Do you want to overcome your procrastination? You can quickly reduce your procrastination with these techniques.
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
Overcome procrastination in small steps
Procrastination is no stranger to me. I’ve had periods when I struggled a lot with it and literally could n’t get anything of value out of my hands for weeks.
And then there are the periods when I mess up a bit. I do the things that need to be done, but procrastinate on projects that are important to me but not urgent .
When I struggle with procrastination, perfectionism is invariably the culprit. I make the projects way too big in my head , so I get overwhelmed, restless and don’t know where to start.
Fortunately, I now understand exactly how this works, and I have all kinds of tools that help me overcome my procrastination in such a moment. It’s a mental game that you can win by taking the right steps.
I share the most effective techniques in this blog. Read further . Below are 4 techniques that can help you overcome your procrastination.
1. Know what your next step will be
We can get everything done in small steps. The challenge is often not in performing the tasks. Because the tasks are simply actions that we perform:
- typing an email
- paint wall
- make a phone call
- Look up information
- Paragraph typing
- Etc.
The challenge lies in determining what is most important now . “What should I do now? What is my next task?”
With clarity , you can overcome your procrastination . Because when you know what to do, you not only experience less unrest and stress, you also struggle less with procrastination.
Your brain no longer thinks: “Pfff, what a lot of work, I don’t know where to start!” – it thinks: “Oh, make a call, I can do that!”
Ten minutes of planning is often enough to get ahead . Take a step back and ask yourself, “What’s most important right now?” Once you know what to do, you define a manageable task. Then you can get started without procrastinating.
2. Lighten up your day
In the same vein: the more you have to do, the more likely you are to procrastinate . Why? Because your brain gets overwhelmed. It often doesn’t feel motivating to take part in a match that you have already lost .
And this again hooks into planning: you have to make those decisions . We often don’t feel like planning because it sometimes feels difficult . We have to make choices, often based on too little information.
But if we don’t make those choices, everything seems equally important and way too many tasks end up on our to-do list.
Ask yourself, “What 2-3 tasks do I need to complete today to feel successful and satisfied at the end of the day?”
Write down those few important tasks and make sure you can complete them. Give yourself a competition you can win – it will help you overcome your procrastination.
3. Work task by task to overcome procrastination
Once you’ve determined what’s important (and what isn’t), you can get started.
- Select your task
- Turn off distractions
- Start your task
- Continue until your task is completed
And most importantly, keep your focus on that one task you’ve selected .
By taking the time to plan, you can rest assured that you’re doing exactly what you need to do . So you can put your thoughts on other tasks and projects aside for now .
That gives you peace of mind, reduces stress and helps you overcome your procrastination with less effort.
4. Avoid Your Known Pitfalls to Overcome Procrastination
I know: if I turn on YouTube during lunch, I will procrastinate. Then I watch a few movies, and I keep watching – even after I’ve finished eating.
So? So I won’t start.
The same goes for other distracting activities, such as social media apps, checking the news or playing video games. Once I start, it’s not easy to get out .
You probably have an idea of your common pitfalls. If you want to overcome your procrastination, you can choose not to start in advance . That choice is often easier than fighting yourself out once you’re in it.
Put your smartphone in a different room, change your environment or switch off the internet if you have to. Avoid falling into familiar pitfalls – it can often save you a mountain of procrastination.
Always remember that by beating procrastination you can reach your destination faster.
