5 Actionable Ways to Stop Pesky Procrastination
Guy Clennett
Can’t stop procrastinating no matter how hard you try (or to plan to try)?
If you’re trying to improve your time management and self-control skills, check out these 5 simple steps to help you take action and stop chronic procrastination.
1. Consider Your Environment
As any ultimate procrastinator knows too well, there’s always something ‘more important’ to get done, rather than the genuinely important task at hand. This is why your environment is crucial to your success in getting things done.
Situate yourself in a particular area that is not going to tempt you to make a phone call, or sneakily check if that new episode of your favourite show is now available to watch on Netflix.
Your set-up influences your decision-making around where your time is spent, which is why your workspace must be chosen carefully. Whether it’s somewhere in your home with limited distractions, or if you choose to expand your study or workspace to the library or a local café, sometimes it’s this change in location that can inspire a fresh outlook on your task that your old space was lacking.
Work in an Office?
If you have no control over your location, this is when you must really think hard about what it is exactly that is preventing you from channelling all of your focus. Many jobs limit workers to purely a desk. This is where really knowing yourself to fight off any of those little distractions that come into play comes in.
Some of us are compulsive snackers, so keeping your desk drawer full of bits to munch on can help keep both your belly and your mind happy. Others are cheeky social media checkers, so this is where we might need to call in some third-party assistance. Whatever it is, there’s always a solution – you will get your work done!
We lose 55 days every year procrastinating
2. Get Rid of Known Distractions
The temptation to check social media for a quick one-minute break can be really difficult to resist. It’s all too easy to flick to your open Facebook tab, have a quick scroll through Instagram or check TikTok as soon as your mind starts to wander.
If you’re notorious for not being able to resist checking every phone notification that comes through, it’s as simple as flicking that ‘Do Not Disturb’ toggle and flipping your phone face-down on your desk. If that doesn’t do it, move it away from arm’s reach so that you’re not faced with temptation.
Working on a computer?
If you have no control over your location, this is when you must really think hard about what it is exactly that is preventing you from channelling all of your focus. Many jobs limit workers to purely a desk. This is where really knowing yourself to fight off any of those little distractions that come into play comes in.
Some of us are compulsive snackers, so keeping your desk drawer full of bits to munch on can help keep both your belly and your mind happy. Others are cheeky social media checkers, so this is where we might need to call in some third-party assistance. Whatever it is, there’s always a solution – you will get your work done!
3. Develop a ‘Game Plan’
Many of us choose procrastination over productivity, as we imagine the large task ahead is just too overwhelming to complete. A good way of tackling this preconceived notion is to break your task down into multiple small steps. The ability to really visualise each individual step that you need to take to achieve your overall goal can really help in its overall progression, as well as allowing you to focus on one part at a time.
Putting all of your focus into each mini-task will help with your efficiency and will leave you feeling accomplished each step of the way.
4. Put some goals into place
Setting achievable short-term goals helps to make self-discipline easier and a task more approachable. When you put a deadline in place for each small task, you are holding yourself accountable to those goals.
Motivation comes hand-in-hand with a sense of accomplishment and well-being. When you achieve a task by its allocated deadline, you feel accomplished, which motivates you to keep going and achieve more tasks, which makes you feel accomplished and so on. Establishing a productive rhythm is key to completing tasks efficiently and avoiding last-minute rushes.
5. A 6-Step Checklist to Overcome Procrastination
Need a quick fix? Use this simple to-do list to beat procrastination once and for all!
- Outline your task
- Reframe the task by breaking it down into multiple small tasks
- Set yourself up in an environment where you will not be disturbed
- Omit all potential distractions
- Complete tasks one at a time
- Decide how long you will work until you allow yourself to have a break
