“My advice is to never do tomorrow
what you can do today. Procrastination
is the thief of time.”—Charles Dickens
Procrastination affects each and every one of us at one
point or another. Don’t be dismayed if
you find yourself struck by procrastination from time to time, all is not lost. The following easy techniques will help you
to get over the hump.
Beat Procrastination Now By Starting Easy
Break down difficult tasks into
smaller portions and start with the easiest portions first. Once you get started you will start to build
momentum. Once you build momentum the harder
portions will begin to flow.
Once you get started by completing
the easy portions the unfinished portions will be stuck in your memory. This is called the Zeigarnik effect. The unfinished portions will continue to pop
up in your mind until you address them.
Beat Procrastination Now by Starting Anywhere
Starting easy is smart however it
might be difficult to figure out where to start. Planning can help to figure out where to
start but beware. It is easy to fall
into the trap of too much planning and not enough doing. One tip that you can learn from artists,
writers and other creative is to just start anywhere.
The stuff you start with might end
up in the dead file but at least the project will be started.
Beat Procrastination Now By Taking It Easy On Yourself
The common thought would be in
order to beat procrastination you must be tough on yourself. Nothing can be further from the truth. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that
if you want to beat procrastination you should be nice to yourself. Have compassion on yourself for the times
that you have slacked off in the past.
If you forgive yourself for when you slacked off in the past you will
feel better about the task and will then be more likely to reattempt it.
Beat Procrastination Now By Knowing Yourself
Know what your habits are. If you are not a morning person then schedule
your challenging tasks for later in the day.
If you are easily distracted then change your work environment to a
place will distractions are few.
Beat Procrastination Now By Finding Your Why
Dig down deep and find personal
meaning in your task. This will make
your tasks easier and perhaps even fun.
I am sure that you would agree that it does not take a whole lot to get
yourself to do something that you value.
Spend time thinking about why you want to or need to complete the task.
Beat Procrastination Now by Being Mindful
You might find that at the root of
some procrastination lies perfectionism and fear of failure. One way to identify if these are the reasons
that you procrastinate is to listen to your inner dialogue and noting all
thinking that is less than productive.
If you find yourself thinking that “this is going to be a mess” or “this
needs to be perfect” try to doubt your doubts.
It has been scientifically proven that if you shake your head while
having negative thoughts it will help your thinking to get back on the right
track.
Beat Procrastination Now by Not Relying on Memory
Sometimes procrastination has more
to do with memory loss than intentional thinking. One solution to this problem is to not rely
on memory. Write it down. It does not matter where you write it just as
long as it is written in a place that you will see it every day.
If you learned anything new from this article then please leave a comment.
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