Procrastination refers to the habit of postponing tasks despite knowing that they are important. Most often, we are aware that procrastination is a bad habit. Yet we find it difficult to control the impulse. The consequences of procrastination are usually negative: we miss deadlines and opportunities, create a bad reputation for ourselves and achieve much lesser than we are capable of. In this article, we suggest ways in which you can overcome procrastination.
8 ways to stop procrastinating
Mindfulness:
The most common reason for procrastination is anxiety. The thought of beginning something new fills us with fear of the unknown. As a result, we get over-burdened and keep postponing it. Mindfulness is a powerful tool to relax our minds and reduce anxiety. Many successful people, like Lady Gaga practice mindfulness on a regular basis. In general, mindfulness will help in calming the nerves and reduce anxiety and thereby help overcome procrastination. You may consider mindfulness if procrastination is not letting you achieve your goals.
Good sleep habit:
Most of use do not enjoy adequate sleep. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is considered to be a very healthy habit. In general, following a pattern in life helps reduce procrastination. Sleeping and waking up are very crucial for diurnal activities. If we sleep late and have to wake up early as we have to go to work, we are likely to be tired all day. Such a lack of energy will definitely not help us in overcoming procrastination. On the other hand, waking up energetically after adequate 7-9 hours of sleep is likely to foster productivity and eliminate procrastination. In order to overcome procrastination, consider sleeping and waking up at the same time every day.
Time Blocking:
All of us perform multiple activities in a day. For most of us, multitasking is not a choice but a necessity. In such a situation, we need to be very judicious about how we spend our time. A good practice is to make a list of things you have to do throughout the day. Do not stop here like most people. Allocate time for each task. This practice of blocking chunks of time for a particular task is called time blocking. It is extremely useful for overcoming procrastination. If you are serious about beating procrastination, combining time blocking with mindfulness will give you excellent results.
Small breaks:
The duration for which we can focus on a particular task is around 20-30 minutes. This does not mean that we cannot work more than that. We surely can. Just take a break of around 3-5 minutes after every 30 minutes of work. You can try experimenting and find the duration of work and rest that works best for you. However, the duration of work should not be less than 20 minutes. In case, you are worried that you will extend your break indefinitely, the following sentences are for you. Do not check your social media accounts during the break. Walk around your room or meditate during the break.
Digital Wellbeing:
This is an App that can be downloaded from Google Play Store. It tracks the time you have spent on social media accounts. Hence, if you think that the main villain in your story is social media, please download this App. What gets measured gets controlled. If you measure the time spent on social media, you can control it. Aim to reduce the time spent on social media by 10 minutes every day until you reach the desired duration (around 1 hour per day should work for most people).
Ask someone to check on you:
Many of you might not like the idea of an App tracking your day. In that case and otherwise, too, you may ask a loved one to check on you. Please note that overcoming procrastination is your goal. You have to be very honest when you report your performance and whether you achieved your goal. If you are being dishonest, you are cheating yourself.
Mirror talk:
You need to be accountable to yourself. The ability to control your impulses should originate from within you. You are answerable for your habits and decisions to yourself. Hence, every night before going to sleep, stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself and say how your day was. You can deceive everyone but not yourself. This 2-3 minute self-talk is likely to have a life-changing impact on you. You can totally overcome procrastination or any other bad habit if you talk to yourself in a responsible manner.
Self-compassion:
You may try your best and still not achieve your daily goals. In such a case, you have to forgive yourself. Treat yourself as you would treat your friend who had procrastinated. Do not be too critical and end up feeling guilty and depressed. Tell yourself that it is fine that you procrastinated and that it will not happen again. Do not punish yourself in any way.
Conclusion
These steps are actually easier in practice than it appears. You just need to be self-motivated. Do not give up if you are not able to follow the steps. Give yourself time. It is wise to begin with 2-3 methods at a time and then evaluate what works for you. At times, knowing why you procrastinate helps in reducing procrastination. Read our previous article on why we procrastinate to get a perspective. Also read our article on time management to enrich your experience of overcoming procrastination.
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