How to Stop Procrastinating? (7 Practical Steps)
Do you find yourself procrastinating every day? Don’t worry. You are not alone. Millions of people around the world, including the most productive people procrastinate at some point. In school, students procrastinate when it comes to working on their assignments. In the workplace, employees procrastinate on writing reports and sending emails. At times, procrastination isn’t a big deal. However, when it gets out of hand, it will harm your productivity and performance.
Procrastination will prevent you from achieving your goals. You can tease yourself about the bad habits that you’ve developed in the workplace. However, they’ll add up over time and become a huge problem. Beating this habit is not a walk in the park. You have probably told yourself hundreds of times that you’ll get things done instead of playing computer games or watching TV. But it’s possible to postpone fun and leisure activities. In this post, we’ll talk about the best ways to stop procrastinating.
Why do you procrastinate?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Various research studies have shown that procrastination is caused by several mental impairments such as anxiety, ADHD, and depression. People with narcolepsy will also have a hard time staying awake for a few hours to complete a project that they started. Individuals suffering from mental impairments will struggle with this habit than those who don’t have. If you are procrastinating due to an underlying medical condition, you should seek help from your doctor immediately.
You need to address these issues before tackling procrastination as it can lead to poor work habits. On the other hand, people who don’t have underlying mental issues procrastinate because they fear the outcome of their actions. That’s why most college students put off doing their projects until the eleventh hour. Aspiring entrepreneurs may put off starting their business because they are afraid that their business won’t generate profits.
To overcome procrastination, you need to overcome the fear of failure. Think of your daily tasks or projects as opportunities to make something remarkable for yourself. When you see them as an opportunity to succeed, you’ll be motivated to tackle any kind of project that comes on your way.
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Overcoming procrastination
It’s difficult to address procrastination head-on. However, there are several strategies that you can use to increase your chances of success. Some of the best ways to beat procrastination include:
1. Visualizing your future
What are your short-term and long-term goals? Do you want a house, a family, or a thriving business? Which type of car will you be driving? Where do you want to live? You can easily motivate yourself when you know what you are working toward. You’ll find it easy to take the necessary steps to get to your destination once you know what you are working toward. Visualize how you want your life to look after a few years. Write down everything you want to have and create a solid plan that will help you get there. When you have a vision, it will be easy to complete your tasks and move closer to your goals.
2. Break down big goals
You probably have a couple of major goals that you are working to achieve. However, having an idea of what you need to do to achieve your goals might not help much in terms of improving your focus. Setting lots of big goals can lead to stress and feelings of overwhelm. You need to break down big goals and create small manageable goals. Small goals are easier to achieve and less overwhelming. You should check and outline big goals. And then break them down into smaller ones. Break down goals that take more than an hour to complete.
3. Reward yourself
Efforts that you put toward achieving your goals should be celebrated. And you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to reward a small achievement. However, you need to have a reward system to honor your efforts. Creating a reward system will help you stay on track in the long run. Set daily goals every day. And if you meet all these goals, reward yourself with something that you love.
For instance, if you love playing board games, invite someone to play with after completing your tasks. If you enjoy socializing, with friends, take some time to see them after completing your most important tasks. Rewarding yourself will help you work hard without getting feeling tired or burnt out. Once you’ve established a reward system, you should do your best to stick to it. Don’t reward yourself if you have not achieved your daily goals. Rewarding yourself for procrastinating will harm your growth.
4. Surround yourself with positive people
Let’s face it. Some of your friends are not good for you. They are fun to hang out with during holidays and weekends. You can watch the game with them on a Saturday. However, hanging out with them during the week can be a major distraction. You try to do the right thing by focusing on your most important tasks. However, their invitations tend to attract you. You don’t want to sacrifice your dreams because of your friends. You need to start associating with people who push you towards your goals. You are a good person. But if you surround yourself with people who prioritize fun and leisure activities, you’ll have a hard time improving your productivity and achieving your goals.
Source: Pexels
5. Find a mentor
When it comes to achieving goals quickly, mentors are essential. Finding one will help you understand how to set goals and what you need to do to achieve them. A mentor also motivates you to be the best version of yourself. You need to take time to connect with different people to find the person you connect with. When you find the right mentor, you’ll easily stop procrastinating and start focusing on achieving your goals.
6. Change your work environment
Do you love working in noisy or quiet environments? You need to figure out what works for you to stop procrastinating. Your work environment should be clean and tidy to prevent wastage of time and accidents. If your current working environment isn’t working for you, you should consider changing it.
7. Stop coming up with excuses
People always come up with excuses for failing to achieve their goals. If you don’t want to be part of the crowd, start doing things. To beat procrastination, you should stop coming up with excuses. Instead of coming up with reasons why you can’t do something, think of all the reasons to start working on it immediately. You don’t have all the time to get things done. Start working on your most important tasks right away to make progress. No one is going to do things for you. You are responsible for achieving your goals.
Conclusion
It’s not easy to beat procrastination. However, with the right strategies, you’ll start making progress. By using the tips that we’ve discussed here, you’ll become a high achiever. What are you going to start doing today?
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Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Author's Bio
Jessica Chapman, a writing editor at assignmentholic.co.uk and assignment writing services from Chicago. She is into sport and politics, enjoys traveling.
