How to stop procrastinating

No, of course it’s not laziness. You’re actually doing something: polishing your car, organizing your cereal drawer, helping your brother make a collage… Except time is marching on, and your essay is unwritten, your report only contains empty tables, and a few other super important and urgent tasks haven’t even been started yet.

That’s what procrastination is like: you’re fully aware that serious tasks have to be done, but you consciously continue doing what isn’t important, urgent and is simply just nice.

Good news: there’s no need to be ashamed and self-chastise – everyone procrastinates. Some more, some less. Also, a “responsible delay” can very well be useful and reasonable.

Bad news: most often, putting things off and completing them at the last moment hurt both the performer (stress, lack of sleep, feeling guilty, etc.) and the result (lower quality, interesting ideas are missed out on).

If procrastination gives you more disadvantages than benefits and substantially harms your plans, we suggest a few steps which will help minimize its negative impact on your life.

1. Rationale

Do you know what your procrastination is “feeding” upon? Your lack of answer to the most important question: “Why do I actually need this?”

Make an honest estimation for herself what completing this task will bring you:

• Money
• Fame
• Happiness in the future
• Love, etc.

If the goal is clear, then you’re working on it without distractions. If your answer is “this is no use, it’ll just be a waste of time”, then just refuse this task.

Of course, there are cases when a task really is useless, but you must do it. Activate your imagination and make up a specific purpose for which you need to complete it.

Task: to clean a window

Purpose and will: none.

Made-up purpose: great workout for my pectoral girdle – I haven’t been to the gym in like a hundred years.

2. Delegating

When you really can’t do something, rather than putting it off and making a half-hearted attempt at it, delegate it to someone else.

Your pile of washed clothes is growing, but the very image of an iron is making you sick? Get an assistant: whilst she’s ironing, you’d make it halfway through an important report. Or conclude a contract with the people you live with: the kids are browsing the Internet for pictures and data for your work, as you help them bake for a school tea party. 

One more thing about professional help: sometimes, procrastination can be a sign of serious psychological problems. If you’re seeing that putting things off is already out of your control, see a psychologist for assistance.

3. Plans and priorities

Only a lazy person hasn’t written about this – but it genuinely helps.

The more comprehensive your check lists, to-do lists, “post-its” are, the less likely it is that you’ll “relapse”.

Important specifics of planning:

• The list of important things is compiled the evening before – that way, the next morning doesn’t start with confusions and doubts;
• The tasks are prioritized in accordance with their importance and urgency: you can find online the principles of time management which are the most convenient for you: “tomatoes”, “frogs”, “1-3-7”, “four squares” – choose one you like best;
• Breaks are a must, and how you spend them must also be thought out: sport, meditation, watering the plants, walking – but not anything which can pull you in, like a drug: social media, videos, news streams, “only one episode…”, etc.
• The plan should always be at your fingertips or visible to you; cross out or tick completed tasks immediately;
• A short overview and conclusions in the evening are a must: how much was done; what wasn’t done; why not and how to improve the situation; new plans for tomorrow, taking into account today’s results.

4. Interruptions

As usual… the World Wide Web and all of its “perks”: social media, messages, videos, cats, etc. are at the first place, by a wide margin.

You know very well that words like “just a second, I’ll just read what Alena’s sent” and “woah, is it nine p.m. already?!” have an inextricable connection. Nonetheless, you still relapse.

By turning off your phone, notifications and social media for the time spent completing your task, you’ll most definitely win the battle with procrastination.

Don’t forget about your surroundings. The weaker your will is, the easier it is for you to get distracted by pointless stuff. So, you need to:

• Tidy up your workspace (put away the calendars, the pile of some receipts, close the distracting browser windows)
• If you’re highly sensitive to noise, shut the doors and the windows, use noise-cancelling headphones, etc.
• If you’re working remotely, it’s best to leave the apartment with unwashed dishes, a funny dog and noisy neighbors for a few hours (and most definitely, don’t work in the kitchen).

5. And the good…

Kids aren’t the only ones who need candies for good behavior – grown up “girls and boys” also want rewards. Promise yourself something nice and very desirable right after completing the task you’ve been putting off. You’d kill two birds with one stone: finish the work quickly, and get a present.

Occasionally, procrastination is useful and necessary, since it’s both a break, a reflection and a start for a lightning-fast leap forward. But that’s only until it becomes a habit. Then the chaos begins. Try to prevent such unpleasant turn of events and start using our simple tips today.