Best Methods of Fighting Procrastination

Procrastination means postponing — without any good reason — important things and tasks that you know need to be done soon. For instance, instead of work, you use social media, watch YouTube, chat with colleagues, or rearrange all the items on your desk. 

You fill your time with unimportant tasks, waiting for the right mood or conditions to solve the main problem you should be working on. But you remember that you have things to do and understand their importance, which means that you do not rest and do not work at the same time! Stress and anxiety grow, and things get worse over time as the deadline approaches.

Sounds familiar? Do not despair: fighting procrastination is possible, and we will teach you how!

Recognize Your Procrastination

Procrastination takes many forms, but they are united in trying to postpone a task. You may not even realize that you are doing that, especially if you do other, smaller activities instead of that main one. But that is still procrastination, and it will lead to stress and problems with your schedule. So you need to analyze your daily habits to find out which forms your procrastination takes.

Most often, people switch their attention to something other than the task being postponed. If you spend a lot of time on email or social networks, as well as non-essential tasks, or find yourself waiting for the right mood or conditions to solve the problem, you might be procrastinating.

Find Out the Reasons for Your Procrastination

According to McLean Hospital, there are a few reasons for procrastination. Common causes are: a lack of pleasure from the task being performed, especially when you think it is boring; a lack of self-confidence, especially when you feel you cannot do the task; fear and anxiety caused by the task for other reasons. Perfectionism is another possible cause, as is distraction.

Depending on these reasons, the best solutions for you and your own kind of procrastination may differ.

Forgive Yourself

Before you can fight procrastinating, you should forgive yourself for doing it in the past. It's important to first admit that you've been putting things off, then forgive yourself for it and get ready to move on. In that exact order.

It can be difficult to forgive yourself if you missed something really important because of procrastination, which caused serious problems and stress. But try to do it anyway. Otherwise, you might continue to procrastinate — this time, because of a sense of defeat and failure.

Start Completing the Task

Just getting to the task is an obvious solution. It may seem like an easy way to stop putting things off, but taking on a task you've been avoiding can be quite difficult. You have to accept that eventually you will have to do whatever it is that you have been putting off and start doing at least something to complete it.

There is a psychological technique that makes it easier to start working on a long-delayed task. Promise yourself to spend, for instance, 10 minutes on the task. Then you will get involved, and continuing the task will not seem so difficult. The most complicated and uncomfortable thing is always to get started.

Reward yourself

Reward yourself for a job well done — it is a great motivation to complete difficult tasks. The rewards don't have to be excessive. If you want to have coffee with friends, you can tell yourself that you are going to do it when you finish a task.

Be creative with the rewards. For example, you may decide that after completing a task, you will watch several episodes of your favorite TV series. You can also reward yourself with time spent with a loved one because your to-do list will be complete and you won't have to feel guilty about leaving work unfinished.

Rethink the Internal Dialogue

How we think about a task makes a big difference in how quickly it will be completed. If you think, "I have to do this," you are essentially telling yourself that you have no choice in the matter. However, by changing that thought to "I choose to do this," you modify that approach. It feels better to do a thing you have chosen to do.

Your internal dialogue forms your attitude toward the project. Therefore, changing it can modify your attitude. If you can feel more positive about a task, you will find that it will be much easier to take on.

Do not Dramatize the Task

One of the biggest obstacles on the way to completing a task for many people is that they prefer to dramatize it before they have even started. They are horrified when they think about how boring, unpleasant, or painful the task can become. All these characteristics are in your head: they do not have to be true, but they feel true, and that is the problem. 

It is about changing your mindset. No matter how boring or difficult the task will be, tell yourself that doing it will benefit you — because that is true. Procrastination can lead to severe stress and scheduling issues, which are much worse than the task itself.

Avoid Perfectionism

Perfectionists often postpone things. Many perfectionists are waiting for everything to be ideal for the task. If something is not quite perfect, they will avoid completing it until the "right time" comes.

To fight perfectionism-based procrastination, you must first defeat the former. You have to admit that things are rarely perfect or ideal. For a task to be completed, you may have to make some concessions. If you must, make your environment and timing as close to perfection as possible, but don't wait for everything to be the way you want it to be before working to complete the task.

Think About the Long-Term Benefits

Instead of focusing on the complexity of a task, think about the results of completing it. Every task has a reason and outlines what you will get in return. Try to think positively and see a clear goal that you want to achieve after completing a task. Think about the advantages that completing it on time gives you.

In Conclusion

Procrastination is common, and people often struggle to defeat it, but there are ways of fighting it. Learn more about yourself to figure out the best plan. Think about your inner voice, use motivation and rewards, and do not allow perfectionism to cripple you. Think positively and remember the long-term benefits of just doing what you have been postponing (if only for ten minutes). These methods should help you overcome procrastination.