How to Stop Procrastinating
Overcoming the Habit of Delaying Important Tasks
You’re working furiously to complete tasks before the day is done, while silently cursing yourself for not starting it sooner or not staying focused earlier.
How did this happen? What went wrong? Why did you lose your focus?
Well, there were the hours that you spent reading emails and checking social media, texting, that long break, and the time spent on other tasks that weren’t important.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone!
Procrastination is a trap that many of us fall into. In fact, according to researcher and speaker Piers Steel, 95% percent of us procrastinate on some level. While it may be comforting to know that you’re not alone, it can be sobering to realize just how much it can keep you from reaching your goals and things you want to accomplish.
Procrastination doesn’t make you lazy. It just means that you’re probably disorganized, so here are six things that might help you:
- Keep a To-Do List. This will prevent you from veering off track.
- Prioritize your To-Do List. This will enable you to quickly identify the activities that you should focus on, as well as the ones you can ignore.
- Become a master of scheduling and planning. If you have a big project or multiple projects that you’re working on and you don’t know where to start, you should plan your time effectively, which should reduce your stress levels.
- Tackle the hardest tasks at your most productive times. Do you work better in the morning or in the afternoon? Knowing when you’re most effective will help you do the tasks that you find most difficult. I work best late at night when it’s quite. However, I’m most productive in the afternoons.
- Set yourself time limits to accomplish your tasks. Setting yourself specific deadlines to complete tasks will keep you on track to achieve your goals and will mean that you have no time for procrastination!
- Use task and time-management apps. There are numerous apps designed to help you to be more organized. I like Google calendar. I receive messages reminding me of things I need to do.
Most importantly, give yourself a break if you don’t get everything done. Stay positive and when you do get things done, give yourself a mental high-five!
