Procrastination is something that we are all guilty of. Some people do it worse than others – some people procrastinate the little tasks while some people procrastinate the important tasks that need to be done (now, this is where the problem is)
Remember that day when you woke up, thought about all you had to do that day and you kept putting off those tasks?
Aha! That’s procrastination.
Procrastination has been defined as many things by different people.
Some people say it is the thief of time, it is destructive laziness, etc.
But one thing is sure: that procrastination can make you settle for less.
We have to fight this habit of procrastinating and the first way to do this is to understand why we humans tend to procrastinate.
What Triggers the Act of Procrastination?
There are 4 underlying reasons that make people procrastinate. Let’s take a look at each of them carefully:
1. Stress.
You tend to put off tasks when you feel some level of discomfort. In a bid for you to relieve your stress, you engage in meaningless or non-productive tasks that take up your time.
2. Indiscipline.
There are a lot of times when the thought of work would make you cringe and you won’t feel like showing up. You may feel like doing something much more fun and if you give in to the demands of your mind/body anytime you feel this way, then chances are you’ll procrastinate the important stuff and never get things done.
3. Ignoring the Value of Time.
The thought of over-sufficient time to carry out what needs to be done can cause you to procrastinate on what needs to be done. If there are no deadlines, there’s a good chance that you’ll never even get it done.
4. Decision Paralysis.
Decision paralysis means not having a clear plan on how to achieve the goal you have in mind or to complete the task you have at hand.
When you think about what you have to do but don’t know how exactly to get it done, you tend to procrastinate.
Think about that task you’re putting off until later right now. What is your reason? It would most likely be linked to one of the reasons I stated above.
Do you know what happens when you procrastinate too much?
What kinds of feelings does procrastination evoke?
Long Term Effects of Procrastination
Putting off the important things that you need to do until later can cause feelings of stress, guilt, anxiety, self-disappointment, and if it is not handled on time, it can lead to low self-esteem problems, low confidence in your process, and can even cause depression in the long run.
This is where procrastination will lead you if you don’t handle it on time.
Not to worry, in this blog post, we would discuss some ways with which you can become a highly productive entrepreneur and kill procrastination.
7 Ways To Overcome Procrastination And Become Highly Productive
1. Stop Identifying Yourself as a ‘Master Procrastinator’
Stop calling yourself a procrastinator like it’s something to be proud of. A part of you will constantly validate your confession about who you are.
Always tell yourself and the people around you that you don’t procrastinate and do everything in your power to keep to your word.
If you continue to see yourself as a procrastinator, you will always remain one.
2. Associate Your Work with Positive Emotions
When successful people like Gary Vee and Dan Lok are asked the secret of their success, one of the things they often say is that they don’t see work as work.
They love what they do so much that it already feels like it is part of them.
A good way to associate your work with positive emotions is to have a before-work routine that prepares you for the work at hand.
You could clean your desk, drink a cup of your favourite tea, listen to music, and do any other thing that can set you in the mood for work.
3. Break Your Workload into Smaller Pieces
Divide your big tasks into smaller tasks so that the size of what needs to be done doesn’t scare you into not getting started at all.
For instance, if you were to create a YouTube video or a blog post once a week, you could break it down like this:
Monday – Do some research
Tuesday – Create an outline
Wednesday – Create video/write a blog post
Thursday – Edit video/blog post
Friday – Publish
Saturday – Drive traffic to the new post
This could apply to any kind of work you do, I just used this as an example.
Related Post: Productivity 101: How Being Organised Can Boost Your Productivity
4. Follow the 5 Minutes Rule.
Whenever it is time for work and you don’t feel like getting to work, just follow the 5 minutes rule.
The 5 minutes rule states that you should only work on the task at hand for 5 minutes. Pretty easy, isn’t it?
When 5 minutes elapses, there’s a high chance that you’ll already feel motivated and continue working till 5 minutes turns into an hour or even more.
If you still don’t feel like continuing your work after 5 minutes then maybe there’s a teeny weeny problem somewhere.
Try working on something else, or seek clarity for what you’re trying to work on and try again.
5. Stop Priding Yourself in Last-minute Work.
This bad habit originated from school – that moment when you’re given an assignment/project to work on for a week or more and then you get started the night before the deadline and because you were able to pull it off, you think it’s okay to always get stuff done just before the deadline.
This is also where the excuse “I work best under pressure” originated from.
Research shows that completing tasks just before the deadline is a stressful and ineffective method of getting things done.
Don’t put off until tomorrow the things you can do today – Benjamin Franklin
Always start your work before the deadline draws near.
6. Create Schedules & Track Your Progress.
A schedule is a basic time management tool that gives a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions take place.
Scheduling tasks help you to create an effective to-do list, become highly productive, and free up your time to do the things that you love.
Use your schedules to track your progress. When you do this, you become more conscious of your work process and this lets you know what you need to stop doing and what you need to improve on.
Tracking your progress can help eliminate the feeling that you’re not making progress.
For every milestone that you cross, celebrate yourself; you deserve it.
The simple act of celebrating your little wins keeps you motivated to do better.
7. Work With The End In Mind.
Understanding why you do what you do and what you plan to achieve from doing a certain task is a very vital weapon for fighting procrastination.
When you don’t have a valid reason for doing what you do, you can easily get discouraged and procrastinate the tasks you have and even end up not carrying out your plans altogether.
Procrastination is a bad habit that can cause a lot of damage to your productivity levels. You can use these tips as a weapon to fight procrastination and get rid of the habit for good.
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Thank you so much!
May God bless you!