive changes in our lives, and it is easier (and necessary if you are very ill) to procrastinate. So ensure that you have a nourishing diet, sleep well, exercise, and meditate. When you are healthy and full of energy, it is easy to take care of the rest of things.
4. Visualize your life without procrastination
See and feel the benefits in your life if you do not procrastinate. What could you do and achieve? Begin to act as if you’re not a procrastinator. Write down, draw, imagine your life as a film. Use affirmations to help you.
5. Banish the Gremlin
That little voice that runs on auto in your head – that dismisses any idea that you might have. It says things like “I’m not in the mood”, “I don’t have time”, “I can’t do this.” Stop running on auto, replace the “should’s”, “oughts”, “have to” with “want to”, and “desire”. You have a choice. Acknowledge your choices and banish the Gremlin. Again, using affirmations can help you replace the Gremlin with more positive alternatives.
6. Over-commitment
Saying “yes” to everything – often leaves you feeling tired and without the energy to focus on what is most important to you. This leads to procrastination as more projects and tasks gets adding. Identify what is most important to you and only focus on those areas which will make the biggest difference to your life. It will enhance your focus and motivation.
7. Set personal and professional goals
It is hard to motivate yourself when you don’t have a good idea of what you want to accomplish. So when you are setting a goal think about what you want to achieve in the short term and long term. Techniques for doing so include the SMART strategy. S = specific M = measurable A= Action R = Realistic T = Time based.
8. Prioritize Your Goals
Develop a plan or schedule to help you reach your goals. In doing so, you will identify whether some elements need to be included or enhanced, or dropped completely. Also remember to be flexible, revisit your goals regularly and modify or drop if appropriate. Just because a goal is written down doesn’t mean that it is set in stone!
9. Divide and conquer
Once you’ve prioritized your goals, divide them into smaller chunks. Sometimes we procrastinate because a project seems really large that it overwhelms us and puts us into a temporary form of paralysis – you don’t know where to start, so you don’t start at all! In this case overcoming procrastination is easy. Approach each project – especially large ones – on a step-by-step basis. Take your project and break it up into tiny tasks. One method you can employ is the use of post-it notes or a set of index cards and writing one task on each card. You can then sort your cards in a logical, or somewhat logical, order and concentrate on one card at a time.
10. Choose a starting point
We often procrastinate because we do not know where to start. When you are working with the post-it notes or index cards, do not overthink. Pick a card and start. Keep in mind that not every project has to be started at the beginning. For instance, this article was written in bits and pieces. Ideas came first, then the sequential ordering, then the start and end of the article. Whatever can help you start and get moving, start from there. Don’t wait for a perfect beginning.
11. Just do it
When the time comes to start working on the task, just start! No excuses! No checking if you are in the mood to do it. The mood never comes! It is a clever camouflage and a delaying tactic. What you resist persists! Start with what is easiest so that you experience immediate success. It will give you the fuel and motivation to upgrade and take on larger projects.
12. Commit to 10 minutes
When you really struggle to work on the task, commit yourself to do the work only for 10 minutes. 10 minutes of work is better than not working at all. After 10 minutes, chances are you feel encouraged to continue. Honestly, sometimes just getting started is what you need to get going.
13. Reward yourself
Once you start to complete tasks, reward yourself by giving yourself something that you want. So instead of seeing a film before you complete a task, see it afterward and make it a reward for you.
14. Declare it
Declare your goal to someone you trust. Everyone can use a cheerleader but be careful who you are choosing. Your cheerleader should not be the one trashing you but rather encourage you. Tell someone what you are doing…and ask them to check up on you. Being accountable to others increases your chances of overcoming procrastination and getting things done. As it seems easier to do the thing rather than explaining why you did not do it and feeling ashamed.
Do any of the above, and you’ll be well on your way to overcoming the Procrastination Habit. And if you’re procrastinating overdoing any of the above:.), then remember that life is the biggest deadline of all!
>> More ways for overcoming Procrastination? Get them Here