How to Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination gets to the best of us. We have the best of intentions and then it never quite happens. What is procrastination, why does it happen and how can we stop it?

What is Procrastination?

20 Reasons Why We Procrastinate

29 Ways To Stop Procrastinating

Further Exploration – Articles & Media

Your Take – Comments

What is Procrastination

“Never put off to tomorrow what can be done today” goes the old saying. Procrastination is the opposite of that well meaning saying. It is intending to do something and delaying or postponing it through lack of effort, getting sidetracked or just not wanting to do it. There are very few people who don’t procrastinate in some shape or form. Fortunately there are ways we can motivate ourselves through procrastination. Read on to find out more.

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone”

Pablo Picasso

20 reasons Why We Procrastinate

There are many reasons why we put off the things we should be doing. They range for psychological to logistical factors. 20 reasons why we procrastinate below.

Too many things to do
Too many high priorities things to do
Being distracted
Not understanding the benefit
Lack of interest
Not looking at the bigger picture
Being too hard on our self and causing too much pressure
Too little time
Not understanding the task
Underestimating the time required
Lack of confidence in ability
Loss of motivation
Fear of failure
Perfectionism
Not enjoying the task
Avoiding hard work or displeasure
Learned behaviour from friends, family or peers
Not knowing where to start
Not having the required amount of pressure
Lack of energy or physical wellbeing

“You may delay, but time will not.”

Benjamin Franklin

29 Ways to Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is a very common trait across all types of people. There are many ways to remove the blocks and get things done

1. Recognise & Understand Your Procrastination

Look at the times you procrastinate and the reasons why you do it. Knowing the potential underlying causes, times and reasons can help build your own personal battle plan against procrastination.

2. Be Organised

Make a plan and stick to it. Know your dates and when you want to get things done by. Track them to check progress and see whether you are under or over estimating the amount of work that is feasible to complete. Adjust your plan accordingly based on the results.

3. Be Realistic

Having a plan is a good start however so is being realistic. Setting clear and (more importantly) achievable goals is one way to ensure that they get done.

4. Make a To Do List – But Only Have 5 Things On It

A to Do List with only 5 things on it to help stop procrastinating

A To Do list is a great way to keep focussed on the things we need to do. However when it’s as long as our arm it’s easy to get dis-heartened and not bother with it. When making a list just pick the top 5 things that need to be done. Aim to clear that list down. When it’s done, pick the next top 5 things and so on.

5. Be Clear In What You Want To Achieve

Ambiguity can quickly make you slow down or stop what you’re doing. Be clear in what you are trying to achieve.

6. Focus on the things that are important and will make a difference

Everyone has things to do that won’t really make a difference however they feel they should do. Drop those things. Focussing on the important things will give you extra motivation to get them done.

7. Understand why you are doing something

Understanding why you are doing something is very important. Knowing the end goal and what what you are doing will achieve will make you see why you are doing it in the first place.

8. Believe In Yourself

We can sometimes procrastinate when we doubt our ability to do the task in hand. Believe in yourself and go for it. What have you got to lose.

9. Don’t Be A Perfectionist

Don’t strive for perfection as you won’t achieve it. Nobody is perfect and no task can ever reach perfection. As they say, done is better than perfect.

10. Calendarise Goals

Look at the timelines of your goals and when you want to achieve. Bear this in mind as you work through your goals.

11. Imagine the Feeling of Success

Imagine what it will feel like when you get there and you’ve achieved what you want to achieve. Keep that feeling as motivation.

12. Keep Yourself In Good Shape

Being in good shape both physically and mentally will provide a boost and help us to be more focussed and driven to accomplish our goals.

13. Avoid Multitasking

Trying to do too many things at once means that we are not focussed and putting all of our effort into the one goal. This means things will take twice as long and we will be twice as likely to procrastinate.

14. Reward Yourself

Reward yourself, either once you’ve accomplished what you’re attempting to do or if it’s a large task, reward yourself throughout. The carrot and the stick is always a good motivator.

15. Get Help

If you seriously can’t concentrate, focus or procrastinate, there are professionals who can help. You can try either a life coach or a therapist who will be trained to help you get motivated

16. Tell Others

Tell your family and friends what you are trying to achieve. Explain your vision to them, get their buy-in and they can help to keep you on track.

17. Remove Distractions

We’ve all sat around playing with our phone or been distracted by a chat with a friend when we have things to be getting on with. Have yourself some so do not disturb time. Turn the phone off, stay away from social media, whatever it is, turn off for a while to make some progress.

18. Take Breaks

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy… Always factor breaks and time to enjoy yourself in to what you’re doing. All work makes us instantly procrastinate as where’s the fun it that.

19. Change The Way You View The Task

Remove the negative perspective of the task in hand. Look at why you are doing it and revel in the fact that it will get done and you will have accomplished something. Turn it into something fun, play with it.

20. Work On Things In Bite Size Pieces

Chunk things up into small achievable pieces. Achieving these small pieces will give you more motivation for the next piece.

21. Have Short Bursts of Intense Activity

Like bite size pieces, if you focus on tasks in short bursts it makes them much more digestible. Does it sound more motivating to sit doing something for 3 hours straight or having 3 half hour bursts over 3 hours? You’ll probably achieve more with the short bursts.

22. Understand The Bigger Picture

Depending on the task to be undertaken, it may be something that will lead you on to bigger and better things. Visualise what that is, write it down and plan towards it. Knowing what could be achieved is a great motivator.

23. Start With The Hardest Part

Once the hardest part is done, it’s all downhill from there. You’ll feel better and ready to accomplish the easier parts

24. Give Yourself A Deadline

We all know what happens when a deadline is a while away. Yep, it gets left to a few hours before when we rush through it to get it done. Set yourself a deadline earlier than needed and stick to it.

25. Imagine You’re Competing Against A Competitor

In a real world situation, this can help immensely. Imagine your competitors and them getting their thoughts, visions, products etc out there before you do unless you pull your finger out. That can be a great motivator

26. Or Just Compete Against Yourself

man competing against himself to help stop procrastinating

Set yourself a goal and try to beat it. See if you can do things faster and better over time. This competitive edge will add more interest and impetus to get things done

27. However Don’t Put Too Much Pressure On Yourself

Having said all of this, putting too much pressure on ourselves is a huge de-motivator in itself. Make sure you have realistic goals and take time to relax and enjoy yourself too.

28. Pick the Right Time

Some people are naturally more productive at certain times of the day. If you know when your productive time is, stick to putting maximum effort in then to see maximum rewards