Are you a chronic procrastinator? You have the ambition to accomplish many things, yet, when it comes to starting something, you come up with million excuses not to do it. Classic procrastination! Luckily, finding solutions to your procrastination is simple as long as you focus your mind on the goal. Time is no excuse; you will find time if needed. As a therapist, I see a lot of clients who are unable or unwilling to break the cycle of procrastination. Here are few simple rules to help:
The Two Minute Rule
Every time you have some task that you don’t feel like doing, ask yourself to perform another task that will take you less than two minutes total to complete. To many people, this involves some simple household chores such as pulling a few weeds or taking out the dustbin but can also involve some quick and easy tasks in other aspects of life. All the things that you want to defer but it takes two minutes to do – just do it. Obviously, the original activity that you deferred will not get done by itself, but, according to my observations, you will be much more likely to jump on this activity after a two-minute "warm-up" task.
Have Some Time Off
If you are working half-heartedly and cannot focus on your tasks, force yourself to take a short break. Put aside a few minutes, and read a book, take a nap, or call your buddy. Do anything that you’ve been feeling like doing, anything! Just ensure that you complete the tasks before your deadline instead of waiting until your reminder finally rings.
Don’t Aim Too High.
Are you really waiting for the perfect situation, perfect moment, perfect conditions while putting off finishing your project? Refrain from this “perfect” thought by contemplating quantity over quality. If the task you are undertaking doesn’t need the best, but you are still determined on it, cease and go on to the next project. The moment you complete everything, you can go back and complete perfecting your previous task.
Do the Worst Thing First
Perhaps this is the final suggestion you might need to hear. But starting the list of tasks with the worse has a good reason. Begin with the hardest project when you still have fresh energy, and you provide yourself with the perfect opportunity for success. Doing the opposite can have a domino effect. Conclusively all other projects suffer. So, determine and begin on the most atrocious yet important task, which is not necessarily the biggest task but the hardest.
Begin Your Day Again at 2 p.m.
It can be so irritating to witness your morning passes by without having done what you planned to, and then seeing your afternoon being wasted also. Fight this by putting into action a reboot. Evaluate how much you’ve achieved at 2 p.m. each day, reprioritize your tasks again, and change your strategy so you can accomplish vital things. This means, giving yourself another morning in the course of the day.
Simplify the Job
It’s typical to get overpowered by the scope and size of particular projects. Rather than being threatened by the stuff you can’t do, look at the activities you can accomplish. If you have 12 projects that you need to do, do one at least. You will feel better about yourself and it will motivate you to continue with other tasks.
Make Up an Audience
It’s simple to mess up when the pledge to yourself is the only thing at risk. But share your plans with a family member or friend and commit to completing these tasks - right away the fear of being embarrassed becomes a motivator. That fear of appearing as failure might be the best incentive. Call a sibling or a friend and inform them of what you intend to get done. Request them to remind you of your plans at a given time.
The seven easy steps above can help you stop procrastinating and get out of that stressful and painful routine where you fail to achieve your aspirations.