How To Beat Procrastination Once And For All
To beat procrastination, first, we should look at what it actually is… Procrastination by definition is: “the action of delaying or postponing something”. Usually, it is because we don’t receive any instant gratification from the thing we are procrastinating on, and so we put it off until a later time. Have you ever noticed yourself scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed, refreshing Instagram, or checking your emails multiple times in a short period of time? Then you realize 5 minutes turns into 5 hours. And all this time of putting off what needs to be done, you have been distracted watching videos of animals doing stupid things? It is something that affects all of us throughout our lives. However, some people definitely suffer from this more than others. You are probably here asking the question “How do you stop procrastinating?” So let’s dig in…
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The 10 Steps to Beat Procrastination are
1. Are you procrastinating on something that is important to you? We all need to do things sometimes that we don’t desire to do, that’s imperative. But I’m talking about getting clear on what you actually want in life. The chances are, if you’re doing something that isn’t of any interest to you, then you’re going to struggle to find the motivation. It may be time to re-evaluate your life goals and eradicate the less important things.
Read: 5 Actions to Kickstart Your Dream Life
2. Reward yourself often. As we mentioned already, a lot of procrastination is down to not having an immediate feeling of gratification. Learning a new skill takes time, commit to a consistent schedule of whatever it is you need to do and then put into your schedule something as a reward. It could be time spent on a hobby or hanging out with friends.
3. Discover your life’s purpose. When you have a destination to get to that has meaning and purpose, it helps us remember why we are doing what we are doing in the not-so-fun times.
4. Visualize the outcome. Visualizing is a powerful practice that enables you to see yourself as already having what it is you desire. When you attach emotion to that vision, it becomes extremely powerful and rapidly increases your motivation. This is because it seems so real.
5. Delegate. When possible, consider delegating specific tasks for others to do. If there are things that you really need to do but absolutely despise doing so, can you outsource? It may and probably will cost you money, but are you losing money in the time it’s taking you to complete? This is especially true in business. Find your passions and strengths, focus your energy there and procrastination will be less of an issue.
“You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again”
Benjamin Franklin
6. Explore nature. Sometimes, we just need to get some fresh air, clear our heads, and connect with nature to recharge our batteries. This is a simple but powerful way to gain some new inner drive.
7. Don’t beat yourself up too much. It isn’t possible to always be at 100%, and that’s okay. Know that some days will be good, and others not so. Putting too much pressure on yourself with ridiculous expectations is counter-intuitive and will actually cause you to be less effective in the long run It will also drain your batteries.
8. Create manageable chunks. Oftentimes, the bigger picture seems daunting and far away. If we break things up into smaller, manageable chunks, then we can execute them better. A good way to do this is to write down things that you need to do and create a factor of importance.
9. Calm the mind. Meditating and exercising are incredibly effective for making us feel happier and calmer. With clearer thoughts and more clarity, we are more creative and productive. Make this a daily practice to help keep you focused and on track to your life.
10. Discipline yourself or hire a coach. If you are able to discipline yourself and focus on the bigger picture of why you are doing what you are doing, then that’s great. If you still struggle, consider hiring a coach or accountability partner who you can check-in with frequently. A commitment to someone else is often stronger than the one to ourselves.
Conclusion
So now you have 10 actionable tasks to beat procrastination once and for all, it’s time to move forward. It would be difficult to completely delete procrastination from your entire life until the day you die. We are creatures of habit, and old habits die hard. It may take you some time to create lasting change, but when you do, life will become so much better for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts below and learn which ones stand out the most to you?