You remember that you have piles of work. You remember the deadline. Yet you just can't bring yourself or sense the urgency to do it immediately. There's always a cycle; delaying and putting off things, slacking, hiding from work, and finally facing work only when it's unavoidable.
We're all familiar with this phenomenon of procrastination. It's a bad habit that prevents us from achieving greater results in life. It wastes valuable time and resources. However, there are some useful ways by which we could overcome procrastination.
1. Break your work into little steps.
When we subconsciously find the work overwhelmingly difficult or complicated, we procrastinate. Break it down into little parts(or steps) and focus on one part at a time. Soon the task will be so simple that you will more likely do it immediately.
2. Create a detailed timeline with specific deadlines.
Having just 1 deadline for your work is like an invitation to procrastinate. That’s because we get the impression that we have time and keep pushing everything back, until it’s too late. Break down your project with timelines that create an urgency to act.
3. Eliminate your procrastination pit-stops.
If you are procrastinating a little too much, maybe that's because you make it easy to procrastinate. Change your working environment if your current one makes you sleepy and cozy instead of wanting to work. Move your favorite time wasting websites or movies to a folder that is less accessible. Get rid of the distractions around you.
4. Get a buddy.
Having a companion makes the whole process much more fun. Ideally, your buddy should be someone who has his/her own set of goals. Both of you will hold each other accountable to your goals and plans. While it’s not necessary for both of you to have the same goals, it’ll be even better if that’s the case, so you can learn from each other.
5. Stop over-complicating things.
Are you waiting for a perfect time to do this? That maybe now is not the best time because of X, Y, Z reasons? Ditch that thought because there’s never a perfect time. If you keep waiting for one, you are never going to accomplish anything. Perfectionism is one of the biggest reasons for procrastination.
6. Get a grip and just do it.
At the end, it boils down to taking action. You can do all the strategizing, planning and hypothesizing, but if you don’t take action, nothing’s going to happen.
These tips may not be for everybody, but I hope it helped.
Don't let procrastination take over your life!
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