Procrastination is one of the biggest issues that most of us have. You probably looked for ways to stop procrastinating because you really want to start getting things done. I understand because I’ve been there. Hence why in this blog post, we will look at how you can stop procrastinating.
What is procrastination?
In Emmerance’s words, procrastination is delaying a task to a later date because we don’t feel like doing it right now or too lazy to do it.
Most people procrastinate by doing something else as they ignore the task at hand until the last minute.
Why do we procrastinate?
Honestly, I can’t tell you exactly why we procrastinate. I don’t believe that there’s a definite reason why people procrastinate. However, the most common reason is that we either don’t enjoy the task at hand or fear the outcome/process.
Some people also don’t like the responsibilities that come with the tasks. Some of us sit down and think about the process of completing the job, and as soon as it overwhelms us, we pick something else to do instead.
I learned a lot about procrastination from creating a blog and becoming more active on social media. I would sometimes find myself ignoring specific tasks because of the following reasons.
I’m shy: I learned to love this characteristic because I can use my shyness wisely around people. However, when recording videos and appearing more often on social media, I would delay anything that had to do with recording videos or taking pictures.
Feeling tired/exhausted: Working full-time and having a side hustle can be tiring. Sometimes, I would delay a few tasks for my side hustle because I’m too tired. It mostly happens when I start my shift at 7 am. Since I’m more awake around 4 am to 10 am, I find it hard to work on my side-hustle after my shift in the afternoon.
Hormones: I procrastinate a lot when it’s my time of the month. Okay, this might be personal information. However, I believe that it might help you. I pay attention to myself, especially when mother nature comes to visit.
I’m more tired, hungrier and I am lazy altogether. Therefore, I know that I would delay any responsibilities for at least three days and bench watch anything someone recommends me to watch.
I don’t enjoy the task: I love writing, I love connecting with people. However, there are tasks that I had to learn to create this blog, and there are always new things that I’m learning pretty much every day. Therefore, when it comes to implementing something new, I would delay the task as much as possible until I see an urgency for it.
For example, when writing my ebook, The Beauty of Self-Love, I procrastinated on each step. From creating the cover to the table of content and writing the ebook. The delay was because I had to push my creative side, make sure that I was using it at the appropriate time (when I have the energy), and when I’m willing to fail and battle with technology.
How to stop procrastinating
Now that we saw a few reasons why I procrastinate, we can now see the different ways you can kill your procrastination.
Know yourself
Everything that’s explained above comes down to one thing, me knowing myself. What I usually do is watch myself daily. I don’t just watch my actions; I also pay attention to my feelings and mindset when I procrastinate.
The same thing with bad habits, whenever I catch myself making the bad habit, I realize that my mind is always telling me, “this will be the last time we’re doing this,” while my body is making me feel bad about it.
You don’t need to beat yourself up over it. Observing yourself will help you get to know yourself more. Because when you do it, you will know what not to do next time.
Write down your goals and have a timeline
Many of us procrastinate until we can no longer procrastinate. What do I mean by that? Have you ever notice how you start doing that task you’ve been delaying until you realized that it must be done for tomorrow morning or later at night? Yes, we probably all did this with our homework.
However, if you want to stop procrastinating, write down small goals with timelines to complete the task. For example, you have to prepare a PowerPoint for your business presentation on Friday, and we’re Sunday. You will create small goals throughout the week and set a deadline for yourself a day earlier.
Sunday: gather all the information needed for the presentation.
Monday: create a layout for the presentation and pick a good PowerPoint template.
Tuesday: write down the presentation document to follow the presentation (anything like graphs, et cetera).
Wednesday: create the PowerPoint presentation
Thursday: Finish the business presentation.
In the example above, those tasks can take up to an hour each day to complete. Creating small goals throughout anything your procrastinating about might help you kill that procrastination.
Do things in advance, or when you have the energy for it
Similar to writing down your goals with a timeline, you want to do everything in advance. Depending on what you usually procrastinate on, you could either pick a day where you do everything and not worry about it later. Or, you can select a time in your day where you know you have the mind and energy to do the task.
I love writing, but I can’t always write my blog posts anytime during the day. I know myself; I get the energy and inspiration to write between midnight, and 6 am. After that, I will procrastinate to write, or my writing won’t be as good.
Make a to-do list for the day and the week
Making a to-do list doesn’t always help me because I forget the list throughout the day. However, what I found helpful was my journal. Whenever I organize my week on Sunday, I would make a to-do list for the week. This technique works because I know what needs to be done from Monday to Sunday.
I still encourage you to make a to-do list for the day and the week. Going back to the list at the end of the day and seeing what you’ve accomplished might also create good habits.
Use your time wisely
Time is your most valuable asset. Therefore, when you procrastinate, you have to realize that it’s valuable assets that you’re wasting. You invest time doing things that don’t bring you anything in return, at least not something of value.
So when you procrastinate, remember that you’re wasting your time on things that might now bring you value. When you realize what you can be doing or how far you can be going, this will help you get up and do what must be done.
Questions to ask yourself when you find yourself procrastinating.
Ultimately, the most excellent way you can kill your procrastination is to have a good enough reason for completing the task; ask yourself, where does this task fit in the big picture? I encourage you to find the big WHY. The vision, why do you want to complete this task? How is that going to help you achieve the big goal?
When you found the answer but still procrastinate, ask yourself if you can find someone else to do the task for you. If that’s not possible, find a way to complete the task but differently.
You don’t have to love what you do; you will have to do it anyway in the beginning. However, if you can find assistance, I encourage you to hire or ask someone who can do the task that you’re delaying.
To finish, I want you to remember that there are many ways that you can kill your procrastination today. Knowing yourself and realizing that time is your biggest asset should motivate you to stop delaying what’s essential.
Found this blog helpful? Please share it with someone that needs to stop procrastinating. Do you have any other tips on how to kill procrastination? Leave a comment below.
