You just got home after a long day at the office. You need to track inventory changes and document daily income but instead, you find yourself unexpectedly immersed in cleaning up your closet to avoid the tedious tasks. Although that may appear random, this lurking nuisance is none other than procrastination. It’s the act of delaying or postponing tasks, often in favor of less important activities, which is something we’re all too familiar with. While it may seem harmless at first, procrastination can snowball into a huge problem affecting your productivity, potential success and overall lifestyle. One of the main reasons why many procrastinate is due to a lack of motivation and the task being able to be put off until later. Perfectionism, fear of failure and feeling like you’re unable to meet your high standards all contribute to the problem. Overcoming procrastination will require effort and self-discipline, but it can be made easier with the right strategies. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
1. Assess your surroundings
Whether you’re trying to manage your monthly business plans or handle customer inquiries, it’s going to require your full attention and focus to complete these tasks efficiently. Constant pinging from your phone notifications or people approaching you for conversation will only sidetrack your progress. That’s why the environment in which you work is important and can significantly impact your ability to focus and stay on track. Minimize distractions by creating a dedicated workspace that is free from clutter and unrelated items. You should also silence your phone or turn on work mode. Those pesky social media notifications can wait and act as a reward after you’ve completed your work (more in-depth later). Create a space for yourself where everything around you is an aid for your productivity, such as good lighting, comfortable seating and peaceful, ambient sounds. Sometimes there are inevitable distractions, such as team member or family interruptions. Let’s easily minimize this issue by communicating your work hours to set clear boundaries. And just like that, you’ve empowered yourself by empowering your environment.
2. Spread out your routine and goals
The first thought you've likely had at the beginning of your day might be, “What do I need to accomplish today?” With a handful of tasks that are thrown into the mix, simplifying and organizing them by priority is your best solution. Since procrastination comes from the initial feeling of being overwhelmed with an array of work, why not cut down the number of decisions you’ll need to make each day? You can minimize the amount of goals you want to accomplish in a single day and spread them out over the week. No more juggling and wasting time worrying about which you’d like to start on first. You’ll notably produce better, quality work as a bonus when you’re focused on fewer responsibilities. Refer to the proverb, “The man who chases two rabbits, catches neither,” best illustrating the consequence of taking on too many goals at a time.
3. Give yourself incentives
In recent times, our attention spans have been seemingly getting shorter and shorter. Research has shown that this is due to the constant distractions from our smartphones and computers. Social media, text messages and unlimited access to the internet make it difficult not to procrastinate. Getting constant gratification from these devices become a problem when it comes to your commitment to real-life responsibilities. As mentioned earlier, you can take advantage of this by offering yourself a reward after completing your work. Additionally, you can separate tasks that are more tedious into smaller sections and reward yourself accordingly. It truly comes down to how you want to tackle your progress. Creating a reward system could consist of anything that helps you stay motivated. It could be enjoying your favorite snack or taking a short break. As long as you’re on top of your tasks, you deserve to be rewarded for your efforts!
4. Forgive yourself
Procrastination is a common obstacle that many run into and it doesn’t define who we are. Therefore, understanding this phenomenon will help your ability to overcome it. There are a variety of factors that can influence one's procrastination. You may tend to leave work until the last minute because you’re feeling under the weather or you may have other worries on your mind. Some people have a fear of failure, while others struggle to get started. The key is to reflect on the triggers that cause you to procrastinate and learn from them. Create smart strategies such as establishing accountability instead of attacking yourself and you’ll be able to work more efficiently and with self-compassion. Being kind to yourself and practicing mindfulness is a concept that’s underappreciated and is important to your success and well-being in the long run.
There is a feeling of great accomplishment that comes with beating procrastination and finishing what you've set out to do. Remember that discipline is required and the feeling of putting off your responsibilities is very common. You aren’t alone, so don’t feel discouraged because every day is different. One day, you might be on top of all of your tasks, while another day, you don’t want to do anything at all. Just get started! Starting is usually the hardest part of your task. So allow yourself to begin, even if it’s just a tiny bit, and success will be right there waiting for you in the end.
Author: Gary Wong
How often do you procrastinate and what is your favorite strategy to avoid it?
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